Low power wide area network (LoRaWAN)

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We are investing in new digital infrastructure to improve connectivity, nurture home-grown innovation and attract new investment.

Improving connectivity also better equips Council and the community to improve the sustainability and resilience of our city as more people call Lake Macquarie home.

Two types of long-range low power wide area network (LoRaWAN) are now available in Lake Macquarie – a public network and a commercial-grade network.

Cities around the world are already using the technology, from dementia patient care to agriculture, monitoring water levels in drains, landslide monitoring, advanced manufacturing and even interactive public art.

LoRaWAN allows smart devices to communicate over large distances with minimal battery usage, reducing reliance on broadband connectivity and the costs associated with it.

Unlike broadband, the network transmits in a narrow bandwidth, designed for regular transmissions of very small amounts of data. Long range, low power and low cost connectivity means long lasting batteries, smaller sensors and a vast array of possibilities.

This is ideal for companies, start-ups and organisations - particularly asset managers and city planners such as local governments - that use connected devices that need to “talk” to one another and to a home base, to build up a picture of how assets are used or how places could be improved.

Public network

Council and the community are progressively building up a map of the public network. The network can be accessed via The Things Network Lake Macquarie and Newcastle Community.

Commercial-grade network

Lake Macquarie is the first city in Australia with city-wide coverage of a commercial grade network. For more information, contact Dantia, the Lake Macquarie Economic Development Company.