The LoRa Alliance™, the global association of companies backing the open LoRaWAN^® protocol for the Internet of Things (IoT) low-power wide-area networks (LPWANs), announced  that it has significantly expanded its LoRaWAN certification program. The enhanced certification testing suite meets the requirements of LoRaWAN network operators and assures end users that certified devices have the required quality and range to work on any network out of the box.

“LoRaWAN is the de facto LPWAN industry standard,” said Donna Moore, CEO and Chairwoman of the LoRa Alliance. “A key role of the LoRa Alliance is to ensure that all LoRaWAN devices pass a comprehensive and rigorous test suite and deliver the quality and performance expected by installers and end users alike. With millions of LoRaWAN devices in the field and deployment rapidly scaling, the LoRaWAN Certified^CM mark provides confidence to the market that devices will perform as intended.”

The enhanced certification program offers benefits for device manufacturers, network operators and end customers. Device manufacturers will save time and expense by undergoing a single certification process that covers conformance, interoperability and RF testing. Network operators no longer need to perform additional network testing on LoRaWAN Certified devices. Finally, end users are assured that a device will deliver the expected performance.

“European LoRaWAN network operators recently mandated that only LoRaWAN Certified^CM devices can be used on their networks, underscoring robustness of our device testing and certification program,” said Moore. “Further, this mandate is a key indicator of the maturity of the LoRaWAN protocol and market desire for devices that carry the LoRaWAN Certified^CM mark of quality and brand promise.”

New LoRaWAN^® Certification Test Tool Now Available

To further accelerate the certification process, the LoRa Alliance also introduced a significant new member benefit, the LoRaWAN Certification Test Tool (LCTT). LCTT is a precertification testing tool designed for use at a device manufacturer’s own facility to pretest and prove a device design before shipping it for formal certification testing. This benefits members by allowing full testing and regression testing of their device at their location, saving time and money by allowing them to debug and finalize their designs prior to starting the formal certification process. With an initial release this week for testing in specific regions, full global availability of LCTT is anticipated in the coming months for LoRa Alliance members.