Choosing an LPWAN: LoRaWAN vs NB-IoT vs Sigfox (First Decide If You Want Your Own Network)
The first LPWAN question isn’t “which has the longest range” but “do you want to own the network”: LoRaWAN is unlicensed, you can run your own gateway with no carrier fee; NB-IoT is licensed, carrier-operated, strong deep-indoor; Sigfox is ultra-low-rate but carries operator risk. This guide compares all three and maps them to KIWI Technology’s LoRaWAN gateways.
Decide one thing first: do you want to own the network
When choosing an LPWAN (Low-Power Wide-Area Network), the first and most important question is not “which has the longest range” but “do you want to own this network.” LoRaWAN uses unlicensed spectrum — you can deploy your own gateway and control the whole network, with no carrier monthly fee; NB-IoT uses a carrier’s licensed spectrum, needs a SIM and a subscription, and the network is operated by the carrier; Sigfox is also unlicensed but is tied to a single operator’s network. Answer “own network or not” first, and range, data rate, battery and cost mostly follow from that decision.
The three main LPWANs at a glance
LoRaWAN — unlicensed sub-GHz ISM (868/915MHz), CSS spread spectrum, star topology, you can run your own gateway, battery up to 10+ years, rural line-of-sight reaching the low tens of km (real indoor/urban is much shorter), data rate roughly hundreds of bps to tens of kbps and duty-cycle-limited; NB-IoT — licensed cellular spectrum, carrier-operated, strong deep-indoor penetration (link budget ~164dB), data rate roughly tens of kbps (newer NB2 parts higher), but stationary with no handover; Sigfox — unlicensed ultra-narrowband, very low data rate (around the hundred-bps level), with hard limits on daily uplink messages and payload (about ≤12 bytes). And if you need higher rate or mobility (in-vehicle, voice), step outside these three to LTE-M (Cat-M1, licensed cellular, up to ~1Mbps, supports handover).
⚠️ The operator risk you must know before choosing Sigfox
The operator risk you must know before choosing Sigfox: technically it suits simple sensors that report a few times a day with tiny payloads and extreme cost sensitivity, but it is a single-operator model. Sigfox SA filed for bankruptcy in France in 2022 and was acquired by Singapore’s UnaBiz; in September 2025 its French network arm entered a six-month judicial reorganisation. A single operator makes the whole ecosystem more fragile, and country coverage varies (always check whether a usable network still exists locally). For long-term projects, weigh viability and local coverage carefully — don’t look at the technical spec alone.
The LoRaWAN own-network path: matching KIWI gateways
LoRaWAN is the only one of the three on the “own network, no carrier fee” path, and the one you can deploy yourself. You need a gateway (to receive the sensors’ packets and forward them to a network server) plus end-device modules. KIWI Technology’s LoRaWAN line maps neatly to different scales: a few sensors / a small indoor area → TLG8402V1 (single-channel pico-gateway with a built-in TLM922S module, Wi-Fi plus optional Ethernet/LTE); a home/office all-in-one → TLG3901V2; high-density indoor like factories, warehouses, retail, hospitals → TLG8411V1 (16-channel, Linux, Ethernet/LTE/Wi-Fi/MQTT, indoor range up to ~10km); to build your own sensing device → TLM922S (a LoRaWAN-certified Class-A module with an on-board Cortex-M0). When ordering, be sure to specify the band for your deployment region (AS923/EU868/US915/AU915/KR920, etc.) rather than the datasheet’s default Japan band.
How to choose
The rule: Q1 — do you want your own network and to avoid carrier fees? Yes → LoRaWAN (buy KIWI gateways, a one-time build). No, you’d rather use existing carrier coverage → NB-IoT (best for deep-indoor / widely scattered nodes when you don’t want to run a gateway; the cost is a per-connection subscription and no mobility). Q2 — tiny data, extreme cost sensitivity, only a few reports a day → consider Sigfox (but first confirm local coverage and operator risk). Q3 — need higher rate or the device moves (in-vehicle, voice) → go to LTE-M. Range and data rate can’t be compared by a single number — both vary with spreading factor, band and environment, so field-test before you deploy. JLink Technology is an authorized KIWI Technology distributor supplying everything from single-channel picos to 16-channel industrial gateways and LoRaWAN modules; tell us your node count, deployment environment (indoor/outdoor), regional band and backhaul needs, and we will help with selection and reply with samples, datasheets and pricing.
Products mentioned
TLG8411V1 16-Channel Industrial LoRaWAN Gateway
The TLG8411V1 is a 16-channel industrial-grade indoor LoRaWAN gateway built on the Semtech SX1301 and a TI AM3352 (Cortex-A8) processor for high node capacity. With IP52 protection, wide-temperature operation, and MQTT support — ideal for smart factories, warehouses, and large-scale deployments.
TLG8402V1 Single-Channel LoRaWAN Gateway
The TLG8402V1 is a compact entry-level single-channel LoRaWAN gateway using KIWI's own TLM922S LoRa module (Microchip ATSAMD21G), supporting LoRaWAN 1.0.3 and multi-regional bands — ideal for smart retail, cold-chain management, and small private deployments.
TLM922S LoRa / LoRaWAN Module
The TLM922S is a LoRaWAN-certified module from KIWI Technology integrating a Semtech SX1272 LoRa transceiver and a 32-bit MCU (Cypress S6E1C32) running the LoRaWAN stack, controlled over a UART AT-command interface. 902~928MHz (US915-class), up to +20dBm output, ~10km line-of-sight range — for LoRaWAN IoT nodes, smart metering, and asset tracking.
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