Senet demonstrates LoRaWAN Device-To-Device Multicast Comms

Senet CTO, Dave Kjendal will be presenting the technical framework of this capability on 13 October 2022, during the LoRaWAN Technical Sessions which are open to the public. See the full LoRaWAN LIVE public technical session agenda and registration for more information.

Supported by a demonstration from Senet partner and IoT engineering services and product development firm Oxit, LoRaWAN Device-to-Device Multicast Communications will be shown to provide a framework for enabling centrally controlled but locally survivable and autonomous device-to-device communication in the event of network loss.

This technique is currently being demonstrated with gas safety as the first application. Future application targets include water, alarm systems, and people-related safety and security applications.

A practical example of this capability would allow methane gas leak detectors to communicate with a gas shut-off valve in the event a leak is detected on premises under wide area network outage conditions such as a natural disaster. In this use case, when network connectivity is lost, gas leak detectors and valve control devices will communicate directly, detecting hazardous leak conditions and completing the valve shutoff function.

The innovative workflow being demonstrated includes:

• The application establishes a group relationship through Senet’s LoRaWAN Network Server (LNS) technology to securely bind a temporary set of devices together
• Once established, member devices and the network can communicate directly with each other on the multicast channel (all devices hear all messages)
• In the event of WAN network loss, the end devices establish autonomous group timing to maintain functionality and device-to-device communication for over 30 days

A key benefit of this functionality is the timely shutdown of residential and commercial gas distribution infrastructure in specific locations as opposed to larger regional shutdowns which can result in unnecessary service outages, potentially saving millions of dollars in costly service restoration.

Senet is leading efforts to commercialise these innovative concepts along with several LoRaWAN ecosystem partners. Final specifications are currently in committee with the LoRa Alliance.

“Innovation has always been at our core, and this is another example of Senet leading the market through the introduction of ground-breaking technology that allows users to address the safety and maintenance of the critical utility infrastructure we rely on every day,” said Dave Kjendal, CTO of Senet. “Our market experience and technology leadership are increasingly being relied on by the utility sector to navigate an often-complex solution ecosystem and we look forward to delivering this and other capabilities uniquely powered by LoRaWAN and supported by Senet’s network services and technology innovation.”