Long-range reading, district-wide.
LoRaWAN is the low-power, wide-area protocol built for reading meters across whole districts from a handful of gateways. Build your own network or connect through an existing one - Metbox is ready for both.
Works with 60+ LoRaWAN devices from 14 manufacturers
Wide-area metering on a license-free network
LoRaWAN is a low-power, wide-area networking protocol maintained by the LoRa Alliance. It uses long-range LoRa radio on license-free sub-GHz bands, so a single gateway can collect readings from thousands of meters spread across a district.
Meters send data to gateways, gateways forward it to a network server, and the server delivers structured readings to the Metbox platform - a star-of-stars topology that scales from one building to an entire city.
What makes LoRaWAN a good fit
A protocol built for reach and scale - covering large areas with minimal infrastructure and meters that run for years on a single battery.
Long range, few gateways
A single gateway reaches several kilometres in towns and up to ~15 km in open areas, so whole districts come online with minimal infrastructure.
Low power, long life
Tiny, infrequent transmissions keep meters asleep most of the time - a single battery commonly lasts well over a decade.
Massive scale
One gateway serves thousands of devices, and adaptive data rate tunes each meter for the best balance of range and capacity.
Encrypted by design
Independent AES-128 network and application keys protect readings end to end, from the meter through to the platform.
Reaches hard places
Long-range radio penetrates basements, pits and dense buildings where short-range or cellular signals struggle.
Your network, your data
Run your own network with the integrated server and preconfigured gateways, or connect through existing infrastructure - you keep control either way.
The protocol, in short
The key facts that matter when you're planning a deployment.
- Standard
- LoRaWAN (LoRa Alliance)
- Radio band
- 868 MHz EU · license-free sub-GHz
- Range
- 2–5 km urban · up to ~15 km open
- Topology
- Star-of-stars · device → gateway → server
- Security
- AES-128 (network + app keys)
- Best for
- District-wide reading & hard-to-reach meters
The classes you'll come across
LoRaWAN defines three device classes that trade power use against how quickly a device can receive commands.
Lowest power
The default for battery meters - a device transmits, then briefly listens. Best energy efficiency, longest life.
Scheduled slots
Adds beacon-synchronised receive windows, so downlink commands arrive on a predictable schedule.
Always listening
Continuous receive for the lowest latency - suited to mains-powered devices that need instant response.
Build your own network - or use an existing one
Metbox is ready for both. Choose the path that fits your coverage, control and budget.
Build your own
Deploy preconfigured gateways and run them against the integrated network server. You own the coverage and keep full control of your data.
- Integrated LoRaWAN network server
- Preconfigured, plug-and-play gateways
- Scalable infrastructure, full data control
Use existing infrastructure
Already have LoRaWAN coverage, or prefer a public network? Connect Metbox through the providers you already use.
- Connect via major network servers
- No new gateways where coverage exists
From meter to platform in four steps
Place a gateway, add your meters, and readings flow in from across the district - no rounds, no rewiring.
Meters transmit
LoRaWAN water, heat, gas and electricity meters send small encrypted readings over long-range radio.
Gateways relay
One or more gateways pick up every meter in range and forward the packets to the network server.
Server delivers
The network server decrypts and de-duplicates the data, then hands clean readings to the platform.
Export & integrate
View on the platform, export as CSV/XLSX or connect by API to billing and ERP systems.
Devices that run your LoRaWAN network
Preconfigured gateways and an integrated network server, feeding the same Metbox platform.
Metbox LoRaWAN Gateway
Preconfigured, plug-and-play gateway that collects readings from thousands of LoRaWAN meters across a district.
Integrated Network Server
Built-in LoRaWAN network server to run your own network - or connect through ThingPark, TTN, Helium and LORIOT.
Metbox Platform
Dashboards, reports, alerts and API integrations for every reading your network collects.
Metbox reads LoRaWAN meters from leading manufacturers. See the full compatibility list →
Cover a whole district with LoRaWAN
Tell the Metbox team about your area and meters. We'll help you plan coverage and choose between your own network or existing infrastructure.
Long-range reading, district-wide.
LoRaWAN is the low-power, wide-area protocol built for reading meters across whole districts from a handful of gateways. Build your own network or connect through an existing one - Metbox is ready for both.
Works with 60+ LoRaWAN devices from 14 manufacturers
Wide-area metering on a license-free network
LoRaWAN is a low-power, wide-area networking protocol maintained by the LoRa Alliance. It uses long-range LoRa radio on license-free sub-GHz bands, so a single gateway can collect readings from thousands of meters spread across a district.
Meters send data to gateways, gateways forward it to a network server, and the server delivers structured readings to the Metbox platform - a star-of-stars topology that scales from one building to an entire city.
What makes LoRaWAN a good fit
A protocol built for reach and scale - covering large areas with minimal infrastructure and meters that run for years on a single battery.
Long range, few gateways
A single gateway reaches several kilometres in towns and up to ~15 km in open areas, so whole districts come online with minimal infrastructure.
Low power, long life
Tiny, infrequent transmissions keep meters asleep most of the time - a single battery commonly lasts well over a decade.
Massive scale
One gateway serves thousands of devices, and adaptive data rate tunes each meter for the best balance of range and capacity.
Encrypted by design
Independent AES-128 network and application keys protect readings end to end, from the meter through to the platform.
Reaches hard places
Long-range radio penetrates basements, pits and dense buildings where short-range or cellular signals struggle.
Your network, your data
Run your own network with the integrated server and preconfigured gateways, or connect through existing infrastructure - you keep control either way.
The protocol, in short
The key facts that matter when you're planning a deployment.
- Standard
- LoRaWAN (LoRa Alliance)
- Radio band
- 868 MHz EU · license-free sub-GHz
- Range
- 2–5 km urban · up to ~15 km open
- Topology
- Star-of-stars · device → gateway → server
- Security
- AES-128 (network + app keys)
- Best for
- District-wide reading & hard-to-reach meters
The classes you'll come across
LoRaWAN defines three device classes that trade power use against how quickly a device can receive commands.
Lowest power
The default for battery meters - a device transmits, then briefly listens. Best energy efficiency, longest life.
Scheduled slots
Adds beacon-synchronised receive windows, so downlink commands arrive on a predictable schedule.
Always listening
Continuous receive for the lowest latency - suited to mains-powered devices that need instant response.
Build your own network - or use an existing one
Metbox is ready for both. Choose the path that fits your coverage, control and budget.
Build your own
Deploy preconfigured gateways and run them against the integrated network server. You own the coverage and keep full control of your data.
- Integrated LoRaWAN network server
- Preconfigured, plug-and-play gateways
- Scalable infrastructure, full data control
Use existing infrastructure
Already have LoRaWAN coverage, or prefer a public network? Connect Metbox through the providers you already use.
- Connect via major network servers
- No new gateways where coverage exists
From meter to platform in four steps
Place a gateway, add your meters, and readings flow in from across the district - no rounds, no rewiring.
Meters transmit
LoRaWAN water, heat, gas and electricity meters send small encrypted readings over long-range radio.
Gateways relay
One or more gateways pick up every meter in range and forward the packets to the network server.
Server delivers
The network server decrypts and de-duplicates the data, then hands clean readings to the platform.
Export & integrate
View on the platform, export as CSV/XLSX or connect by API to billing and ERP systems.
Devices that run your LoRaWAN network
Preconfigured gateways and an integrated network server, feeding the same Metbox platform.
Metbox LoRaWAN Gateway
Preconfigured, plug-and-play gateway that collects readings from thousands of LoRaWAN meters across a district.
Integrated Network Server
Built-in LoRaWAN network server to run your own network - or connect through ThingPark, TTN, Helium and LORIOT.
Metbox Platform
Dashboards, reports, alerts and API integrations for every reading your network collects.
Metbox reads LoRaWAN meters from leading manufacturers. See the full compatibility list →
Cover a whole district with LoRaWAN
Tell the Metbox team about your area and meters. We'll help you plan coverage and choose between your own network or existing infrastructure.