Sigfox is a Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) technology specially designed for the Internet of Things. Devices connected using SigFox consume little power and operate over large distances compared to WiFi and Bluetooth connection protocols which consume more power and work best in short range. The chronology of a SigFox application follows these three basic steps:
Numerous objects (devices) connected to the Internet send data through the SigFox network to a SigFox base station (gateway).
The base station then detects, demodulates, and reports the messages to the SigFox cloud across 3 channels, at least every 10 minutes.
The SigFox cloud then pushes these messages to many customer servers and IoT platforms based on the client’s application.
Technically, the SigFox network differs from other LPWAN networks in the methods it sends data and the electrical guidelines that govern the quantity, speed, and duration of the data being sent. SigFox is most used for low-power applications that only require sending small amounts of data, infrequently, over large distances. Perfect for Agro environments and asset management across vast distances.
How Sigfox works?
The SigFox network consists of these elements:
Objects (devices)
Base stations (gateways)
Cloud (internet)
The diagram below illustrates the key elements of data transmission via SigFox:
DPSK is a method used by base stations (gateways) to convert a signal, debug it, and forward it to the cloud for processing.
SigFox data transmission can be better understood as follows: Objects (devices) are connected to the internet using the SigFox network. The object can be a temperature, humidly, and/or saturation (etc.) sensors located within 1,000 meters of a base station (gateway). Sigfox uses Phase Shift Keying (DPSK) for device-to-cloud communication, or “uplink”, and Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) for cloud-to-device communication, or “downlink”.