User's Manual

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Cisco Systems, Inc. www.cisco.com
Overview of the Cisco LoRaWAN Interface
Module
This chapter provides an overview of the Cisco LoRaWAN Interface Module and contains the following sections:
 About Cisco LoRaWAN Interface Modules, page 7
 Hardware Models, page 7
 Hardware Features, page 8
About Cisco LoRaWAN Interface Modules
Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) is a Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) specification intended for
wireless battery operated things in regional, national or global network.
LoRaWAN network architecture is typically laid out in a star-of-stars topology in which gateways are transparent bridges
relaying messages between end-devices and a central network server in the back end. Gateways are connected to the
network server via standard IP connections while end-devices use single-hop wireless communication to one or many
gateways.
A typical LoRa end-to-end infrastructure comprises the following four layers:
 LoRa Endpoint—The sensor to equip Semtech LoRa RF module inside and run LoRaWAN protocol to communicate to
backend platform.
 LoRa Gateway—The concentrator tunneling the LoRaWAN MAC frames between an endpoint and a Network Server
platform.
 LoRa Network Server—The central component that handles the LoRaWAN MAC traffic, performing endpoint and
gateway management, and LoRaWAN MAC layer security and other functions.
 Application Server—Data security and application enablement.
The Cisco LoRaWAN Interface Module is connected to the Cisco 800 Series Industrial Integrated Services Router via an
Ethernet cable with PoE+, to perform as a carrier-grade LoRa gateway.
Hardware Models
Table 1 shows the model numbers (or part numbers) and descriptions for the Cisco LoRaWAN Interface Modules.
Table 1 Cisco LoRaWAN Interface Module Model Numbers and Descriptions
Model Description
IXM-LPWA-800-16-K9 Cisco interface module for LoRaWAN, IoT extension module series, radio spectrum
from 863–870 MHz, 16 LoRa channels, IP67
IXM-LPWA-900-16-K9 Cisco interface module for LoRaWAN, IoT extension module series, radio spectrum
from 902–928 MHz, 16 LoRa channels, IP67