A LoRa Edge tracker reference design has been developed by Semtech in collaboration with Actility and Tago.IO, leveraging both companies’ expertise in asset tracking.

The design includes LoRa cloud geolocation capabilities and Tago.IO’s cloud-based dashboards and analytics to support the rapid deployment of POCs. Actility will also provide a complete tracking kit including the LoRa Edge tracker reference design and a pre-provisioned gateway operating on the LoRaWan protocol to help users quickly evaluate a complete end-to-end IoT tracking system.

California-based Semtech supplies analogue and mixed-signal semiconductors and algorithms. It has announced two enablers for its LoRa Edge platform: LoRa Basics Modem-E, a software modem leveraging LoRaWan for the LoRa Edge platform that runs inside the LoRa Edge transceiver, and the LoRa Edge Tracker Reference Design, a device-to-cloud commercial grade reference for asset tracking applications.

LoRa Basics Modem-E, which forms part of the LoRa Basics library of software tools and accelerators, is compliant with the LoRaWan protocol and designed to run on the LoRa Edge hardware platform. The tracker reference design incorporates LoRa Edge hardware with the LoRa Basics Modem-E software modem in a streamlined industrial sensor design integrated with LoRa cloud services to provide a ready-to-deploy reference for asset tracking.

“LoRa Basics Modem-E significantly simplifies the development of long range, low power IoT,” said Sree Durbha, director of LoRa products for Semtech. “Leveraging the strengths of the LoRaWan protocol, LoRa Basics Modem-E runs inside the LoRa Edge transceiver and by abstracting complexity allows IoT developers to focus efforts on developing value added solutions for their customers with less focus on connectivity development.”

By providing a fully integrated device-to-cloud reference, the tracker reference design supports the rapid evaluation of LoRa Edge-based asset tracking applications.

“The reference design provides a full blueprint for commercial asset tracking products and services, reducing time to market in a variety of vertical markets, including transportation, logistics and supply chain, cities and building infrastructure, home and communities, healthcare, agriculture, food services, and a wealth of other use cases,” said Durbha.

LoRa Basics Modem-E embedded software, which will be tested and maintained by Semtech along with the latest versions of the LoRaWan protocol, supports AES-128bit encryption and enables the secure connection of sensors to any LoRaWan compliant gateway.

In addition, as a fully-certified production-ready modem, LoRa Basics Modem-E fast tracks the LoRa Alliance certification process, accelerating time-to-market. LoRa Basics Modem-E also has APIs to integrate with Semtech’s LoRa Cloud geolocation and device and application services, including GNSS almanac updates, simplifying development.