LoRa Means Sustainablity At Semtech

Semtech Corp. is expanding its mission to make the planet a smarter, more connected and sustainable place with its long-range, low power technology, or LoRa.

With LoRa devices and its accompanying LoRa wide area network, or LoRaWAN protocol deployed globally, the Camarillo semiconductor product developer is helping reduce environmental impacts.

LoRa is a wireless technology that targets machine-to-machine networks. It enables public or multi-tenant networks to connect multiple applications running in the same network.Among the uses of the technology is wildlife protection, in which sensors integrated with LoRa can track and protect endangered species from poachers in parks in Africa and Asia. In sustainable farming, farmers and ranchers can leverage LoRa to measure environmental conditions that influence crop production, track the health of livestock and enable efficiencies that reduce environmental impact while maximizing yield, the company said.

For water conservation, LoRa can integrate into water management systems, smart homes and buildings to monitor their water usage and potentially decrease wastage, the company added. It also can play a role in flood monitoring, with sensors deployed to autonomously monitor rising sea levels. The system has proven valuable in coastal regions with a high risk of flooding, according to Semtech.In rural communities, LoRa connectivity products enable two-way communications to and from satellites in low earth orbit, so those living in rural areas have access to global connectivity that would otherwise do without it.

Finally, LoRa has been used to combat COVID-19. The technology can ensure regulation compliance in the workplace and help with contact tracing, the company said.

Semtech Chief Executive Mohan Maheswaran said in a statement that by investing in LoRa and LoRaWAN, the company shows its commitment toward sustainability.“LoRa devices’ easy-to-deploy capabilities have the potential to bring connectivity to all, creating a smarter and safer planet,” Maheswaran said.