LoRaWAN vs cellular: which connects your IoT better?
Short answer
LoRaWAN shines when you control the network (campus, farm, city) and need extreme battery life at low cost. Cellular (NB-IoT/LTE-M) wins when the device moves or you deploy in many places: you use the operator's infrastructure. They're not rivals — they combine.
CAPEX vs OPEX
LoRaWAN: you invest in gateways (€200–500 each) but traffic is free. Cellular: no network CAPEX, but €0.5–3/month per SIM. With 10,000 devices on one plant, LoRaWAN pays back in a year; on a nationwide fleet, cellular always wins.
Coverage and mobility
LoRaWAN needs relative line-of-sight to your gateway: if the device moves outside, it disconnects. Cellular uses pre-existing operator infrastructure, with roaming and handover. For moving assets, there's no debate: cellular.
Quality of service and security
LoRaWAN QoS is limited (collisions on the unlicensed 868 MHz band). Cellular has managed QoS and operator-device encryption out of the box. For regulated sectors (health, critical energy), cellular is usually required.
- LoRaWAN: campus, agriculture, smart city
- Cellular: fleets, payments, health
- Combined: LoRa sensors + cellular-SIM gateway
LoRaWAN, cellular, or both?
Free audit: locations, data volume, mobility, budget. You get a report with recommended architecture and 3-year cost.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use public LoRaWAN in Spain?+
Yes — The Things Network and a few operators offer public LoRaWAN, but coverage is uneven outside large cities. For serious projects, deploying your own gateways usually pays off.
How good is LoRaWAN battery life?+
Excellent: 5 Wh batteries last 10+ years with hourly transmissions. Similar to NB-IoT at idle, slightly better in transmission due to short packets.
Can LoRaWAN push commands down to the device?+
Yes, but only in short receive windows after each device uplink (Class A). For heavy bidirectional control, cellular is more natural.
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