Semtech has expanded its LoRa Plus transceiver lineup with two new parts, the LR2022 and LR2012, both now in production. The company is positioning the pair to cover a wider span of IoT deployments, from cost-optimized sub-GHz sensors to global multi-band tracking that can include non-terrestrial networks (NTN).

LR2022 and LR2012 use the same fourth-generation LoRa IP core as Semtech’s LR2021, and Semtech lists backward compatibility with LoRaWAN, LR-FHSS, and legacy OOK devices. Across the LoRa Plus family, Semtech also lists support for LoRaWAN, LR-FHSS, Amazon Sidewalk, Wi-SUN FSK, and Wireless M-BUS.

On the radio side, Semtech describes the new transceivers as delivering “best-in-class sensitivity” and specifies extended data rates of up to 125 Kbps for LoRa and up to 2 Mbps for FSK applications. Semtech ties that throughput to “high-speed burst data transmissions within a low-power envelope,” including large file transfers such as images, audio, and firmware-update-over-the-air (FUOTA) updates, and it also calls out support for use cases that need very low latency in proprietary wireless protocols.

For engineers building distributed sensing and telemetry systems that end up terminating in data centers or cloud platforms, higher burst rates and multi-protocol support can translate into more flexible device designs and update workflows. But performance specs like sensitivity and latency still hinge on the full RF design, regulatory domain, and how the end-to-end network is engineered, not just the baseband feature list.

Zenner USA says it selected the Semtech LR2012 for its Stealth Reader Meter Interface Unit for AMR/AMI “due to its superior LoRaWAN performance, backward compatibility with legacy OOK, and support for LR-FHSS enabling scalable satellite connectivity,” according to Rich Sanders, president of Zenner USA. Engelmann Sensor GmbH also cites LR2012 for next-generation metering, with Tobias Knop, team leader firmware development, saying the part “delivers exactly that at the right price point.”

Semtech also summarizes the broader LoRa Plus lineup as: LR2021 (multi-band, multi-protocol transceiver with FLRC 2.6 Mbps for edge AI), LR2022 (multi-band, “single-hardware-design” transceiver for global terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks), and LR2012 (sub-GHz transceiver optimized for traditional low-power wireless and LPWAN).

Source: Semtech