LoRa (from "Long Range", sometimes abbreviated as "LR") is a physical proprietary radio communication technique.

[5] LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) defines the communication protocol and system architecture.

[6] The continued development of the LoRaWAN protocol is managed by the open, non-profit LoRa Alliance, of which Semtech is a founding member.

Together, LoRa and LoRaWAN define a low-power, wide-area (LPWA) networking protocol designed to wirelessly connect battery operated devices to the Internet in regional, national or global networks, and targets key Internet of things (IoT) requirements, such as bi-directional communication, end-to-end security, mobility and localization services.

There are measurement studies of LoRa performance with regard to energy consumption, communication distances, and medium access efficiency.

The actual LoRaWAN acts as a cloud controlled MAC layer protocol for managing communication between LPWAN gateways and end-node devices.

LoRaWAN is also responsible for managing the communication frequencies, data rate, and power for all devices.

[20] This technology shows high reliability for the moderate load, however, it has some performance issues with sending acknowledgements (2016).

The cloud network specifies secure joining protocols for end-devices and possibilities for roaming between gateways.

Previously, LoRaWAN has relied upon ALOHA as the medium access control (MAC) layer protocol, but to improve this, the LoRa Alliance's Technical Recommendation TR013[24] introduced CSMA-CA, which does not debilitate LoRa's distinctive modulation advantages such as Spreading Factor orthogonality,[16] and the capability for below noise-floor communication.

[16] Employing the CAD based CSMA technique specified in TR013[24] overcomes the limitations of relying on Received Signal Strength (RSS)-based sensing, which is unable to maintain the two said advantages of LoRa modulation.

Therefore, implementing TR013 enhances LoRaWAN's spectrum efficiency and ensures more reliable device communication, including in congested environments.

Members collaborate in a vibrant ecosystem of device makers, solution providers, system integrators and network operators, delivering interoperability needed to scale IoT across the globe, using  public, private, hybrid, and community networks.

Key contributing members of the LoRa Alliance include Actility, Amazon Web Services, Cisco, Everynet, Helium, Kerlink, MachineQ, a Comcast Company, Microsoft, MikroTik, Minol Zenner, Netze BW, Semtech, Senet, STMicroelectronics, TEKTELIC and The Things Industries.