mioty® – An LPWAN Protocol for Massive IoT Scenarios

What is mioty®? 

mioty^® is a software-based Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) protocol. It was initially developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS). 

The most important feature of mioty^® is its use of a method known as Telegram Splitting Multiple Access (TSMA) – a special form of radio transmission that ensures that transmissions from mioty^® sensors are highly resistant to interference, even over long distances. 

The technology also enables data transmission in the license-free radio spectrum (EU 868 MHz – US 915 MHz), which means – similar to LoRaWAN architectures – there are no additional costs for data transmission. 

This makes it possible to deploy very large wireless networks with numerous devices for small amounts of data at affordable rates, which is why the technology is particularly in demand in the following areas: 

• Smart Metering 
• Industry 4.0 (IIoT / M2M-communication) 
• Smart City / Smart Home 
• Smart Health 
• Massive IoT-Anwendungen 

Today, the marketing and further development of the technology are handled by the mioty alliance and its members, who also determine the licensing and certification of devices. 

Telegram Splitting explained – The core of mioty® technology 

The key feature of the mioty^® protocol is the Telegram Splitting Multiple Access (TSMA) method developed specifically for this purpose. With telegram splitting, a data packet is not sent by the sensor as a single continuous radio packet, but is broken down into many small sub-packets. These sub-packets are then transmitted over different frequencies and at different times.   

The respective base station continuously scans the spectrum for these sub-packets, identifies the individual fragments, and reassembles them into a complete message. Because the information within the sub-packets is transmitted redundantly, the receiving station needs only about 50% of the packet to reconstruct its entire content (Forward Error Correction). 

This ensures that even in the heavily congested (unlicensed) radio spectrum, in urban environments, and with a large number of transmitters (keyword: Massive IoT), the information transmitted by individual mioty^® sensors is sent correctly and received by the base station. 

Key Benefits of mioty® technology – An overview 

In this section, we’ll focus on the specific features and strengths of the technology. We’ll focus particularly on the following points: 

• High operational efficiency  
• High network scalability  
• Resistance to interference  
• Long range & coverage 

In addition, the technology behind Mioty is based on the ETSI 103 357 standard. Companies can develop devices for this specific standard, thereby ensuring their compatibility within the mioty network – following the appropriate certification by the mioty Alliance.

High efficiency of the devices

The sensors used in the network operate primarily in standby mode and become active only to transmit data packets. These short transmission intervals reduce the devices’ power consumption, enabling operating times ranging from many years to (theoretically) decades.  

This energy efficiency ensures that mioty sensors can be installed even in remote or hard-to-reach areas without a constant power supply. This reduces maintenance requirements to a minimum. 

High scalability of network size 

mioty technology was specifically developed for setting up extremely large networks (Massive IoT). It enables the connection and interlinking of large sensor fleets within a single network.  

Depending on requirements and use cases (smart metering / tracking & tracing), the number of sensors in a network can easily reach four or five digits. Support for such a large number of sensors also ensures that networks, once established, can be expanded and upgraded at a later date. 

High resistance to interference 

In environments with numerous transmitters – such as large industrial facilities – there is a high probability that transmitted data packets will be lost due to interference, collisions, or shadowing. The more wireless systems in use in a given area, the higher the probability of such disruptions.  

By using the TSMA method, which employs time-staggered transmission intervals across numerous sub-packets, mioty can fully reconstruct the original message using just slightly more than 50% of the data packets. This ensures reliable data transmission with minimal self-interference, even in critical radio environments. 

Wide transmission range 

mioty® was specifically developed for widespread IoT communication. The individual sensors not only have a long range (5–15 kilometers) but also provide good penetration through buildings. Even in mobile applications (toll management, etc.), the transmitters operate reliably at speeds of up to 120 km/h.  

From technical rooms and industrial facilities to underground mining, large sensor networks can be operated securely – and, above all, very cost-effectively – with just a few base stations. 

Limitations of mioty® technology 

At this point, Mioty still has a few drawbacks—some of which are, in fact, virtually unavoidable: 

• Emerging technology: It has not yet achieved significant market penetration. Compared to other LPWAN technologies, there are fewer comparable and reference projects, which in turn may reduce acceptance of such a “new system” among interested partners 
• Low data rates: The maximum possible size of a Mioty packet is 250 bytes; typical transmission rates for sub-packets are 512 bits/s. This is ideal for telemetry, measurement, and sensor data, but virtually rules out other types of data transmission 
• Focus on uplink communication: The technology was primarily developed for applications in which many sensors send small amounts of data to the network (uplink). The network is not designed for scenarios involving frequent control commands (downlink) or continuous two-way communication (bidirectionality) due to higher latencies. 

Whether and to what extent such technical “limitations” will be addressed by the mioty alliance in the future will become clear as the technology continues to develop.

Industries in which Mioty is used 

Mioty really shines in applications that require a combination of long range, high immunity to interference, long battery life, and a large number of end devices. 

• Smart metering and utility networks: Water, gas, heat, and electricity meters can reliably transmit their readings from basements, (mine) shafts, or other hard-to-reach areas. 
• Industry 4.0 and Condition Monitoring: Production facilities, machines, and technical equipment can be continuously monitored. Even in environments with many radio sources or metallic structures, communication (including in real time) remains reliable. 
• Smart Cities: Cities and municipalities use LPWAN technologies for parking sensors, environmental monitoring stations, street lighting, waste management, and infrastructure monitoring. 
• Environmental and Infrastructure Monitoring: Water level measurements, flood warning systems, weather stations, and the monitoring of critical infrastructure often require battery-powered sensors in remote locations. 
• Agriculture: Sensors for soil moisture, temperature, irrigation, and animal tracking can be distributed across large areas without the need for a complex communication infrastructure. 
• Logistics and asset tracking: Containers, tools, equipment, or even mobile assets can be monitored and tracked across large areas. 

mioty demonstrates its advantages over many traditional wireless technologies, particularly in scenarios involving several thousand or even tens of thousands of sensors per network. The higher the density of transmitters, the more worthwhile it is to make a targeted investment in this LPWAN technology. 

mioty® vs. LoRaWAN 

Both mioty and LoRaWAN belong to the class of LPWAN technologies and were developed to connect sensors over long distances in an energy-efficient manner. While LoRaWAN stands out in particular for its large ecosystem and its (global) reach, mioty was specifically developed for demanding Massive IoT scenarios with high device density and challenging radio conditions. 

• Robustness: mioty uses Telegram Splitting (TSMA) and is therefore particularly resistant to interference, collisions, and radio disruptions. LoRaWAN uses Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS) modulation and also offers robust communication; however, in very dense networks with many transmitters, it can be more heavily affected by collisions. 
• Scalability: mioty was specifically developed for massive IoT scenarios with a very large number of end devices. LoRaWAN also supports large networks, but requires careful network planning as device density increases. 
• Range: Both technologies enable communication over several kilometers. mioty demonstrates particularly high performance when used in basements, shafts, and hard-to-reach installation locations. 
• Battery life: Under typical conditions, both mioty and LoRaWAN sensors can operate for several years to decades with virtually no maintenance. The shorter and less frequent their transmissions, the lower their energy consumption. 
• Mobility: mioty supports mobile applications and data transmissions at speeds of up to 120 km/h. This makes the technology particularly well-suited for logistics, tracking, and drive-by scenarios. For LoRaWAN, no such “speed limit” is specified for data transmission. 
• Ecosystem: LoRaWAN currently has greater market penetration and a very extensive ecosystem of devices, gateways, and platforms. The mioty ecosystem is growing continuously and is particularly well-established in smart metering and industrial applications. 

In short: LoRaWAN technology already has an established community and is a good choice for all “broad-scale” IoT applications. If it is foreseeable that, for example, numerous sensors will need to be set up in a small space within an industrial facility to collect critical information, mioty^® is the more reliable and less error-prone choice. 

How do products obtain mioty® certification? 

Companies can have their products certified directly through the mioty Alliance. To this end, the Alliance has created a dedicated product certification page. The process works as follows:   

• Signing of a framework agreement – followed by access to the certification portal 
• Submission of technical documentation / test results / declaration of conformity 
• Verification of the product’s conformity by the mioty alliance 
• Provision of the “mioty logo” and a certificate 

Once this process is complete, the mioty alliance logo may be used in connection with the product. Incidentally, companies do not need to be members of the mioty^® alliance to obtain mioty certification – however, in this case, they benefit from significantly discounted rates for product testing.  

In addition, it is also necessary to purchase a license to use MIOTY technology. For this purpose, there is a separate licensing platform provided by Sisvel. 

mioty® – FAQ on the LPWAN protocol 

Over what distances can data be transmitted? 

Thanks to the protocol’s exceptional resistance to interference, data can be transmitted over distances of a good 5 kilometers in urban areas and a good 15 kilometers in rural areas. 

How long can mioty® sensors operate? 

Since the technology is exceptionally energy-efficient, individual sensor nodes can theoretically operate for up to 20 years based on current information – depending on the setup. As a rule, even mioty® sensors subjected to heavy use remain fully operational for very long periods of time. 

How many devices/sensors is a network designed to support? 

mioty was developed specifically for massive IoT applications. Depending on the network design and use case, very large sensor networks can easily comprise several thousand to tens of thousands of end devices. 

Is mioty® standardized? 

Yes. mioty technology is based on the ETSI 103 357 standard. 

What is the difference between mioty and LoRaWAN? 

Both technologies originate from the LPWAN sector. As of today, LoRaWAN is more widely used internationally and has an extremely broad market presence. Mioty is a newer technology, designed more specifically for massive IoT applications, and is of particular interest to industrial customers and large enterprises.