LoRaWAN I/O Controller

A LoRaWAN network is an open, standards-based infrastructure that allows wireless devices—regardless of brand, model, or network provider—to seamlessly connect, communicate, and transmit data over long distances. Built on widely adopted LoRa technology (supported by organizations like The LoRa Alliance® and hardware from companies such as ioX-Connect and MultiTech), a LoRaWAN network acts as the backbone for unified device management.

This interoperability means you can onboard and monitor LoRa-based sensors from different manufacturers on a single platform, no matter who makes the devices or provides the connectivity. With secure, bidirectional data flow, you gain centralized visibility, control, and real-time analytics for all connected devices—simplifying expansion and ensuring future-proof scalability across any facility or set of use cases.

A pre-provisioned LoRaWAN gateway like those offered by ioX-Connect takes the heavy lifting out of deployment:

• Out of the box, it’s ready to go—network configuration, security keys, and app integrations are already handled.
• Sensors join seamlessly with zero manual pairing and instantly appear in your dashboard.
• You bypass all the headache of linking the gateway to the network server and integrating that with your IoT platform—everything is connected from the start.

On the flip side, gateways that aren’t pre-provisioned require a fair bit of manual setup. Expect to:

• Spend extra time configuring network details, authentication, and server connections.
• Tackle every integration step yourself, with potential troubleshooting along the way.
• Take on additional security configuration responsibilities to ensure safe device communications.

In short: pre-provisioned gateways dramatically accelerate setup, minimize IT effort, and let you focus on scaling your deployment rather than wrestling with infrastructure.

LoRaWAN uses AES-128 encryption at both the network (NwkSKey) and application (AppSKey) layers. Combined with ioX-Connect’s role-based access controls, this ensures end-to-end protection and prevents unauthorized data access.

How LoRaWAN Keeps Data Secure

The LoRaWAN security stack is built on top of LoRa modulation (PHY) and adds a robust security layer with unique device identity, authentication, and authorization for every sensor and gateway. Symmetric AES-128 keys—defined in the IEEE 802.15.4/2006 Annex B—are generated for each device. The Network Session Key (NwkSKey) encrypts network-related messages, while the Application Session Key (AppSKey) encrypts application-specific data, so only your application ever sees the payload.

Importantly, LoRaWAN gateways operate much like routers: they securely forward data between devices and the cloud using protocols such as DTLS, TLS, or VPN, but never decrypt or access your data or keys. This architecture ensures that your sensor data remains private and protected end to end, even as it travels across public or shared infrastructure.

Simply use OTAA (Over-The-Air Activation) to join devices to the network by provisioning your ioX Certified LoRaWAN gateway in the platform. ioX-Connect auto-discovers your sensors, applies network keys, and pushes firmware updates—no manual configuration or coding required.

Once connected, LoRaWAN devices can be configured over the air (OTA) right from the ioX-Connect platform. You have control over key parameters such as data rate, transmission power, and sleep intervals—helping you fine-tune battery life and network performance for your environment. Most LoRaWAN devices support Adaptive Data Rate (ADR), which allows the network server to automatically optimize these settings based on real-time radio conditions. This ensures your deployment is always using network resources efficiently and adapting to changing conditions, whether you’re monitoring a greenhouse in the countryside or asset tracking in a dense manufacturing facility.

Streamlined, Hassle-Free Provisioning

Every ioX-Connect gateway comes pre-provisioned and connected to a LoRaWAN network server, so you can skip the tedious manual setup. There’s no need to manually link gateways to network servers or integrate network servers with your IoT platform—everything’s already connected and ready to go out of the box.

Automatic Device Management

Sensors will automatically connect to your gateway, and the network server is seamlessly linked to the ioX-Connect platform. This means you can start monitoring and managing any LoRaWAN device—regardless of hardware manufacturer or network operator—without extra steps.

Flexible Network Options

While ioX-Connect includes a default LoRaWAN network server, you're not locked in. The platform is network-agnostic, letting you use popular alternative networks such as The Things Network or Helium if your deployment requires it. This flexibility ensures you can tailor your solution to fit unique coverage, compliance, or scalability needs.

Whether deploying a handful of sensors or scaling to thousands across multiple sites, ioX-Connect keeps onboarding and management frictionless and future-proof.

Absolutely. You can update configuration parameters—such as reporting intervals or thresholds—by sending a downlink command from the ioX-Connect platform to your device over the network. We've made it very simple and easy for users of the ioX-Connect platform to do this. Every sensor in your account will show sensor specific settings that can be applied to your device, there is no need for you to worry about any technical reference guides or documentation or needing to understand how uplinking/ downlinking works or what payload formatters are. ioX-Connect takes care of all of that for you. There is also no need for physical access; you manage and fine-tune your sensors anytime, anywhere through the portal.

You need at least one LoRaWAN gateway connected to the internet (Ethernet, Cellular or Wi-Fi) and the ioX-Connect platform. From there, you can expand coverage with additional gateways, all managed centrally through our platform.

Pre-Provisioned vs. Manual Setup: What’s the Difference?

Without a Pre-Provisioned Gateway:

• Configuration can be time-consuming and complex.
• Requires manual connection of the gateway to a network server.
• You’ll need to manually link the network server to your IoT platform or application.

With a Pre-Provisioned Gateway:

• The LoRaWAN network is included for you.
• Sensors connect automatically to the gateway—no extra steps needed.
• The network server is already integrated with your app, so you’re ready to deploy right away.

This streamlined setup helps you scale from pilot to production quickly, letting you focus on your data—not infrastructure hurdles.

Most LoRaWAN sensors are designed to transmit data wirelessly and do not function as mini databases. However, some devices do have a small amount of internal memory to temporarily store (or “buffer”) data when network connectivity drops out. This means they can hold onto a batch of measurements and forward them when the connection resumes. ioX-Connect do offer this on some of our LoRaWAN devices, to find out more please reach out to our team at: sales@iox-connect.com

That said, sorting or organizing data internally is not typically part of a LoRaWAN device’s job description—those tasks are handled by your IoT platform or cloud application like ioX-Connect after data arrives. Extracting data directly from the device hardware is uncommon and usually restricted by security protocols to keep your information safe.

A network-agnostic LoRaWAN solution means you’re not locked into any single network provider or infrastructure. This flexibility allows you to connect your sensors and gateways to a wide variety of LoRaWAN network servers—public, private, or even hybrid infrastructures—depending on your operational and security needs.

Some of the most widely used LoRaWAN network servers compatible with our solutions include The Things Stack (by The Things Network), ChirpStack, and Actility’s ThingPark. This open approach gives you the freedom to deploy across multiple geographies, integrate with enterprise IT systems, or adapt as your organization scales.

Whether you’re migrating from an existing deployment, expanding globally, or building a private industrial network, network agnosticism ensures you have complete control over data routing, compliance, and long-term costs.

Secure Access at the Application Layer

Robust Authentication with Modern Protocols
To ensure only authorized users and services can access sensitive sensor data, our application layer (ioX-Connect) leverages industry-standard authentication frameworks—specifically, OpenID Connect (OIDC) and SAML 2.0. These protocols facilitate secure user logins and service-to-service requests by issuing encrypted access tokens that verify user identities before any data or commands reach your devices or dashboards.

End-to-End Data Protection
All internal communications—between databases, services, and APIs—are encrypted by default, protecting your data both at rest and in transit. Strict access controls are enforced, so only approved personnel and applications can interact with the platform, further safeguarding against unauthorized access or tampering.

Seamless and Secure User Experience
Whether you’re integrating with external platforms or allowing staff to access custom dashboards, OIDC and SAML 2.0 streamline sign-in while adhering to rigorous enterprise security standards. This means your users benefit from single sign-on convenience, while your organization enjoys robust defense against breaches and credential misuse.

Simply use OTAA (Over-The-Air Activation) to join devices to the network by provisioning your ioX Certified LoRaWAN gateway in the platform. ioX-Connect auto-discovers your sensors, applies network keys, and pushes firmware updates—no manual configuration or coding required.

How it works under the hood

When you add a sensor, each device is registered on the network with unique identifiers (DevEUI and AppEUI). During the join process, security keys (AppSKey and NwkSKey) are automatically negotiated and assigned, ensuring secure and compliant communication according to regional regulations. The gateway relays all sensor data securely to the ioX-Connect cloud using encrypted protocols (TLS/SSL), where it’s accessible for real-time monitoring, alerting, and analytics.

All of this is managed centrally through the ioX-Connect platform, so you don’t have to worry about complex setup steps or network security—everything from onboarding to data delivery is handled seamlessly in the background.