Semtech LR1110: Smarter Asset Management | Symmetry Blog

Semtech, the leading supplier of high-performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms, recently launched the first product to support their LoRa Edge^TM Asset Management Platform–the low power, device-to-cloud LoRa Edge^TM LR1110 solution. The LR1110 utilizes a low power LoRa transceiver, passive Wi-Fi scanner and multi-constellation Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) scanner for faster and more accurate indoor and outdoor geolocation.

Current Solutions Available on the Market

GNSS and Wi-Fi are currently the two main technologies used for geolocation monitoring. GNSS is most effective for outdoor tracking, while Wi-Fi is most commonly used for indoor devices. As standalone technologies, both solutions are unfortunately rated higher in terms of power consumption. Additionally, customers may be required to combine multiple technologies to accelerate the production process. Acceleration requires additional engineering resources and an increase in time-to-market. Finally, the design and security requirements for the current IoT market are becoming increasingly more complicated. Semtech’s LoRa Edge portfolio is designed to target these requirements in an affordable and simplified manner.

LR1110 Operation

The LR1110 uses a Wi-Fi and GPS scanner to receive information required to calculate the position of the device. This information is sent by the LR1110 to a geolocation server using the LoRaWAN network. The geolocation server analyzes the information sent by the LR1110 and calculates the position of the device.

Passive Wi-Fi Scanning

The Wi-Fi scanner inside the LR1110 captures Media Access Control (MAC) addresses (a unique 12-character code that a Wi-Fi access point uses to identify itself when connecting to a network) from Wi-Fi access points. Once MAC addresses are found, they are sent to a Wi-Fi lookup service to locate the device. At least two different MAC addresses are required to find a concrete position. The process for Wi-Fi scanning consists of three different stages:

1. Preamble Search: Device is in receive mode until preamble is found.
2. Capture: Once preamble is found, device starts capturing the packet.
3. Demodulate: Device demodulates required information.

To conserve power consumption, the device is turned off in the demodulation stage. Along with MAC addresses, Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) can also be sent to the geolocation server to enhance the accuracy of positioning as an optional feature.

GNSS Scanning

This mode is most effective for outdoor positioning. The LR1110 has an integrated GNSS scanner that captures signals from satellites. The pseudoranges (information required to calculate positioning) are extracted from GNSS messages. This information is sent to the LoRa Cloud via a LoRa gateway, network server, and application server. The LoRa Cloud calculates the position of the device using a GNSS solver and Almanac update. This solution helps in conserving power since most calculation tasks are completed in the backend.

Getting Started with the LR1110

Semtech’s LR1110 solution is the first product to enter their LoRa Edge portfolio. This powerful technology fills the market gap in offering economic, accurate, and secure indoor and outdoor geolocation monitoring. Reducing power consumption to 1/10^th of competing solutions, the LoRa Edge LR1110 minimizes design complexity and diminishes development and deployment costs. The LR1110 supports diverse applications in asset location, asset recovery, asset traceability, inventory management, and asset loss and theft prevention.

Looking to integrate Semtech's LoRa Edge LR1110 into your design? Our Applications Engineers offer free design and technical help for your latest designs. Contact us today!