The Business of LoRaWAN

Rodrigo Hernandez, IoT consultant, educator, and author of Practical IoT Handbook, talks about building LoRaWAN systems that survive outside the lab and deliver real business value. Drawing on his early work with The Things Network and years of hands-on deployments, Rodrigo shares how his journey started with experimental LoRa links and single-channel gateways and evolved into consulting on full-scale IoT systems across multiple industries and countries.The conversation explores why LoRaWAN is such a strong fit for large, sparsely connected regions like Argentina, and how that same logic applies globally to agriculture, oil and gas, utilities, and building management. Rodrigo explains why LoRaWAN should be treated as a strategic infrastructure layer rather than just a radio protocol, emphasizing long battery life, unattended operation, and the ability to cover remote or difficult environments with minimal operational overhead.He also digs into the realities of deployment, including why site knowledge still matters, how interference and placement can make or break a project, and what separates successful IoT rollouts from those that struggle. Using real consulting examples, Rodrigo highlights common failure points such as poor sensor choice, lack of on-site expertise, and underestimating the complexity of data handling once devices are live.The episode closes with a deep look at IoT data visualization and analytics, where Rodrigo explains why clean, well-structured data is essential for meaningful dashboards, how heterogeneous payloads create hidden costs, and why getting data normalization right early is critical for long-term scalability and business insight.Practical IoT Handbook - Amazon Affiliate LinkRodrigo Hernandez on LinkedInHelium Global IoT Coverage - Want to know if Helium coverage exists where you need it? Check out this map!Helium Foundation - The Helium Foundation's IoT Working Group (IOTWG) has generously provided support for the first 6 months of shows, please go check them out and consider using the Helium LoRaWAN as a primary or backup on your next deployment. With over a quarter million gateways deployed worldwide, it's likely that you have and can use Helium coverage.Support The Show - If you'd like to support the MetSci Show financially, here's where you can donate on a one-time or an ongoing basis. Thank you!MetSci Show - If you'd like to use our IoT or AI Data Value calculators, or you'd like to contact me, the MetSci Show site is the best way to do it. MeteoScientific Console - Use LoRaWAN - The MeteoScientific Console allows you to use LoRaWAN today. As long as you have Helium coverage (and you probably do, about 90% of populated areas in the world have a gateway within 2 miles), you can onboard a sensor. You can always check coverage at https://explorer.helium.com and switch to the "IoT" tab in the...

Johan Stokking, co-founder of The Things Network and The Things Industries and CTO of The Things Stack, joins the show to talk about why LoRaWAN works best when it’s combined intelligently with other wireless technologies rather than treated as a standalone answer to every problem.The conversation starts with why The Things Conference deliberately expanded beyond LoRaWAN, and what Johan is seeing as LoRaWAN matures. He explains why developers now understand both what LoRaWAN is good at and where its limits are, and why the real momentum comes from combining LoRaWAN with cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other radios to solve practical deployment problems.Johan walks through his “niche of a niche of a niche” fridge monitoring example, using cold chain as a way to explain where LoRaWAN fits exceptionally well and why these highly specific use cases can still represent multi-billion-dollar markets.The discussion digs into real bottlenecks like battery life, basement connectivity, lack of Wi-Fi credentials, and compliance requirements that make LoRaWAN the right tool in the right context.The episode also explores what’s coming next at the silicon and modem level, including multi-radio devices and why cloud platforms will need to manage multiple connectivity options seamlessly.Johan shares how network metadata and design data can be used to optimize deployments, improve battery life, and drive real ROI, and where data itself may become more valuable over time.The conversation wraps with what Johan is most excited about next, including the next Things Conference and upcoming improvements in the LoRaWAN ecosystem focused on better interoperability and plug-and-play deployments.Johan's LinkedIn The Things IndustriesHelium Global IoT Coverage - Want to know if Helium coverage exists where you need it? Check out this map!Helium Foundation - The Helium Foundation's IoT Working Group (IOTWG) has generously provided support for the first 6 months of shows, please go check them out and consider using the Helium LoRaWAN as a primary or backup on your next deployment. With over a quarter million gateways deployed worldwide, it's likely that you have and can use Helium coverage.Support The Show - If you'd like to support the MetSci Show financially, here's where you can donate on a one-time or an ongoing basis. Thank you!MetSci Show - If you'd like to use our IoT or AI Data Value calculators, or you'd like to contact me, the MetSci Show site is the best way to do it. MeteoScientific Console - Use LoRaWAN - The MeteoScientific Console allows you to use LoRaWAN today. As long as you have Helium coverage (and you probably do, about 90% of populated areas in the world have a gateway within 2 miles), you can onboard a sensor. You can always check coverage at https://explorer.helium.com and switch to the "IoT" tab in the top right.

Dr. Matthew Patrick, physicist, data scientist, and Helium ecosystem contributor, talks about why Meshtastic and LoRaWAN are often misunderstood as competing technologies—and why that framing misses the point. Drawing from his work in space physics, high-altitude ballooning, and large-scale LoRaWAN deployments, Matthew explains how similar radio hardware can support very different network architectures and business outcomes.The conversation starts with a clear, practical comparison between Meshtastic and LoRaWAN, focusing on what each system was designed to do. Meshtastic’s mesh-based approach excels at small, infrastructure-free group communication, while LoRaWAN’s gateway model is built for industrial-scale deployments involving hundreds or thousands of low-power devices. Matthew breaks down the tradeoffs around battery life, network capacity, reliability, and operational complexity, grounding the discussion in real deployment scenarios rather than theory.From there, the discussion moves into where these technologies can overlap in productive ways. Matthew outlines how Meshtastic can act as an intermediary layer in hard-to-reach environments, relaying sensor data to LoRaWAN gateways when traditional coverage isn’t available. He also explores longer-term opportunities, including LoRa-based satellite and stratospheric platforms, and how distributed ground networks could support future space-adjacent IoT use cases.Throughout the episode, Matthew brings a clear systems-level perspective, emphasizing that successful IoT deployments depend on matching the right technology to the problem being solved. The result is a grounded, experience-driven look at how LoRa-based technologies fit into real-world business, research, and infrastructure decisions.LinksDr Patrick on LinkedInDr. Patrick's GithubHelium Global IoT Coverage - Want to know if Helium coverage exists where you need it? Check out this map!Helium Foundation - The Helium Foundation's IoT Working Group (IOTWG) has generously provided support for the first 6 months of shows, please go check them out and consider using the Helium LoRaWAN as a primary or backup on your next deployment. With over a quarter million gateways deployed worldwide, it's likely that you have and can use Helium coverage.Support The Show - If you'd like to support the MetSci Show financially, here's where you can donate on a one-time or an ongoing basis. Thank you!MetSci Show - If you'd like to use our IoT or AI Data Value calculators, or you'd like to contact me, the MetSci Show site is the best way to do it. MeteoScientific Console - Use LoRaWAN - The MeteoScientific Console allows you to use LoRaWAN today. As long as you have Helium coverage (and you probably do, about 90% of populated areas in the world have a gateway within 2 miles), you can onboard a sensor. You can always check coverage at https://explorer.helium.com and switch to the "IoT" tab in the top right.

Gavin Brown, VP of Strategic Growth and Design Partner at RAKwireless, talks about how solid industrial design and RF engineering turn LoRaWAN from a promising idea into reliable, large-scale deployments. With a background in industrial design and product development, he explains how RAK’s core pillars—gateways, modules, and supporting services—give customers a path of least resistance into LoRaWAN, whether they’re building networks, nodes, or full end-to-end solutions.Gavin digs into what typical RAK customers really look like: teams who know their own domain well but need help bridging the gap into wireless and LoRaWAN. He describes industrial design as a hybrid of art, design, and engineering, and shows why the best projects are “front heavy,” putting RF constraints, cost, supply chain, and mechanical realities into the strategy before anyone obsessively sketches enclosures or PCB shapes. That early thinking is especially critical for LoRaWAN, where antenna placement and housing can make the difference between pain and success.He shares real-world examples, from a 25–50,000-node deployment that struggled with range because RF was an afterthought, to a utility project that achieved a 63 km link by respecting physics and integrating the antenna properly into a metal manhole cover. Gavin also highlights some of his favorite RAK designs, including the compact WisGate Soho Pro gateway with fully integrated antennas, and explains how off-grid solar gateway solutions and gateway mesh backhaul are opening up LoRaWAN in remote regions like the valleys of Wales. Throughout the conversation, he returns to a core theme: LoRaWAN works brilliantly when hardware, RF, and business goals are designed together, not bolted on at the end.Gavin on LinkedInRAK WirelessHelium Global IoT Coverage - Want to know if Helium coverage exists where you need it? Check out this map!Helium Foundation - The Helium Foundation's IoT Working Group (IOTWG) has generously provided support for the first 6 months of shows, please go check them out and consider using the Helium LoRaWAN as a primary or backup on your next deployment. With over a quarter million gateways deployed worldwide, it's likely that you have and can use Helium coverage.Support The Show - If you'd like to support the MetSci Show financially, here's where you can donate on a one-time or an ongoing basis. Thank you!MetSci Show - If you'd like to use our IoT or AI Data Value calculators, or you'd like to contact me, the MetSci Show site is the best way to do it. MeteoScientific Console - Use LoRaWAN - The MeteoScientific Console allows you to use LoRaWAN today. As long as you have Helium coverage (and you probably do, about 90% of populated areas in the world have a gateway within 2 miles), you can onboard a sensor. You can always check coverage at https://explorer.helium.com and switch to the "IoT" tab in the top right.

Violet Su, Business Development Manager at Seeed Studio, talks about how Seeed turns emerging technologies into practical LoRaWAN-ready solutions for industries, communities, and creators. She explains how the company bridges sensors, connectivity, and edge AI into a full stack that lowers friction for real-world deployments. Violet describes Seeed’s role as a hardware provider across the full chain: environmental, vision, and audio sensors; LoRaWAN, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular connectivity; and edge devices for control and AI-driven analytics. She emphasizes Seeed’s mission to make cutting-edge technology accessible for prototyping and production. She walks through Seeed’s unique customization pipeline, which supports everything from a single prototype unit to large-scale manufacturing. This includes PCB services, assembly, certification, white labeling, and access to Seeed’s sales channels, enabling startups and solution providers to scale without building a supply chain from scratch. Community-driven development is central to Seeed’s strategy. Violet shares examples such as the LoRaWAN Data Logger, which emerged after repeated requests from users needing Wi-Fi-to-LoRaWAN conversion. She highlights how Seeed listens to feedback at events like The Things Conference, Helium meetups, and Maker Faire to inform new product iterations. Violet explains Seeed’s commitment to open source, including releasing tracker hardware that allows developers to modify firmware and adapt devices for unique needs. She discusses the balance between being a commercial company and fostering a thriving ecosystem where people can extend, hack, and repurpose hardware. Through the Tech for Good program, Seeed supports environmental monitoring, disaster response, marine conservation, and education. Violet outlines how Seeed sponsors hardware, collaborates with universities, and co-develops niche solutions that may not be commercially viable but deliver meaningful societal value. She highlights inspiring community stories, including Seeed Rangers like Robert Boggs, whose grassroots LoRaWAN projects in a small village gained global attention and demonstrated how open hardware and documentation accelerate innovation. Looking ahead, Violet is excited about AI+LoRaWAN capabilities: edge cameras that send only inference results, Semtech’s new chip enabling LoRaWAN image transmission, and the emerging potential of satellite LoRaWAN. She underscores that the protocol’s evolution continues to unlock new applications across conservation, smart cities, and remote sensing. Guest Links:Violet on LinkedInSeeedHelium Global IoT Coverage - Want to know if Helium coverage exists where you need it? Check out this map!Helium Foundation - The Helium Foundation's IoT Working Group (IOTWG) has generously provided support for the first 6 months of shows, please go check them out and consider using the Helium LoRaWAN as a primary or backup on your next deployment. With over a quarter million gateways deployed worldwide, it's likely that you have and can use Helium coverage.Support The Show - If you'd like to support the MetSci Show financially, here's where you can donate on a one-time or an ongoing basis. Thank you!MetSci Show - If you'd like to use our IoT or AI Data Value calculators, or you'd like to contact me, the MetSci Show site is the best way to do it. MeteoScientific Console - Use LoRaWAN - The...