LoRa, LoRaWAN & Meshtastic — What Each Technology Actually Is

#beginners #iot #networking #systemdesign

This is an excerpt.

Read the full technical analysis:
https://www.vladavramut.com/articles/lora-vs-lorawan-vs-meshtastic.html

LoRa, LoRaWAN, and Meshtastic are often conflated — yet they live at completely different layers of the communication stack and serve different roles in real systems. Understanding these differences is the single biggest cause of deployment success versus failure. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

LoRa: The Physical Layer

LoRa is not a network. It is a radio modulation scheme that defines how bits are converted into RF signals, how spectral spreading works, and how sensitivity trades off with throughput. It handles the physical transmission of signals, but it does not define addressing, routing, encryption policies, or infrastructure behavior. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

In practical terms, this means RF physics — path loss, noise floor, Fresnel zones, antenna placement — dominates whether any system built on LoRa can work. No network protocol can fix a negative link margin.

LoRaWAN: Star Network Protocol

LoRaWAN sits above LoRa at the MAC and network layer. It is a managed “star-of-stars” protocol built on LoRa PHY that defines:

• device identity and join procedures

• uplink/downlink rules

• gateway behavior and network servers

• duty cycle and regulatory compliance

LoRaWAN assumes centralized gateways and servers, making it well–suited for telemetry, asset tracking, and sensor fleets. It is not designed for peer-to-peer coordination or decentralized messaging. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

Meshtastic: Decentralized Mesh Overlay

Meshtastic lives at the application + mesh routing layer. It uses LoRa radios for transport but adds:

• multi-hop routing

• peer-to-peer messaging

• channel encryption

• node discovery and metadata exchange

Unlike LoRaWAN, Meshtastic does not require gateways or servers — but it inherits all the physical and regulatory constraints of LoRa. Its reliability and scalability are best-effort and topology-dependent rather than centrally managed. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}