LoRaWAN/LoRa Water Meter Solution Design

Release time:

2023-11-28

I. Functions

There are numerous technologies available for meter reading, with the two main categories being wired and wireless systems. Among these, wireless meter‑reading solutions have gained wider acceptance because they eliminate the need for on‑site wiring, making installation straightforward and maintenance and updates simple. However, certain wireless technologies also face application‑related challenges and limitations, such as… FSK suffers from short range, poor penetration, and unstable wireless signals, while GPRS/CAT‑1 (4G) offers a robust network but consumes excessive power. The advent of LoRa technology has addressed key challenges in meter‑reading applications, including transmission distance, network reliability, and power consumption.

Abroad, whether in the developed regions of Europe and North America or in the less-developed countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, mobile network infrastructure remains relatively underdeveloped, making it difficult to establish an L… oRa/LoRaWAN Wireless meter reading over a private network is low-cost and fast.

II. Scheme Design

2.1LoRa/LoRaWAN Technical Introduction

LoRa stands for Long Range, a low-power, long-distance wireless standard for local area networks. It is a wireless modulation scheme developed by Semtech. Its most distinctive feature is that, at the same power consumption, it achieves a longer transmission range than other wireless technologies (such as GFSK and FSK), thereby resolving the challenge of simultaneously achieving low power and long-range communication. Under identical operating conditions, LoRa can extend the communication range by 3 to 5 times compared with conventional wireless RF technologies.

LoRaWAN is an open standard that defines the communication protocol for LPWAN technology based on LoRa chips, as well as the media access control (MAC) layer within the data link layer. The protocol is maintained by the LoRa Alliance.

LoRaWAN has already been clearly introduced above as a protocol—by definition, a protocol specifies a set of rules and procedures. Any LoRaWAN node that complies with the LoRaWAN standard must adhere to its requirements for communication. Meanwhile, LoRa is a modulation scheme, and LoRaWAN is an application built upon this LoRa modulation. Simply put, a LoRaWAN module uses a standard LoRa module and configures its parameters or transmits and receives signals according to prescribed rules.

2.2 Overall Functionality

       Using L in this system oRa/LoRaWAN Establish a local wireless LAN, with the water meter equipped with L. oRa/LoRaWAN Module, the water meter via R S232 The interface converts water meter data from R S232 Forward to L oR a /LoRaWAN Module, L oR a /LoRaWAN Then transmit the water meter data to L. oR a /LoRaWAN Gateway, L oRa/LoRaWAN The gateway uses Ethernet or 2 G/3G/4G/5G mobile networks transmit data to cloud servers. The block diagram is as follows:

 

 

 

2.3 Product Introduction

2.3.1LoRa/LoRaWAN Module

  • Feature Introduction

  The SM-WLC801 is developed based on STMicroelectronics’ newly launched, world’s first LoRa‑compatible SoC chip, offering long‑range communication, low standby power consumption, strong anti‑interference performance, and versatile interfaces. The wireless communication module features a compact form factor, abundant interface resources, and ease of integration, while also supporting user‑driven secondary development.

  • Product image

  • Product Specifications

Project

Parameter

Note

Clock speed

 64MHZ

 

Interface

2xUSART, 1xLPUART, 3xI2C, 1xSPI, 21xGPIO

 

Operating frequency band

433 MHz ~ 928 MHz

The default is 470 MHz.

Transmission power

+20 dBm

 

Receiving sensitivity

–148 dBm

 

Operating voltage

3.3V

 

Operating temperature

-40℃-85℃

 

2.3.2LoR a /LoRaWAN Base station

  • Feature Introduction

It RaWAN The outdoor gateway is a device based on low-power wide-area networking. The outdoor LoRaWAN gateway features an IP66‑rated waterproof enclosure, is powered via PoE, and supports connection to standard LoRaWAN end devices for bidirectional communication. Collected data is uploaded to a cloud server over 4G/5G or Ethernet. It is widely applicable across diverse sectors, including remote meter reading, smart parking, smart city initiatives, and security & fire‑protection systems. Its applications span smart cities, smart communities, smart campuses, smart oilfields, and smart tobacco industries, among others.

  • Product image

                

 

  • Product Specifications

 

 

Project

Parameter

Note

Product Functions

LoRa functionality

Supports the standard LoRaWAN protocol.

 

LoRa wireless communication features eight uplink channels and one downlink channel.

 

Mobile wireless functionality

Supports Wi-Fi hotspot functionality.

 

LTE supports three mode options, covering China, Europe, and the United States; in China, it fully supports all network bands.

 

Supports Ethernet and 3G/ 4 G/5G uplink and downlink data backhaul, with support for automatic handover.

 

System Functions

Supports overseas TTN servers

 

Supports switching between Chinese and English interfaces and setting the local time.

 

Supports remote administrator login for maintenance and troubleshooting.

 

Supports MQTT , supports W EB Interface Management

 

Supports restoring factory settings via button press or web interface.

 

Wireless Performance

LORA wireless channel line

8 channels

 

Work mode

Full-duplex/Half-duplex

 

LoRa communication rate

292b ps~5.4Kbps

 

Maximum transmit power

27dbm

 

Maximum receiving sensitivity

-141 dBm (SF=12)

 

Operating frequency band

China 470 MHz

Australia 923 MHz

United States 915 MHz

Europe 868 MHz

The default is 470 MHz; customization is required for different frequency bands.

 

Data Upload

10/100M Ethernet and 3G/4G/5G

5G is not supported by default.

LTE standard

Domestic 4G supported frequency bands

LTE-TDD: B38/B39/B40/B41 LTE-FDD: B1/B3/B5/B7/B8 TD-SCDMA: B34/B39 UMTS: B1/8 EVDO: 800 MHz CDMA1x: 800 MHz GSM: 850/900/1800/1900

 

European 4G supported frequency bands

FDD LTE :B1/B3/B5/B8/B20

TDD LTE: B38/B40/B41

WCDMA:B1/B5/B8

GSM : B3/B8

 

U.S. 4G supported frequency bands

FDD LTE: B2/B4/B12

WCDMA LTE: B2/B4/B5

 

Wi-Fi

Supports 802.11a/b/g/n protocols, 2.4 GHz band

 

Ethernet

Supports 10M/100M adaptive network communication.

 

Product Specifications

Operating temperature

-30 °C ~65℃

 

Waterproof rating

IP68

 

Operating temperature

5%RH~90%RH

 

Certification

CE/FCC

 

Power supply

DC Power supply, voltage: 6V–12V

 

 

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