California-based Semtech has upgraded its LoRa developer portal to make it easier for developers, regardless of experience level, to build IoT devices connected with the LoRaWan standard.

The updated portal gives developers low-risk avenues for building with LoRa. With kits and tutorials, developers can create prototypes quickly and cost effectively to see how LoRaWan can work for their IoT applications. The portal offers resources for developers at every level including education on the basics of LoRaWan, creating a network and deploying a full-scale commercial service.

“As a community of developers, we understand the unique challenges we all face when building IoT solutions, which is why we felt strongly about putting in place a portal that provides access to tools, training and educational materials to get the answers you need quickly,” said Steve Hegenderfer, senior director at Semtech. “Our intent is that developers can use this portal to learn how to make their visions a reality and get a better understanding of how to use Semtech’s LoRa devices and LoRaWan when developing their IoT solutions.”

According to IoT Analytics, spending on enterprise IoT grew 12.1% in 2020 to $128.9bn. IoT devices today do everything from industrial automation to solving complex technical problems with multiple connectivity options for developers. Building IoT devices is more complex than ever, and developers need additional resources and guidance to build and test device connectivity efficiently.

The added features to the portal aim to help developers bring their ideas to life. With access to the support, materials and community insights they need, developers can see their projects through from development to implementation.

Features include:

• Interactive tutorials provide instructional videos, text and an application programming interface (API) sandbox to give developers what they need to develop and deploy applications
• Improved community page bringsdevelopers together to get answers to common questions, while working with each other to build their services
• LoRaWan academy offers a complete curriculum for students and professionals interested in creating long range IoT projects
• Hands-on labs offer detailed walk-throughs to help developers learn how to build, develop and deploy with LoRaWan
• Network server, built on the ChirpStack open-source network server using LoRaWan, provides a hosted development environment that can be used for prototyping IoT featuring LoRa devices deployed on a LoRaWan

In the coming months, the portal will be offering additional upgrades, including tools that will help developers anticipate the types of battery life and area coverage they can expect from their devices with LoRaWan.