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What Are the Methods of Wireless Transmission?

FAQ｜What Are the Methods of Wireless Transmission?

In industrial environments, wiring can be difficult due to complexity, or facilities may cover large and distant areas. In addition to the high cost of cabling, the installation process itself is a major project. In such cases, using wireless transmission methods can be much more convenient.

Reasons for Adoption
How Wireless Transmission Helps Build Smart Factories

Residual-life Prediction
In the era of smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0, many industrial facilities still use wired transmission for data communication, as it remains the most stable method. However, wiring can be difficult due to environmental complexity, or the facility may span a large area. Besides the significant cost of cabling, installation is a major project. In such cases, using wireless transmission methods can be much more convenient.


Wireless Transmission Protocols
Unlicensed frequency bands commonly used for wireless transmission include 2.4 GHz and Sub-GHz. The 2.4 GHz band is widely used in commercial applications, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. These are ideal for short-range wireless communication, with Bluetooth offering fast transmission, low power consumption, and high security. However, due to a limited number of network nodes and susceptibility to interference, Bluetooth is not suitable for multi-point deployments. Sub-GHz, on the other hand, offers long-range transmission, less interference, and lower power consumption, making it more suitable for industrial applications.

Industrial environments typically have large-scale equipment distributed across vast areas. Since industrial equipment usually transmits lightweight data, Sub-GHz frequency transmission is more than sufficient.

For Sub-GHz frequencies, the 433 MHz band is commonly used worldwide for ISM (Industrial, Scientific, and Medical) applications. The 915 MHz band is popular in North America and Australia, while 868 MHz is widely used in Europe. The 315 MHz band is mainly utilized in North America, Asia, and Japan.


Types of Wireless Transmission Technologies
Wireless transmission technologies are generally categorized into short-range, mid-range, and long-range transmission.

Concept Explanation
What is LoRaWAN?

LoRaWAN defines the communication protocol and network architecture using the LoRa physical layer for long-range communication. It also manages frequency and power levels for all nodes. Devices in the network transmit asynchronously, sending data when available. The transmitted signals from end nodes are received by multiple gateways, which forward the data packets to a centralized network server. The network server filters duplicate packets, performs security checks, manages the network, and then forwards the data to an application server.

Features of LoRa
LoRa offers long-range communication, low power consumption, and supports multiple network nodes.

Long-Range Communication: LoRa's high sensitivity is attributed to direct sequence spread spectrum technology. It uses a high spreading factor to achieve significant signal gain, enabling transmission distances of up to 20 km.

Low Power Consumption: Typically, communication distance and power consumption are positively correlated. However, LoRa improves receiver sensitivity to extend transmission range while reducing power consumption. Unlike conventional frequency shift keying (FSK) that requires an 8dB signal-to-noise ratio, LoRa operates at -20dB. This energy efficiency makes it ideal for solar-powered devices.

Supports Multiple Network Nodes: A LoRa network consists of end devices and gateways, allowing one-to-many bidirectional communication. It follows a star topology and enables multiple communication groups within the same area.