“LoRaWAN-enabled rat traps mean you only need to send staff out when one of the critters has been caught”

Paul owns an agency that helps businesses exploit the web, from sales to marketing

@PaulOckenden

Welcome to the next part of my series of articles on LoRa and LoRaWAN. As promised, I’m going to be looking at some of the better LoRaWAN sensors I’ve discovered and I’ll also guide you through connecting a sensor to The Things Network.

There’s a huge variety of sensors out there. For example, I’ve recently come across waste bin management sensors for those business-sized “dumpster” bins – they monitor how full the bin is, so that the company emptying them can optimise the lorry routes and avoid sending trucks to bins that are empty.

Another good example is a parking sensor that’s available from Bosch. No, not those things that incessantly beep when you’re trying to reverse into a space; these sensors are glued to the road and detect whether the space above is occupied or not. Take a look at the promo video on YouTube (pcpro.link/321bosch).

These sensors are intended for car park management, but in the future I can imagine things such as this will be integrated into all on-street parking spaces. So, rather than driving around the streets trying to find somewhere to park, your car will direct you to the nearest empty space. As with those bin sensors, this is a perfect use for LoRaWAN technology.

There’s even a LoRaWAN rat trap on offer! Much like with the bin sensors,