Working with Glasgow, Strathclyde and Glasgow Caledonian universities, the group has installed a wireless IoT network covering 12km2 of the city. The network will enable the development and use of devices such as building and indoor environmental monitors, pollution sensors, intelligent transport systems, tags for tracking valuable assets, and social care devices designed to support independent living.
Glasgow was selected because of its similarities to many major metropolitan areas worldwide. The city includes a grid system like major US conurbations, older historic spaces and a mix of urban and extra-urban environments – all of which are ideal for testing low-power radio network performance. The consortium is working on the installation of a similar sensor network in Inverness to monitor conditions in more rural environments.
Nigel Chadwick, CEO of Stream Technologies, said: “This is an exciting development in the story of the IoT and the next wave of internet technology. The LoRaWAN network we’ve set up in Glasgow is one of the most advanced in the world – and is the perfect demonstrator for how it can be rolled out across other cities."
"The model will allow businesses to start up their own IoT networks with just one or two devices, and scale-up to the point where they have hundreds, or even thousands, of connected ‘things’. That might sound like it is purely focused on technology companies, but the network could be used by practically any organisation – or even individuals.”
Mark Begbie, business development director at CENSIS, explained: “This isn’t about providing faster broadband to businesses – it’s about connecting devices that are currently excluded from the internet and providing services which are not currently possible. LoRaWAN technology is set to address some of the key challenges in the IoT, making long-term battery-powered wireless monitoring possible, with the additional benefit of real-time location information.
“With fewer than 10% of the predicted 30 billion nodes by 2020 likely to be connected to the internet using cellular technology, networks like LoRaWAN are going to become increasingly important. It has the potential to be as disruptive to businesses as the internet has been already to daily life.”
