A GPS tracker can navigate and track where assets and things are. It is useful in monitoring people’s movement and for security purposes. It is usually small, concealable, and you can hide it in a vehicle or house.
Some models are ideal for tracking the location of an asset and do not need an external source of power to operate. A typical example is the LoRaWAN GPS Trackers that are also resistant to severe weather conditions and external aggressiveness. In this post, we will discuss what you should know about LoRaWAN.
What is a LoRaWAN?
LoRaWAN (long-range wide area network) is one IoT technology that serves as a sensor, gateway, and tracker. This technology provides suitable connectivity that helps in different applications like logistics, automation, transportation, and monitoring.
One feature that is noteworthy of this tech is its cellular-free nature. It operates without an external source, so there is low energy consumption and costs. Additionally, it comes in 2 parts: LoRa and LoRaWAN.
LoRa refers to a lower-level technology that modulates radio signals to become discrete bits. On the other hand, LoRaWAN is a high-level abstract tech that governs the way LoRa signals react with encryption, gateways, etc.
Furthermore, LoRaWAN uses nodes to send signals to the gateways. These gateways will listen to the specific nodes. Its configuration allows it to perform this action. This is what makes the tracker’s communication to long distances possible even with low power consumption.
How Does it Work?
This tracker works with a process called a time distinction of arrival (ToA) or triangulation. This is also called multilateration. Here is how multilateration works:
The LoRa end devices are located when about three gateways discover their signals. These gateways calculate the distance of the device by determining the time taken for signals to reach there. Or it will measure the signals dispersed over time. The former method is more reliable because information transferred is continuous within a specific medium, like the atmosphere.
When the locations of these gateways are figured out, it becomes easy to locate LoRa end devices. This can be compared to drawing a circle with a radius that is equal to the distance measured around the gateways.
By using the multilateration procedure, it becomes easy for LoRaWANs to locate objects or assets. So far, the gateways have been able to locate objects. In simpler terms, a higher number of gateways improves how accurate objects will be tracked down. You can click on https://www.instructables.com/LoRa-GPS-Tracker/ to learn how to assemble your own GPS.
How accurate can it be?
The range for accuracy is from 20 to 200 meters. Certain factors affect this, like the LoRa device density and the width of physical distances. At times, because of mistakes in signal propagation, the accuracy and distance of an object will become low. With a dense LoRa network, this is prevented.
Physical locations can also affect the accuracy of this tracker. In areas that are open, flat, and large, LoRaWAN is accurate since there is no interference in structure or geography. However, in modern environments that have large structures or geographical variations, accuracy is affected. Using a dense LoRa network will avoid such issues and give accurate tracking results.
In an interference-free or multipath-free environment, LoRaWAN tracking is very accurate and straightforward. But for multipath locations like a dense modern area, there is likely to be signal interference, timestamp errors, and a low accuracy range.
Uses of LoRaWAN GPS Tracker
This tracker is ideal in contact tracing because of its size, accurate reading, and no need for any external power source except for the gateways and LoRa networks. As a result, it is useful in many applications such as:
- Geo-fencing
- Construction
- Container tracking
- Asset tracking
- Logistics
- Proximity monitoring
- Locating individuals
Benefits of Using LoRaWAN Tracker
The benefits are:
- It is a technology that has a broad use in different IoT applications.
- There is no external power source, so it saves energy and is cost-effective.
- It offers an easy and accurate location of assets.
- Everything is in the cloud software, so you can easily locate information in secured formats.
You can read this article to learn more about LoRaWan.
Conclusion
With GPS trackers, you can easily keep an eye on assets and other things. However, if you choose the LoRaWAN GPS tracker, it becomes easy to locate assets at low costs and power requirements.
