The LoRa Alliance®, the global association of companies backing the open LoRaWAN® standard for the IoT low-power wide-area networks (LPWANs), made multiple announcements related to expanding and enhancing the LoRaWAN Certification Program available as of June 2024:

• Addition of LoRaWAN Relay feature testing as part of end-device certification
• Accreditation of DEKRA’s Atibaia, Brazil, facility as a LoRa Alliance Authorized Test Lab (ATL), the first ATL in Latin and South America
• The launch of the LoRaWAN Web Certification System (LWCS), which now automates the certification process
• The introduction of LoRa Alliance member self-testing of end devices.

The updates demonstrate the maturity of the LoRaWAN Certification Program and provide OEMs with multiple approaches to certify their devices, meeting market requirements for tested devices. Achieving certification also allows products to be featured in the LoRaWAN Marketplace, an online resource where end users can research and find where to purchase certified products and services.

“The simple fact is that IoT needs certified devices to ramp to billions of sensor deployments,” said Donna Moore, CEO and Chairwoman of the LoRa Alliance. “The tremendous benefit of certification – knowing that devices are correctly configured and will perform as intended – truly underlies the market’s trust in a technology’s ability to scale. LoRaWAN already has the most certified devices and the largest variety of certified devices in the LPWAN space, and the programs announced today follow through on our commitment to continuously accelerate and simplify the certification process for end-device manufacturers. Additionally, we’re excited to have a new ATL in Brazil to expedite the certification process in that region.”

The addition of the Relay feature to LoRaWAN Certification testing strengthens LoRaWAN Certification by ensuring that end devices are compliant with the feature as defined in the LoRaWAN standard. Relay is a critical feature for utilities and satellites in particular to amplify and extend the reach of LoRaWAN signals, enabling communication over greater distances and through obstacles like buildings and terrain that can impede direct communication between end devices and the gateways/base stations. Introducing LoRaWAN relays into a network architecture allows for easy expansion and scalability without the need for additional gateways.

Relay certification testing adds to the program’s rapidly growing number of optional feature tests, such as firmware updates over the air and static context header compression, all of which are designed to ensure certified devices are fully compliant with all aspects of the LoRaWAN standard.

The authorization of DEKRA’s Atibaia, Brazil, facility (near São Paulo) as a new ATL for LoRaWAN end devices demonstrates the strong growth of LoRaWAN in the Latin America and South America regions. Having a local ATL means that members no longer must ship products outside of the continent, which offers time and cost savings when seeking LoRaWAN Certification. The move will support the area’s rapidly growing membership and is intended to promote increased device manufacturing in the region.

“DEKRA’s designation as the first LoRa Alliance ATL in South and Latin America marks a significant step forward in enabling global market access for LoRaWAN devices. Our commitment to fostering a safe and secure worldwide adoption of LoRaWAN technology, while supporting local and international customers, is now strengthened by our lab in Brazil, which will continue growing with testing and certification services in the region,” explained Juan Carlos Soler, vice president of business lines of digital and product solutions at DEKRA. “Backed by our extensive testing and certification expertise, we stand ready to assist customers in obtaining LoRaWAN Certification and related EMC, RF and product safety testing to ensure optimal device performance across diverse network environments.”

“Everynet has been working towards the creation of a strong and dynamic local LoRaWAN ecosystem since 2017. Today, Brazil’s ecosystem is a reality, and this initiative from the LoRa Alliance, enabling the first ATL for South America, is aligned with the vibrant scenario we observe for LoRaWAN and IoT in general in the region,” said Gustavo Zarife, country manager Brazil at Everynet. “As a LoRaWAN pioneer, Everynet worked together with the LoRa Alliance to expand the certification program to Brazil and Latin America. As a next step, Everynet will work closely with the local ecosystem to accelerate the adoption of LoRaWAN Certification, and, therefore, increase the quality of available devices. LoRaWAN is here to stay, and the future is bright.”

The LoRa Alliance’s new LWCS is a major step forward in terms of reducing paperwork and simplifying the certification process. Creation and use of an LWCS account provides seamless digital communications between the member certifying, the ATLs and the LoRa Alliance, reducing human error and unnecessary administrative time by automating the certification process. LWCS supports traditional certification via an ATL, certification by similarity and certification by self-testing.

The new Member Self-Testing Program gives LoRa Alliance members the option to become authorized to self-test their own devices and submit the test results directly to the LoRa Alliance to request device certification. Allowing members to conduct the testing themselves streamlines the device certification process and decreases time to market for new certified devices while maintaining the highest standards of quality and performance. To ensure the quality of the program, the LoRa Alliance will continuously audit capability for authorized members.