Unleashing the Internet of Things

We are on a mission to build a global open crowdsourced Internet of Things data network.

What we do

We crowdsourced a complete city-wide Internet of Things data network with the people of Amsterdam in 6 weeks using a new technology named LoraWAN™. Now we are launching our global campaign to repeat this in every city in the world.

The technology allows for things to talk to the internet without 3G or WiFi. So no WiFi codes and no mobile subscriptions.

It features low battery usage, long range and low bandwidth. Perfect for the internet of things.

Our vision

The internet was created by people that connected their networks and allowed traffic from, to and over their servers and cables to pass for free. As a result, there was abundant data communication and exponential innovation.

The Things Network is doing the same for the Internet of Things by creating abundant data connectivity. So applications and businesses can flourish.

NEW DATA CONNECTIVITY TECHNOLOGIES

New data network technologies allow for things to connect to the internet without using 3G or WiFi. This technology is called LoRaWAN and it is perfect for the Internet of Things as it is low battery, long range, and low bandwidth. Imagine a network that can be used without cumbersome WiFi passwords, mobile subscriptions, and zero setup costs.

Low costs

Because the reach is very high and the cost of the equipment is low, covering an entire city can be done with a small investment. The city of Amsterdam was covered with only 10 gateways at the cost of 1200 dollars each.

Crowdsourcing

Because the costs are very low, we do not have to rely on large telco coorperations to build such a network. Instead, we can crowdsource the network and make it public without any form of subscription. Our mission is to enable a network by the users for the users.

Building the network

With a small group of people it is possible to provide an entire city of data connectivity for things.

In a period of 6 weeks the city-wide coverage of Amsterdam was crowdsourced and implemented.

From day one use cases were built on top of this network. We believe the abundance we are creating will lead to exponential innovation from which we all benefit. Join our global campaign by contributing. Let's make sure your city is next.

You are the network. Let's build this thing together.

Communities

How to contribute

Build The Network

We are striving to support all available LoraWAN-enabled network equipment. We currently support two gateways ranging between 1000 and 1500 dollar in costs. We are also planning a Kickstarter campaign for a gateway of 200 dollar which is easy to install and way more affordable.

Get a gateway

Open Source

Our goal is to make the network architecture as decentralized as possible. And avoid any points of failure or control. We already have a community of 10 developers writing network software and equipment firmware.

See our code

Campaign for your country

Coordinating a local rollout increases the success rate of what we are doing. We are looking for country presidents to run The Things Network in their geographic areas.

Help out

We currently support three kinds of gateways:

Kerlink IoT Gateway

The weatherproof Kerlink IoT Gateway is an operator-grade gateway providing a reach of around 7 miles. It needs a technician to be installed.

Price: ~€1500

Multi-Tech Gateway

+ 2 free mDot ARM mbed programmable LoRaWAN ready modules & UDK2 development boards.
The Things Network firmware for this device is currently being developed. The Conduit comes with an 8 Channel LoRa Concentrator card (comparable to the Kerlink gateway). Easy to install.

Price: €449

The Things Gateway

This is a gateway which is easy to use and install, is low cost and will allow you to contribute to the network from your home. The range is around 5 kilometer and perfect for citizens to create their smart city.

Price: €200

More info

Use cases

Use cases range from bike finders to industrial sensors. Because we use an open standard a lot of devices and things supporting the network technology are already being made.

Boat water detector

Amsterdam has a lot of boats and unfortunately also quite some rain. It is not uncommon to have boats filling up with water and starting to sink. A water detector was developed that recognizes if your boat is filling up with water. If this happens the owner receives a SMS. On a return SMS of “clear my boat” a service will come by to remove the water.

I want to ride my bicycle

LoraWAN opens the door to low-energy, low cost applications. Its a safe and simple device you attach to your bike. It comes with an app that helps you find your bike and get notifications when it is being moved.

Rhino finder in Zimbabwe

Anti-Poaching Units don't have a way to share poaching incidents quickly and effectively. This system gets that information to the APU's in real time, so they could coordinate much better and get teams on site quickly enough to actually stop the poachers. This system populates an interactive online map that anti-poaching units can visualize incidents, patterns of poaching and coordinate and respond to incidents efficiently.

Peerby

The P2P sharing service Peerby wants to offer it’s users the ability to track their lended goods. With a tracker that is specifically developed for them users will always know the whereabouts of their things and it will also track usage of electronic devices.

WeShareSolar

WeShareSolar is a very innovative concept to enable people to make use of solar power even though they do not own the property to place solar panel. The realtime information of the power consumption of their users and the yield of their solar panels is critical. Because both locations are not guaranteed with WiFI coverage or any other form of internet access. And the data rates are low The Things Network is perfect for them to use.

Port of Amsterdam

The Port of Amsterdam is a wide ranged area. Sensors and detectors are providing real time management information. Because the entire area is too big for WiFi and 3G mobile connectivity is too costly, they embrace The Things Network by placing gateways and they are directly contributing to the public network so everybody can benefit. On the other hand companies surrounding the area are covering blind spots at the edges of the port helping them out in return.

QwikSense

They make the environmental conditions inside of buildings available by placing their special sensors. This information is very valuable for increasing employer comfort and health.

Our Global Team

The current team consists of Internet of Things enthusiasts who believe in an open and free internet.

Besides the global team listed below, there are many local heroes in teams all around the world.

Wienke Giezeman

Initiator

Johan Stokking

Tech lead

Matthias Benkort

Martijn van der Veen

Hylke Visser

Laurens Slats

Rishabh Chauhan

Ludo Teirlinck

Thomas Telkamp

Wessel Versluis

Fokko Visser

Tom Oostvogels

Your name?

Founding media partner

Contributors

How to connect to the network

The network is open to allow any LoraWAN device to be connected. If you would like to start using the network let us know.
We are working on an easier interface to register your devices and we hope to have this out soon.

Testimonials

"We embraced The Things Network from the start and wanted to be founding media partner as this is something we truly believe in. This is how the internet should be. Open, free and available for everyone."

Boris Veldhuijzen van ZantenCEO and Co-Founder The Next Web

"What I really like about this is that Amsterdam's city government was not involved at all. This is completely initiated, financed and built by inhabitants of Amsterdam."

Ger BaronHead of Innovation and CTO City of Amsterdam

"The LoraWAN Network offers the Port of Amsterdam a great opportunity to boost sensor projects forward, together with partners in the Amsterdam port area."

Roon van MaanenHead of Innovation Port of Amsterdam

"We were already thinking of making a cheap LoraWAN gateway, so when The Things Network came along we were hooked from the start."

John Tillema Co-Founder Tweetonig

"We want to support the development of Internet of Things and Smart Cities and we want to enable entrepreneurs and our clients to explore the opportunities. We hope The Things Network will jumpstart the adoption of new technologies and we look forward to see solutions that will benefit our daily lives."

Daniël HornFounder KPMG Innovative Startups

"We translate technology developments in the field of Digital, Data and Cyber Security into opportunities and solutions for our clients. We are therefore happy to support the Things Network as Security and Privacy advisor."

Marko van ZwamHead of Deloitte Cyber Risk Services

Open

Our manifest states that this network is open. Any work done in the community will be open sourced. The foundation that is The Things Network is setup in a decentralized way not have any single point of control or failure. Nothing is centralized or owned by the founders. We strongly believe that innovation will flourish on this network as long as it is completely open and free. Money can be made on this network only by providing valuable services. We compare the network with the street you walk on. You don’t pay for walking on the pavement, but you pay for the great pizza that's sold on that street. See our open source repositories here.

You are the network. Let's build this thing together.

Get a gateway

Press

Interested in our journey? Feel free to use our presskit.Presskit

Contact

Want to know more about us? Send us an email or follow us on the following networks.

wienke@thethingsnetwork.com