Eleanor Hecks, Managing Editor of Designerly Magazine, explores LoRaWAN in more depth, focusing more specifically on its role in healthcare
Have you ever heard of a long-range wide area network (LoRaWAN)? This end-to-end system architecture has been silently transforming healthcare since its debut in 2015. While many of its effects have been positive, some have been downright harmful. How has the industry been affected? Will anything be done to minimise its adverse effects?
What Is LoRaWAN?
LoRaWAN is a wireless protocol and system architecture for low-power wide area networks (LPWAN). It is based on long-range (LoRa) technology, which enables long-distance communication in regional, national or global networks via gateways.
This IoT transmission technology was specifically designed to connect battery-operated IoT devices with each other.
LoRaWAN works by sending data packets over a shared radio frequency. This function enables cost-effective, bidirectional data transmission, helping internet-enabled objects seamlessly connect over long distances.
How has LoRaWAN transformed healthcare for the worse?
LoRaWAN has not always been able to protect the privacy and integrity of sensitive medical information. In fact, millions of IoT devices could be vulnerable to cyberthreats due to vulnerabilities associated with this transmission technology.
In a LoRaWAN architecture, IoT end nodes exchange data with gateways, communicating with network servers via a transmission control protocol. Network-level security measures verify device authenticity during initial activation and ongoing utilisation. This layer relies on a network session key.
Due to poor key management, these systems are often vulnerable to cyber threats. Cyber attackers can reverse engineer IoT nodes, breach device manufacturers’ networks or hack devices directly to extract keys. Then, they can launch denial-of-service attacks or manipulate the data sent to the network.
Any bad actor with enough time, skill and technical know-how can intercept transmissions, retransmit data packets or remotely turn off devices. At best, their actions cause confusion or delay medical tests. At worst, patients receive an incorrect diagnosis — or even pass away.
The worst a hacked IoT wearable can be made to do is provide faulty data. Implantables, however, are essential for life in many cases. A simple denial-of-service attack could end someone’s life. Hackers know this information and are prepared to use it to their advantage.
How has LoRaWAN transformed healthcare for the better?
While LoraWAN has some potentially significant vulnerabilities, most relatively new technologies do. Besides, it has changed healthcare for the better in many ways.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a technology that lets users make voice calls over an Internet connection instead of a phone line. Since IoT devices share a network infrastructure with VoIP, they integrate seamlessly, enabling patients to contact emergency services easily.
The United States Code of Federal Regulations requires these calls to connect the caller to dispatchers, convey a dispatchable location and notify an operator in that same location, so they are just as robust as mobile calls. To ensure compliance, noncompliance will result in fines of up to $10,000 plus an additional $500 per device per day.
LoRaWAN is not only helpful in emergencies. It reliably delivers small data packets with exceptional efficiency, ensuring consistent long-term performance. Medical wearables and implantables can transmit and receive information regardless of location.
Despite enabling reliable long-range communication, this architecture is not resource-intensive. In one case study of a LoRaWAN-based emergency alert system, 98% of the original devices deployed in 10,000 public housing flats for seniors were still functioning after five years.
This power-preserving capability improves patients’ quality of life. They don’t have to go in as often to get a replacement, saving them money and potentially reducing surgery-related risks.
Healthcare facilities benefit just as much as patients. A single antenna can cover a large area, reducing installation costs. Moreover, LoRa operates in unlicensed frequency bands, eliminating licencing fees to facilitate cost-effective deployment.
The future of LoRaWAN in healthcare
You are aware of LoRaWAN’s vulnerabilities now. If you have access to this architecture, you will likely make a larger effort to deploy fixes in the coming years. Although there is no telling what new security weaknesses will emerge with each update, you must be observant as LoRaWAN’s presence in health care grows.
Whether or not you have firsthand access to LoRaWAN, you will see it evolve as research and development teams from the LoRa Alliance achieve breakthrough technological advancements. This means you may see device life extend and deployment costs lower, making this transmission technology more accessible.
The future of LoRaWAN could go one of two ways. However, with the number of IoT devices reaching an estimated 30.9 billion in 2025, this wireless protocol is likely here to stay. Eventually, you may see it deployed in your workplace. You should weigh the pros and cons so you can approach implementation and maintenance with a level head.
LoRaWAN Will Impact the Health Care Sector Either Way
Whether LoRaWAN ultimately becomes the champion of health care technologies or a brutal lesson on the importance of cybersecurity, it will have a massive impact on the industry. Since IoT adoption is on the rise, it may only be a few years before this impact becomes apparent.

Eleanor Hecks is the Managing Editor at Designerly Magazine, where she’s passionate about covering IoT news and insights for businesses. She’s also a mobile app designer with a focus on UI.
Author: Eleanor Hecks, Managing Editor of Designerly Magazine
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