ENABLING WIDE AREA IOT SOLUTIONS WITH machineq TM, A COMCAST SERVICE. An Introduction to Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN)

Transcription

1 ENABLING WIDE AREA IOT SOLUTIONS WITH machineq TM, A COMCAST SERVICE An Introduction to Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN)

2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In recent years, the cost of sensors has decreased and the network capabilities designed to handle sensor data have evolved to meet application needs. As a result, the question for companies, businesses, organizations, and municipalities is no longer whether an IoT (Internet of Things) deployment is possible instead, the question is how to implement wide area IoT solutions. Since each IoT solution has different requirements, a connectivity strategy that may be ideal for one application may not meet the needs for another. Selecting the wrong network puts the business at risk of offering an IoT solution that is either too expensive to manage (connectivity or battery cost) or one that fails to meet objectives. An LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) is an IoT network category designed to operate with minimal power while sending data over wide areas. LPWANs work well in situations where small amounts of data need to be sent long distances, or deep underground, from sensors that will be in place in the field for many years. It offers key benefits that include long range communications, deep penetration indoors and underground, long battery life, cost-effective connectivity, and the security of choosing a proven technology with an extensive global footprint. There are several LPWAN technologies in the market today, but the network standard gaining the most traction globally is LoRaWAN. Gartner, in its 2017 analysis of LPWAN technologies, recommended the development of LoRaintegrated solutions to minimize long-term viability risk and maximize market share potential. 1 In addition to selecting a network with the right technical capabilities to support your IoT solution, you will also need to select a network service provider. The key attributes you will want to consider as you evaluate a network service provider include network coverage, maturity, reliability, affordability, and security. Comcast machineq is a Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) offering for the LPWAN market built specifically for IoT providing secure, fully managed end-toend network connectivity. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 1. Ray, B. (2017). Market Trends: LoRa Offers Low-Risk, High Reward LPWA Opportunity. Gartner. 15 May

3 THE EMERGENCE OF WIDE AREA IOT NETWORKS With machineq, customers can take advantage of the latest IoT sensor, network, and software technologies to gather, analyze and send data. Comcast s expansive and proven network management capabilities reduce the risk and maintenance costs associated with managing and deploying an IoT solution, allowing machineq solution partners and customers to focus on optimizing their applications and achieving their objectives. In order to help create a viable wide area IoT solution, you will need to make several decisions along the way. The goal of this whitepaper is to help you: Know when and why to use cellular vs. LPWAN connectivity. Understand the differences among current LPWANs. Develop a list of considerations for finding the network service provider that is right for your application. Learn how other businesses, organizations and municipalities have used LPWANs to solve critical problems as well as build and deploy innovative and economically advantageous IoT solutions. In recent years, demand for IoT solutions has grown not just among early adopters, but also among mainstream consumers and businesses. This is especially true among businesses who see IoT, and data from devices, as disruptive to their business. Many business leaders are now begining to see IoT as an opportunity to generate new insights that can help reduce costs and drive innovative business models. One of the factors making B2B IoT solutions possible is the emergence of connectivity standards and the widespread adoption of cloud technologies. These innovations have enabled the growth of the commercial, industrial, and municipal IoT solutions that power smart cities, smart campuses, and smart infrastructure developments today. Until recently, the combination of a nascent technology, high sensor and connectivity costs, and the power-hungry nature of connected devices made it difficult to build and deploy viable wide area IoT solutions. Today, the cost of smart sensors continues to decrease and the network capabilities designed specifically to handle the kind of lowbit data packets common to many wide area IoT networks have evolved. Gartner has identified LPWAN as one of the top 10 IoT technologies of 2017 and The question for the companies, businesses, organizations, and municipalities considering wide area IoT deployments is no longer if these implementations will be initiated, but how. 2. Gartner (2017). Gartner Identifies the Top 10 Internet of Things Technologies for 2017 and [online] Available at: [Accessed 27 Oct. 2017]. 3

4 SELECTING THE RIGHT NETWORK It is now possible to deploy wide area IoT applications for environments like: cities, commercial properties, farms, golf courses, organizations, businesses, and even consumers. Businesses now offer innovative IoT solutions to track water leaks to help property managers fix them before they cause damage. Agriculture specific IoT solutions can detect soil moisture levels so that farmers and golf course superintendents can know what to plant and when to irrigate. Smart City focused applications and sensors now help cities monitor streetlights and conserve power. IoT uses cases and applications have grown so much over the past few years that Gartner predicts that there will be 20.4 billion Internet-connected things by Choose the wrong network, and you are at risk of offering an IoT solution that fails to meet your objectives or costs more money than can be justified. When deciding which network is best for your IoT solution, begin by considering two primary factors. The first factor is payload, which refers to the size of the data you need to transmit. Depending on whether you are transmitting large data flows such as audio or video or small bits of data that may provide only a binary yes or no answer or track specific measurements, you ll want to consider different types of networks. The second factor you ll need to consider is range, which means that you ll need to understand the distance needed to collect and transmit your data. You ll also need to consider whether you are syncing a device and gateway within a building or transmitting data across a development or city. Simply having smart sensors deployed in the field and generating data is not enough to guarantee the success of an IoT solution. IoT solutions need the right network supporting them. As you begin to plan and build your IoT solution, you will need to ensure that your network can deliver information securely, reliably, efficiently, and at a price that protects total cost of ownership (TCO) while meeting the requirements of your application and its users. Managed networks now offer precisely these benefits, allowing time and attention to remain focused on operational objectives. The network requirements of every IoT solution vary widely, therefore connectivity strategy that works for one application may not work for another application. Applications with heavy transmission demands, as is the case with video applications, need a network with highbandwidth capability. For the purpose of this discussion, we will put aside local area wireless networking technologies such as; RFID (Radio frequency identification), BLE (Low energy Bluetooth), Zigbee, and Wi-Fi. While familiar and ideal for pairing devices and transmitting data across short distances such as within a car, shop or home, these network technologies typically play a very limited role in widely dispersed IoT applications. These technologies also tend to pair a device to a particular gateway, and present challenges when trying to have sensors send data using several gateways. Those with applications that must cover a wide area, be it a city or an apartment complex, are evaluating the two most common long-reach networks Cellular and LPWAN. They both have their place. 3. Gartner (2017). Gartner Says 8.4 Billion Connected Things Will Be in Use in 2017, Up 31 Percent From [online] Available at: 4

5 Cellular connectivity As the ubiquity of mobile phone use increased in the early 2000s, so too did the demand for more data and greater data speeds. This led to the development and rapid deployment of 3G networks around the world. Today, cellular networks cover a vast majority of the world s population, providing extensive coverage across many global markets. Furthermore, the popularity of cellular networks has created a large ecosystem for vendors, manufacturers, and providers, ensuring continued support of the network for the future. Cellular networks are built to handle massive volumes of traffic, enabling transmission of large data packets such as audio and video but this comes at a high cost. As it relates to wide area applications, cellular network concerns include higher costs, poor battery life, and limited propagation deep indoors and underground, making it a viable option for high bandwidth and power-hungry applications (see Figure 1). Perhaps the largest obstacle for cellular in wide area applications is the continuous evolution of new protocols. Consider how quickly cellular networks have advanced. 2G, which was once among the most advanced innovations in connectivity, soon advanced from 3G to 4G and soon to 5G many 2G networks have now been phased out. Each time the previous technology is phased out, field endpoints are orphaned and must be replaced at a significant cost to all involved Depending on the use case, these costs can be incredibly high. LPWAN Low Power Wide Area Network technologies have an extensive global footprint. With large-scale use proliferating in cities and municipalities across the globe, LPWANs can be found throughout Europe, North America, the Asian-Pacific region and are being deployed in emerging markets across South America and Africa. Low Power Wide Area Network is a network category defined by two characteristics. The first characteristic is that the network is low power, which means that the network sensors can operate for many years on small, inexpensive batteries. The second characteristic is that the network covers a wide area, which means that it has an operating range with single transmissions often reaching up to 30 miles, depending on the application. Its narrow-band characteristics make it extremely suitable for virtually all connected devices that require small amounts of data to be transmitted. Low Power Wide Area Networks work well in situations where small amounts of data need to be sent over wide areas by sensors that will be in place for long periods of time and are well suited for easy field programmability and updateability. In fact, many of the products certified by the LoRa Alliance ( an international non-profit devoted to standardizing LoRa, the leading type of LPWAN technology, are designed to have a battery life of up to 10 years or more, depending on the application. In addition to keeping energy-related costs low, these longlasting batteries are critically important for use cases where sensors are located in hard-toreach areas such as underground or deep within buildings or other structures because they greatly reduce the cost of maintaining the entire system. 5

6 As clearly summarized by Gartner, compared to traditional cellular networks, LPWANs provide the technical features and operational cost for IoT applications that need wide area coverage along with relatively low bandwidth, good battery life, low hardware, and high connection density. 4 Figure 1. Bridging the Connectivity Gap LPWAN: UNDER THE HOOD To understand why LPWANs are often an ideal fit for wide area civic and enterprise IoT solutions, it is important to understand the network s technical features. Long Range of Communications: Data transmitted across LPWANs can travel as far as 30 miles, depending on the application, making it ideal for transmitting data across wide geographic areas. Low Bit Rates: LPWAN sensors are designed to send small data bits, communicating simple points of information (i.e., on/off, flow measurement, temperature) instead of more complex data (i.e., streaming video). Long-Lasting Batteries: Batteries that power LPWAN sensors can last for many years depending upon the environment and application. In some use cases, sensors are programmed to send information and then go to sleep for a prescribed period of time. In others, sensors stay asleep until a prescribed event triggers the sensor to send an alert. The combination of small bit sizes and intermittent transmissions (as opposed to continuous transmissions) means that sensor batteries can last 10 years or more, depending on the application, without needing to be replaced, ultimately saving costs. Proven Technology: LPWANs have been deployed throughout the world for over a decade and power a wide range of enterprise and civic IoT solutions. Owing in part to these technical features, one of the biggest benefits of LPWANs is that they are the most cost-effective option for wide area IoT solutions. Not only are the smart sensors themselves designed to operate more cost effectively, but LPWAN connectivity costs are also much lower. Deep Penetration Indoors and Underground: Whether sensors are placed on a rooftop, in a below ground sewer, or indoors, LPWANs still collect and transmit data from its source to gateways and network servers. 4. Gartner (2017). Gartner Identifies the Top 10 Internet of Things Technologies for 2017 and [online] Available at: [Accessed 27 Oct. 2017]. 6

7 COST-EFFECTIVE CONNECTIVITY Unlike cellular networks and the powerful endpoint devices (e.g., smartphones) they were designed to support, LPWANs were envisioned and designed for low-complexity endpoint devices. The majority of an LPWAN s computing capability is moved upstream to the cloud. This Network Function Virtualization (NFV) design keeps costs low for endpoint devices, opening up new use cases with new form factors, that are not practical if using higher cost cellular hardware and higher cost cellular connectivity (see Figure 2). In publicly available cellular pricing, connectivity costs can exceed $25 per sensor per year. In contrast, LPWAN connectivity costs range from $1-$15 per sensor per year. This cost difference means that being able to choose an LPWAN for your IoT solution can garner two to five times the savings over cellular options. Additional reasons for LPWANs lower costs include: Lower Cost Devices: Today s LPWAN modules, the components inside sensors that transmit and/or receive radio signals, generally cost less than $7 and the cost is expected to continue to fall over the next several years as the market grows. The low power requirements of an LPWAN sensor also control costs associated with smaller batteries and longer replacement cycles. Lower Base Station Costs: In contrast to cellular towers, LPWAN gateways are stateless. The sensor is paired to an application in the cloud, so the sensors and gateways do not have to establish a session to communicate. This allows the network to push complex operations to the cloud. As a result, the gateways cost less to deploy in a network. The point to multipoint signaling protocols used by LPWANs can be received by several gateways simultaneously. This, in combination with the excellent coding techniques, provides excellent range and reliability. Unlicensed Spectrum: LPWANs use unlicensed spectrum, which means operators do not need to spend billions of dollars at FCC auctions to acquire private spectrum. These savings represent very significant cost benefits to operators and end users. Low Power: LPWAN sensors are designed to use very little power to gather and transmit data. The battery-powered sensors transmit simple low bit rate responses that require far less power budget than gathering and transmitting large packets of data associated with applications like audio or video. A dense network of LPWAN gateways reduces the distance from a sensor to a gateway, and further reduces the energy requirements for the sensors. Low Maintenance Costs: Lower power budgets mean that LPWAN sensor batteries can last 10 years or more, depending on the application. Since broad deployments create challenges to servicing a large number of sensors often in difficult to access locations, IoT solutions deployed on an LPWAN reduce not only battery cost but also the maintenance budget associated with replacing batteries and end devices. 7

8 The combined effect of these cost benefits means that the total cost of ownership for an IoT solution enabled by an LPWAN network is far lower than it is for competing networks that require frequent maintenance and are designed for high bandwidth applications. solutions to minimize long-term viability risk and maximize market share potential. 5 For the physical layer, the LoRaWAN protocol leverages LoRa radio modulation technology, which is the wireless modulation that enables its longrange communications links. LoRa leverages a chirp spread spectrum modulation. This modulation has been used in military and space communications for decades but LoRa represents its first low-cost implementation in commercial applications. 6 Of the four different types of spread spectrum signal transmission techniques, chirp spread spectrum is the option that operates best at very low power. For these and other reasons, it is ideally suited for wide area IoT networks where sensors transmit small data packets intermittently. LoRaWAN is also unique in that its architecture (see Figure 3) differs from traditional mesh network architectures (e.g., Zigbee, Thread). Figure 2. LPWAN Technology s Distinct Advantages WHAT IS LoRaWAN? After you have decided that an LPWAN is the best way to deploy your wide area IoT solution, you might consider which type of LPWAN radio technology is best for your specific application. There are several LPWAN technologies in the market today, but LoRaWAN is gaining the most traction as a best in class LPWAN protocol. In its 2017 analysis of LPWAN technologies, Gartner points to LoRa s low-risk, high-reward opportunity recommending the development of LoRa-integrated Figure 3. The machineq Network Architecture Ray, B. (2017). Market Trends: LoRa Offers Low-Risk, High Reward LPWA Opportunity. Gartner. 15 May lora-alliance. (2017). lora-alliance. [online] Available at: 8

9 In a mesh network, devices act as sensors as well as repeaters that pass information from one device to another and finally back to a gateway. While the mesh strategy increases communications range, it suffers from added complexity, reduced capacity and only powered devices or nodes can receive and pass along information from other nodes. LoRaWAN employs a long-range star architecture that enables long-range connectivity while preserving battery life. In the LoRaWAN design, a sensor is paired to the cloud. This allows the operator to deploy as many gateways as possible, without worrying about how to provision millions of sensors on millions of gateways. In a LoRaWAN network, data transmitted by a node is received by any gateway close enough to hear the transmission. Each gateway will then forward the received packet from the end-node or device to the cloud-based network server via some backhaul (either Cellular, Ethernet, Satellite, or Wi-Fi). The intelligence and complexity are pushed to the network server, which manages the network and will filter redundant received packets, perform security checks, etc. 7 As you can imagine, the LoRaWAN architecture is well-suited to leverage Comcast s nation-wide infrastructure, enabling even greater advantages for machineq customers. Efficient Deployment and Management: The LoRaWAN standard and technology roadmap drive towards increased levels of integration and decreased chip geometries, all of which contribute to reduced power consumption, reduced device sizes, reduced battery use, and ultimately reduced costs. Optimized for Connectivity: LoRaWAN technology has been optimized to work within unlicensed spectrum with multiple tools to avoid network congestion and interference. Global IoT Roaming: Global roaming enables IoT devices to connect and move between LPWANs around the world, supporting largescale deployments and enabling new global services such as cargo tracking. 8 Throughout the world, there are several hundred million sensors that have the potential to support the LoRaWAN protocol, ultimately enabling the connectivity of billions of LoRa-based sensors within the next few years. 9 Of those millions, there are over 150 unique types of sensors that enable you to monitor everything from temperature to water levels to tracking high value assets. Well-known operators such as Comcast, Orange, SK Telecom, Tata, and KPN deploy LoRaWAN networks, and LoRaWAN also enjoys the support of major technology companies such as IBM, Alibaba, Bosch, Cisco, and Nokia. The key benefits of a LoRaWAN network include: Simple Implementation: LoRaWAN s radio protocol is comparatively simple to implement compared with other networks. This simple implementation means that sensors can be easily incorporated into IoT hardware solutions and lower complexity equals less cost and better battery life LoRa Alliance Technical Marketing Workgroup (2015). LoRaWAN : What is it? A technical overview of LoRa and LoRaWAN [White paper]. Retrieved from LoRa Alliance. LoRa Alliance (2017). LoRa Alliance Enables Global IoT Roaming and Device Deployment; Convenes in China for 9th All Members Meeting Hosted by ZTE. [online] Available at: Semtech (2017). Semtech s LoRa Technology the Platform of Choice for Sensor-based IoT Applications. [online] Available at: s-lora-technology-the-platform-of-choice-for-sensor-based- IoT-Applications

10 With 57 network operators, LoRaWAN is currently deployed in over 100 countries around the world. 10 As the dominant LPWAN technology on the market today, it is ideally suited for powering IoT solutions over a wide area. LoRa is also supported globally by the LoRa Alliance, the international non-profit standards body with over Figure 4. LoRaWAN Network Coverage 10. lora-alliance. (2017). lora-alliance. [online] Available at: [Oct. 2017]. Comparing LPWAN Technologies There are multiple radio technologies used to enable the benefits of LPWANs. In addition to LoRa, two others are popular today. Sigfox is a well-known LPWAN technology used in deployments throughout Europe and parts of Asia. Sigfox s proprietary networking solution makes it useful for only the very lowest bandwidth applications that need to send small and very infrequent bursts of data. The verticallyintegrated Sigfox controls every aspect of the network technology with all messaging traffic routed through Sigfox servers. This means that the success of IoT applications running on Sigfox networks is entirely dependent on Sigfox s operational capacity and its organizational health. Ingenu Random Phase Multiple Access (RPMA) is a proprietary LPWAN technology stack developed by Ingenu. The RPMA architecture boasts strong uplink and downlink capabilities and operates in the globally-available 2.4GHz spectrum, most commonly used by Wi-Fi. This in turn results in decreased range and less battery life. Like Sigfox, applications running on its network are beholden to the company s success. Service interruptions or organizational failures of the Ingenu software can lead to network and application failures. Technology LoRa SigFox Ingenu (RMPA) LTE- M/Cat-M NB-IoT 3G/4G Module Cost 1 $4-$6 <$3 $10 $10-$15 $10-$15 $20-$40 Annual Connectivity Cost 1 (Per device) 4 Up to 30 Range miles $1-$15 7 $1-$13 Up to 30 miles Not available up to 8 miles Max Packet size 242 bytes 3 12 bytes Flexible Max Data Rate (kbps) Deployment ~$24 8 Not available Up to 6-7 miles Flexible (~1000 bytes) Not commerciall y deployed Flexible $25-$36 Up to 43 miles Flexible Macro-based, cable stranddeployable, costoptimized picocells Macro, small cells Macro, small cells Macro, small cells Battery Life High High Moderate Low Low Low Frequency 915 MHz (US) 915 MHz 2.4 GHz Macrobased Macrobased MHz MHz Multiple bands Default Spectrum ISM 6 ISM ISM Licensed Licensed Licensed Resistance to 7 Interference High Low Moderate n/a n/a n/a Gateway Mode Standardization Network Topology Full or Half Duplex Global standard body through LoRa Alliance Half Duplex Half Duplex Single Source Network Total number of Publicly Available 20 mill 10 mill Devices 1 Global IEE Standard Full or Half Duplex Half Duplex Full or Half Duplex 3GPP 3GPP 3GPP Star Star Mesh Star Star Star Not available Not available Not available Deployed at Scale Complexity 2 Low Low Moderate Moderate Moderate High Global Presence None Saturated 1. Based on the most recent public data as of September Complexity as defined by how much memory and processing power you need on your end device 3. Max payload of 242 bytes at SF7; smallest possible payload of 11 bytes at SF Based on the maximum range across publicly available data for both rural and urban ranges. 5. Number of IoT devices connected to AT&T network 6. Reserved internationally for the use of radio frequency energy for industrial, scientific, and medical purposes (ISM) 7. Current range of machineq pricing options subject to change based on use case and transmission profiles

11 500 members (see Figure 4). machineq has a seat on the LoRa Alliance Board of Directors and is active in the Technology and Certification Committees as wel as the Roadmap Task Group. Unlike other technologies, LoRa s viability does not depend on the financial success of any single company. update field equipment in order to stay compatible. Even though different network service providers may operate on the same type of network, each network service provider will ultimately offer different capabilities. When you evaluate network service providers, you will want to consider how they compare across several metrics. HOW TO SELECT AN LPWAN SERVICE PROVIDER: CRITERIA TO CONSIDER Selecting a network type is about finding the technical capabilities you need to support your IoT solution. Selecting a network service provider is about finding the partner to help you achieve your IoT goals. The clear benefits of partnering with an experienced service provider like Comcast is that the network will support your continuously expanding requirements and manage wide area network connectivity. By contracting with an LPWAN communications service rather than purchasing your own network equipment, you also future-proof your system. For example, Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) networks supporting early smart grid applications depended on cellular backhaul, often with proprietary last mile wireless solutions. As the cellular providers update their technology every few years (2G GPRS/EDGE, 3G UMTS, 4G LTE, etc.), IoT applications using that type of network must Here are some of the attributes you will want to consider as you evaluate a network service provider for your LPWAN. Affordability: Service providers with multiple offerings share network development and improvement costs across a multitude of customers and markets. In contrast, a purpose-built AMI network, for example, is requisitely expensive since it typically performs only a few functions and is idle for much of the time. Network Maturity: You will want to consider network providers that either cover your geographical area or plan to have it covered as part of their ongoing plans for building out their network. While many mature service providers may already have both the equipment and protocols for installing sensors and gateways, it is not uncommon for startup organizations to lack this capability. Lastly, you will want to look for networks that can identify and self-report problems. 11

12 Security: You may have implemented the most protective security protocols for data while it is in your application, but unsecured networks can leave your data exposed while it is in transit. In the most secure networks, data is encrypted from the device to the cloud using industry standard AES 128 encryption. A managed network offers real-time monitoring for irregularities. Network service providers with these security protocols make devices on the network secure and easy to deploy. Reliability: Because shared networks incur lower operational costs, providers can invest more heavily in network equipment to ensure higher network redundancy and resiliency. Additionally, service providers with dedicated teams to maintain and manage their network (as opposed to individuals who have other competing priorities) drive higher network reliability. Organizations with a proven track record of network management and significant capital are more likely to offer reliable service than many newer service providers. network management capabilities. This ensures our LoRaWAN customers focus can remain on optimizing their applications and achieving their program objectives. Comcast s network leverages deployed assets, specifically its hybrid fiber coax (HFC) and Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS)-based gear. These capabilities make Comcast uniquely able to implement dense LPWANs which yield tremendous cost, scale and security advantages that few other providers can match (see Figure 5). Figure 5. machineq s IoT Network machineq: DELIVERING A BETTER LPWAN EXPERIENCE machineq is Comcast s LoRaWAN NaaS offering. With machineq, you can take advantage of the latest IoT sensor, network, and software technologies to securely gather and analyze data from the physical world and confidently activate that intelligence using the strength of machineq s LoRaWAN infrastructure and Comcast s proven The combination of Comcast s widely-deployed built assets and network management experience means that machineq helps ensure the success of your IoT solution. Here is how machineq lands on the key metrics you need to consider when selecting an LPWAN service provider: Affordable Network: By leveraging Comcast s existing built and installed infrastructure, which includes building, street, underground and premise equipment, machineq implementation costs are low and network costs are shared 12

13 by the many other applications and uses of the Comcast network. Additionally, Comcast manages the reliability and ongoing maintenance of its network meaning costs for ongoing network improvements and maintenance are covered. Extensive Network Coverage: Comcast s extensive network leverages their assets throughout major markets to ensure widespread and speedy deployment of machineq LPWAN gateways wherever they are needed. Other network providers must settle for sparse LPWAN architectures and suffer the slow and costly process of building new infrastructure. machineq s team of experienced engineers have developed an optimal design plan for dense deployment and rapid network expansion. With the Connectivity OnDemand model, our ecommerce platform offers preprovisioned gateways to anyone interested in connecting to the machineq network, but happens to be outside of our existing network footprint. We also handle all capital and operation expenditures from site lease to power to backhaul. Network Management Monitoring Tools: machineq will leverage its centralized Network Operations Center to monitor service availability and key performance metrics 24/7. In addition, we utilize a scalable network performance reporting tool, developed in-house, which enables our engineers to identify performance degradation, service disruption, and deviant network elements. This tool has various data analytics functions that allow for both real-time view and historical data trending. We create top-down views of the devices, gateways, or applications that are critical to our partners businesses, allowing us to create visualization and reports to monitor service performance. Unparalleled Support: By leveraging Comcast s existing processes and infrastructures, machineq can deliver at all levels from market insights and network subject matter expertise to responsive technical support 24/7, yearround. Comcast can provide immediate assistance based on a highly efficient system of proactive alarms and ticket triage. More Reliable Network: Comcast owns and operates one of the largest and most complex hybrid fiber coax networks anywhere in the world. With decades of experience of deploying, managing, and maintaining an expansive network that serves millions of residential and commercial customers, few network service providers can deliver service that is tested and proven at Comcast s scale. Superior Security: For Comcast, data and network security are paramount thus we encrypt data using industry standard AES 128 encryption, rendering it virtually impossible to attack via brute force. Only the end customer has the keys to decrypt data sent through machineq. Additionally, state-of-the-art network management helps spot irregularities in real time while machineq s unique dense LPWANs inhibit denial-of-service (DoS) style attacks. 13

14 WHAT COMCAST machineq CAN DO FOR YOU: REAL WORLD LPWAN SUCCESS STORIES The LoRaWAN technology has been designed to respond to use cases where a sensor communicates small amounts of data a few times a day. It is well suited for situations requiring accurate localization, energy efficiency, wide area coverage and easy installation. The following are several examples of successful deployments of wide area IoT solutions using machineq: Property Management: Smart water sensors can detect fixture, appliance, and apartment level water usage and identify leaks in multidwelling apartment units. Water Utilities: Networks supporting advanced metering infrastructure technology provide utility companies with meter readings and automatic shutoffs to better serve customers. Wastewater Treatment: Multi-year battery life of sensors allows utility managers to install solutions in hard to reach places and receive frequent data transfers without replacement for many years. Crop Irrigation: Soil moisture-monitoring devices provide farmers with real-time insight into crop moisture levels to ensure crops are being watered exactly when needed. Dense vs. Sparse LPWANs In most wide area network deployments, gateways are deployed judiciously to keep cost down. Networks are designed so that each IoT sensor can reach one or two gateways, so gateways are generally sighted a few miles apart. However, when you study the power required by a sensor to send a single packet to a gateway 100 yards away versus the power it requires to send a single packet to a gateway that is 5 miles away, it becomes clear that a dense LPWAN with more gateways situated in closer proximity to sensors has a clear advantage. Since less power is needed, batteries can be miniaturized, which results in overall longer battery life. But how to do that without increasing costs? machineq is uniquely able to take advantage of Comcast s existing infrastructure to create gateway density without incurring prohibitive costs that would otherwise ruin the economics of most LPWAN solutions. In addition to tower and building-based gateways common to most LPWANs, Comcast s footprint offers the ability to bring gateways close to the sensors sending them data. Comcast s extensive local infrastructure will enable greater proliferation of wide area network gateways, adding to one of the world s largest dense LPWANs. 14

15 Municipal Lighting: IoT lighting systems give city facility managers the ability to monitor lighting systems in near real time, enabling safer, more efficient repairs. Product Storage: Temperature and pressuremonitoring solutions protect fragile products through storage and transportation for life science and healthcare companies. Agriculture Management: Power-efficient communications protocols enable golf course superintendents to monitor turf quality over long distances for extended periods of time. Activity Monitoring: Strategically placed sensors allow golf course managers to track golf cart movement and manage pace of play, resulting in improved course maintenance and scheduling of games. MAKING THE STRENGTH OF COMCAST machineq YOUR OWN No matter where in the United States or around the globe you want to build and deploy your IoT solution, Comcast s machineq team can help you do it. machineq offers NaaS, which enables you to take advantage of its unparalleled LPWAN offerings: 1. Wide Area Network: Metropolitan Coverage. machineq has deployed LoRaWAN networks in more than 15 of the top U.S. metropolitan areas to enable fast and efficient connectivity for your solution. 2. Connectivity OnDemand With Connectivity OnDemand TM, anyone interested in connecting to the machineq network can get LoRaWAN connectivity. machineq s NaaS enables customers to purchase gateways that are pre-provisioned to connect to our network. Just select the type, quantity, and delivery location of the gateways you need and we handle the rest. That s connectivity on demand. INNOVATE WITH US machineq is a network built for IoT and we possess a diverse set of resources available to help you achieve your IoT goals: dedicated subject matter experts on LoRaWAN board design and software development who can help address technical questions; vetted design and build firms who can assist with your LoRaWAN migration; funding resources to support your conversion efforts; opportunities to partner on the Comcast sales channels and relationships; and, potential investors to help scale your IoT business. If you are ready to get started and make LoRaWAN work for your latest IoT applications, visit us at or us at machineq@comcast.com.