Connexin Extend LoRaWAN Wireless Network to 4.8 Million UK Homes

Network operator and broadband ISP Connexin has announced that their wireless Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) technology, which is designed to connect low power IoT sensors and meters, has now grown its coverage to reach devices in and around 4.8 million UK homes.

Wireless LoRa networks typically harness only a small slice of lower frequency radio spectrum (usually in one of the sub-1GHz bands like 868MHz or 915MHz) in order to support a relatively slow, but extremely low power, data connection. Such networks tend to run at sub-Megabit speeds (often under 0.05Mbps), but some variants can also handle several Megabits (Mbps).

Suffice to say that, while inadequate for modern internet surfing, this is still more than enough if all you’re trying to do is keep a bunch of tiny – often battery powered – IoT devices connected (often for years on end) over a very wide area. For example, Connexin’s network is already being used to connect smart water meters (pictured), which help water utility companies to monitor consumption patterns, spot leaks and reduce water loss.

Making a splash in the utilities landscape, Connexin is now set to expand this network even further with plans to connect an additional 400,000 IoT sensors to make UK water smarter.

Dan Preece, VP of IoT at Connexin, said:

“Our growth in the IoT and digital infrastructure space over the past year has been off the charts. We continue to invest significant resources into boosting our LoRaWAN infrastructure, ensuring top-notch coverage and rock-solid reliability to cater to the ever-expanding needs of the many businesses and communities embracing IoT applications.”

At the same time as this, Connexin is also still in the process of rolling out a new 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network across parts of Hull and Yorkshire in England (here). The company aims to cover 500,000 premises and has reportedly already connected 25,000 customers, although it’s unclear if they’re all from the new FTTP network.