-16-
v7.0
Transmission modes
5. Transmission modes
The module has two different modulations, LoRa™ modulation, owned by Semtech, and standard FSK modulation. Libelium has
decided to only use the LoRa™ modulation due to the range improvement it provides.
When setting the SX1272 module on, the module is prepared to use LoRa mode.
About the operation states, it is not necessary to control them manually. It is done automatically by the API functions.
5.1. LoRa
TM
mode
The innovative LoRa™ mode is the most interesting included in this module. It is an advanced and private modulation that
increases the range comparing to classic modulations. The LoRa™ long range mode provides ultra-long range spread spectrum
communication and high interference immunity whilst minimizing current consumption. It combines digital spread spectrum,
digital signal processing, and forward error correction coding to achieve unprecedented performance. LoRa™ also provides
significant advantages in both blocking and selectivity over conventional modulation techniques.
LoRa has three configurable parameters:
•
Bandwidth (BW)
•
Coding Rate (CR)
•
Spreading Factor (SF)
The combination of these values defines the transmission mode. It is possible to set a predefined mode or to set these three
parameters manually.
There are ten predefined modes in the API, including the largest distance mode, the fastest mode, and eight other intermediate
modes that Libelium has found interesting. All of them can be modified or deleted, and also it is possible to attach new modes
in the appropriate function. The predefined modes and its properties are shown in the next table.
Mode
BW
CR
SF
Sensitivity
(dB)
Transmission time
(ms) for a 100-byte
packet sent
Transmission time
(ms) for a 100-byte
packet sent and
ACK received
Comments
1
125
4/5
12
-134
4245
5781
max range, slow
data rate
2
250
4/5
12
-131
2193
3287
-
3
125
4/5
10
-129
1208
2120
-
4
500
4/5
12
-128
1167
2040
-
5
250
4/5
10
-126
674
1457
-
6
500
4/5
11
-125,5
715
1499
-
7
250
4/5
9
-123
428
1145
-
8
500
4/5
9
-120
284
970
-
9
500
4/5
8
-117
220
890
-
10
500
4/5
7
-114
186
848
min range, fast
data rate, minimum
battery impact
Figure: LoRa configuration modes
The transmission times have been measured for a whole transmission process: power the module on, configure the module,
send a 100-byte packet and power the module off.
The user will be able to choose the most suitable mode for that application after the appropriate test phase because there is not
a perfect mode for any situation. In fact, it exists a compromise between distance range and speed of transmission.