CAMARILLO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Semtech Corporation (Nasdaq: SMTC), a leading supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors, today announced that a LoRa®-based sensor network will provide 24-hour a day monitoring of Japan’s 47 most active volcanoes. The data collected by the network is used to provide volcanic forecasts ranging from alerts of recent volcanic activity, to early warnings of potential eruptions, to immediate evacuations of threatened areas.
On average, a total of 15 volcanic events (including eruptions) occur in Japan every year, many with serious potential to harm human life. Japan’s LoRa-based sensor network will play a critical role in mitigating potential risks and damages by providing real time data on volcanic conditions to help alert Japan’s civil defense groups. The network is comprised of remote LoRa sensors that monitor a variety of variables around the volcano, including seismic activity, gas emissions, changes in topography, and vibrations in the air from debris such as rocks and ash emitted from the crater. The data from these sensors are continuously relayed to manned monitoring stations 5-10 kilometers away from the volcanoes via LoRa gateways so that appropriate alerts can be broadcast to affected communities.
Semtech’s LoRa solution, which is scheduled to be deployed in March 2016, was chosen for several reasons. First, the sensors, based on Semtech’s SX1272 Transceiver, provide reliable long range signal transmission and long battery life (>5 years). Both are important considerations because the sensors need to relay information to centers 5-10 kilometers away, and the batteries in the sensors need to last for a long time (years) in order to minimize how often they must be replaced in the field – especially in active volcanic zones. The small size of the LoRa base stations and their ability to operate in an unlicensed band were also important factors as they make base station deployment much easier and allow the deployment team the ability to set up a private network where they do not have to secure licenses or pay the monthly fees typically associated with public networks.
“We were pleased that after several months of testing, a sensor network based on our LoRa RF technology was chosen for a mission critical public safety application,” said Alberto Guerra, Chief Marketing Officer of Semtech. “We know the implementation team evaluated many options for this important application, but in the end they chose the Semtech solution because it could give them the right combination of range, battery life, reliability and support they were looking for. This application of LoRaWAN™ technology is another example of the unique features and flexibility of our open source platform and the power of the LoRa® Alliance to bring together initiatives across the world with effective and real solutions now.”
Key Features of LoRa RF Technology:
- Long Range: A single LoRa base station enables deep penetration capability for dense urban environments and indoor coverage, while also providing the ability to connect to sensors more than 15-30 miles away in rural areas.
- Low Cost: LoRa reduces both up front infrastructure investments and operating costs, as well as end-node sensor costs.
- Standardized: LoRaWAN ensures interoperability among applications, IoT solution providers and telecom operators to speed adoption and deployment.
- Low Power: The LoRaWAN protocol was developed specifically for low power and enables unprecedented multi-year battery lifetime.
Resources:
- For more detailed information and hands-on training with a complete starter kit, register for an upcoming LoRa Boot Camp here.
- LoRa Community video: www.semtech.com/video/lora-community-video.html
- To learn more about LoRa wireless solutions: www.semtech.com/wireless-rf/lora.html
- LoRa FAQs: www.semtech.com/wireless-rf/lora/LoRa-FAQs.pdf
- For technical support or general product inquiries, contact Semtech’s support team.
- For quarterly product updates, sign up for Semtech’s e-newsletter Inside Circuit.
- Find Semtech on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+.
About Semtech
Semtech Corporation is a leading supplier of
analog and mixed-signal semiconductors for high-end consumer, enterprise
computing, communications and industrial equipment. Products are
designed to benefit the engineering community as well as the global
community. The company is dedicated to reducing the impact it, and its
products, have on the environment. Internal green programs seek to
reduce waste through material and manufacturing control, use of green
technology and designs for resource reduction. Publicly traded since
1967, Semtech is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the
symbol SMTC.
For more information, visit www.semtech.com.
Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements
All statements
contained herein that are not statements of historical fact, including
statements that use words such as “will” or “scheduled to be,” or other
similar words or expressions, that describe future plans, objectives or
goals are “forward-looking statements” and are made pursuant to the
Safe-Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995, as amended. Such forward-looking statements involve known and
unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the
actual results of Semtech Corporation to be materially different from
the historical results and/or from any future results or outcomes
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors
are further addressed in Semtech Corporation’s annual and quarterly
reports, and in other documents or reports, filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission (www.sec.gov)
including, without limitation, information under the captions
“Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results
of Operations” and “Risk Factors”. Semtech Corporation assumes no
obligation to update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect
events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release,
except as required by law.
Semtech and the Semtech logo, as well as LoRa and LoRaWAN, are registered trademarks or service marks, or trademarks or service marks, of Semtech Corporation or its affiliates. Third-party trademarks or service marks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.