Semtech, based in California, has enhanced its LoRa developer portal to make it easier for developers of all skill levels to construct IoT devices that use the LoRaWan standard.

The redesigned portal provides developers with low-risk ways to work with LoRa. With kits and instructions, developers can rapidly and cheaply create prototypes to evaluate how LoRaWan can work for their IoT applications. The portal provides information for developers of all levels, including education on the fundamentals of LoRaWan, network creation, and the deployment of a full-scale commercial service.

“As a community of developers, we understand the unique challenges we all face when building IoT solutions, which is why we felt strongly about putting in place a portal that provides access to tools, training, and educational materials to get the answers you need quickly,” said Steve Hegenderfer, senior director at Semtech. “Our intent is that developers can use this portal to learn how to make their visions a reality and get a better understanding of how to use Semtech’s LoRa devices and LoRaWan when developing their IoT solutions.”

According to IoT Analytics, enterprise IoT investment would increase by 12.1 percent to $128.9 billion in 2020. With many connectivity possibilities for developers, IoT devices can now accomplish everything from industrial automation to solving complicated technical challenges. Building IoT devices is more complicated than ever, and developers require additional resources and direction to quickly construct and test device connectivity.

The portal’s new features are intended to assist developers in bringing their ideas to reality. Developers can see their initiatives through from development to execution if they have access to the necessary support, materials, and community perspectives.

Features include:

• Interactive tutorials provide instructional videos, text, and an application programming interface (API) sandbox to give developers what they need to develop and deploy applications
• Improved community page brings developers together to get answers to common questions while working with each other to build their services
• LoRaWan academy offers a complete curriculum for students and professionals interested in creating long-range IoT projects
• Hands-on labs offer detailed walk-throughs to help developers learn how to build, develop and deploy with LoRaWan
• Network server, built on the ChirpStack open-source network server using LoRaWan, provides a hosted development environment that can be used for prototyping IoT featuring LoRa devices deployed on a LoRaWan

In the following months, the portal will be updated with new features, including tools to help developers predict the types of battery life and area coverage they may expect from their LoRaWan-enabled devices.