The LoRaWAN regional parameters v1.0 (July 2016) added the support for AS923MHz ISM Bands for mostly south east Asian countries. It indicates channel frequencies used in Singapore are 920-925 MHz.
Now it seems that majority of the LoRa devices in Singapore are not exactly using this channel plan, Loriot for instance uses the same frequency mapping as EU868MHz but shifted to 915MHz.
I was wondering what frequencies constitute the ISM band in Singapore and what are the regulations for using these bands since it seems not many nodes/gateways are operating according to the LoRaWAN AS923MHz but apparently it is not strictly illegal? I have had a look at IMDA (Info-comm media development authority) website but it wasn’t massively helpful, perhaps you could help me out?
I am also keen to start experimenting with LoRa in Singapore but cannot find relevant information. I have seen some source starting modules for SG market but am not so sure whether its legal to just buy and use. Have you managed to gather some more information?
Hi Tom,
Knowing the strict security protocols in Singapore, I don’t think they would have allowed anything illegal to continue operation for such a long time, seeing as some members have been using 868MHz modules there for quite a time now. But I’ve also seen some manufacturers marketing their 915MHz range for Singaporean market and again I don’t think that’s strictly illegal.
Both these should be in Singapore ISM band but that’s about to change as far as I’m aware.
I wanted to contact Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) but havent had the chance so far; perhaps they wouold know?
I am also based in Singapore and working on LoRa communication. I am now using inAir9B LoRa modules which allow both 868 and 915MHZ. However, eventually, I wanted to implement a full gateway based on Rpi; and I believe the best (and cheapest) way to do that is to use the ic880a concentrator from IMST. But it is only for 868 MHz.
So, I was wondering, what frequency band should be used in Singapore? Amin, have you contacted IDA yet? I tried to look for it on their webpage but couldn’t find anything.
This is what I have found so far. The Lora Alliance document LoRaWAN_Regional_Parameters_v1_0-20161012_1397_1.pdf is writing about AS923 ISM Band channel frequencies where Singapore is mentioned as [920-925 MHz].
Does this mean the spectrum is shifted further than the 915 MHz, that is mentioned current posts in this topic?
I think I know what document you mean. I cannot find it now but I saw it. And yes, it said that is 920-925 MHz. So I guess that we should use that. However, there is no specification about the channel separation inside that range. And also, I haven’t found any code that enables the use of AS923 ISM Band.
We are currently working on the specification of frequency plans that can be used in Singapore. Follow the discussion in issue 489 and 491 on Github. When these channel plans are accepted by the community (which will be faster if you guys also participate in the discussion) we will create the necessary gateway configuration files.
One important thing to note for the gateways is that (in many countries) they need to support Listen-Before-Talk (LBT). Currently not many gateways support this, so pay attention to this when you buy one.
As for the nodes, I’ve heard some people are using (beta) firmware for the RN2903 module that works on these frequencies. I think @terrillmoore is working on some changes needed in the LMiC code. I’m not completely sure if the LBT issue is resolved for the nodes.
Thanks for the links to the issues. I still don’t know what Singaporean law has to say regarding the use of the ISM band. I will try to contact the relevant authority in order to shed some light on the topic, and post to the issues.
I will also ask about the LBT or CSMA requirements. But it would be nice if those features can be implemented anyway.
The frequency band for LoRa in Singapore, based on the LoRaWAN_Regional_Parameters_v1_0 is 920-925 MHz as mentioned before, but my main question is concerning the Singaporean laws regarding the available ISM bands. I have contacted the authorities but haven’t heard anything back. Another issue is that some nodes are using EU868 MHz frequency band in Singapore which doesn’t seem to be illegal, but perhaps just inconsistent with new LoRa Spec?
Yes, I’m working on this specifically for Taiwan. My reading of the specs suggests that there’s no LBT requirement there (at least for nodes). However, I do a lot of work in Japan on other projects, so I will be happy to look at adding LBT code for the IBM LMIC/Arduino LMIC code (my understanding is that nodes have to do LBT, too). I haven’t dug into all the datasheets/regs to find out how to express LBT using the SX1276 radio registers. Time-saving pointers would be gratefully accepted.
Nice to hear that! I would love to help but I’m afraid I’m no expert. I will post here when I hear back from Singapore authorities. Let’s hope they reply this time.
Hi, I plan to set up a gateway and some sensor nodes in Singapore with my students. Have anyone tried to set up a gateway in Singapore yet? Which radio module did you use? I saw tutorials on ic880a which runs at 868Mhz. From the discussion it seems like this is not the correct frequency band to use in Singapore.
Assuming we go ahead and set up one using 868Mhz. For development work, will we be able to register and connect to TTN using this frequency? In the gateway registration page, it request us to choose the operating frequency. If we choose Europe 868Mhz, will the registration be rejected since the location and frequency do not match?
Nice that you will try to do that with your students!
I have been using a single channel gateway and I used different frequencies and handlers at TTN for testing purposes. For me, it wasn’t a problem to use the Europe frequency band, router and handler. So I guess you can use the ic880a. I used an inAir9B for both node and SC gateway and set them up with US 915 MHz.
I am now trying to build a gateway which will work with the us frequency band and I just bought a ic980a which is supposed to work with the us range. It is developed by ideetron https://webshop.ideetron.nl/iC980A-SPI
When I get it done and working I’ll make a post to let you guys know.
Hi @ckhoon, cool that you’re doing this! You’ll need the 915MHz versions of the hardware for both the gateways and the nodes. Your gateway should use the AS920-923 channel plan, you can find our official config file here.
Your devices should use AS923 firmware. For the RN2903 this requires a firmware update from Microchip. Can’t find it at the moment though…
I was fortunate to contact a member of the Telecommunications Standards Advisory Committee for IMDA. He told me this “as long you conform to the allowable spectrum plan and does not exceed the radiated Power, and spectral bandwidth limit at that unlicensed frequency as specified in IMDA’s handbook on the use of the unlicensed frequency, that’s fine.”
Hope this information is useful and do correct me if my information is wrong.
And have a nice day.
