SigFox and LoRa have been competitors in the LPWAN area for a few years.

Both of their technologies are designed for IoT deployments over cities or nationwide.

WHAT IS LPWANs?

LPWAN stands for Low Power, Wide-Area Networks (LPWANs).

It is ideal for IoT, i.e., connecting devices that send and receive

1. small data packets over

2. long distances while

3. using very little power.

It allows messages to transmit about 30‑50km in rural areas and 3‑10km for urban areas. Distance for outdoor objects in line of sight can travel over 1,000km.

There are a number of competitors in this area,

E.g. LoRa, Sigfox, NB-IOT.

We are comparing LoRa and Sigfox here today.

Difference # 1 Coverage

LoRa: less than 14 Km

Sigfox: less than 17 Km

Difference # 2 Signal Bandwidth

LoRa: on CSS (Chirp spread spectrum)

Sigfox: on UNB (Ultra narrowband)  — higher spectral efficiency and can mitigate the noise better

Difference # 3 Usage

LoRa: uses more bandwidth

Sigfox: is very practical for infrequent transmissions and offers longer battery life

Difference # 4 Business Model

LoRa: can by deployed on your own to just cover your local area

Sigfox: is a network operator, so you wait for them to deploy, and you pay a subscription fee

Difference # 5 Security

LoRa:  weaker compared to Sigfox but I believe it will be improving

Sigfox: is better in preventing replay and man-in-the-middle attacks

 

However, there are also interesting similarities about two of them. For example, both are from France and they are on unlicensed band.

Although LoRa and Sigfox launched first, NB‑IoT technology (stands for Narrowband IoT) is already being rolled out in pre‑standardization deployments. And it only costs a few dollars but uses a simple battery that can last for years. This enabled turn-on‑and‑go systems which require no local infrastructure.