Gavin Brown, VP of Strategic Growth and Design Partner at RAKwireless, talks about how solid industrial design and RF engineering turn LoRaWAN from a promising idea into reliable, large-scale deployments.

With a background in industrial design and product development, he explains how RAK’s core pillars—gateways, modules, and supporting services—give customers a path of least resistance into LoRaWAN, whether they’re building networks, nodes, or full end-to-end solutions.

Gavin digs into what typical RAK customers really look like: teams who know their own domain well but need help bridging the gap into wireless and LoRaWAN.

He describes industrial design as a hybrid of art, design, and engineering, and shows why the best projects are “front heavy,” putting RF constraints, cost, supply chain, and mechanical realities into the strategy before anyone obsessively sketches enclosures or PCB shapes.

That early thinking is especially critical for LoRaWAN, where antenna placement and housing can make the difference between pain and success.

He shares real-world examples, from a 25–50,000-node deployment that struggled with range because RF was an afterthought, to a utility project that achieved a 63 km link by respecting physics and integrating the antenna properly into a metal manhole cover.

Gavin also highlights some of his favorite RAK designs, including the compact WisGate Soho Pro gateway with fully integrated antennas, and explains how off-grid solar gateway solutions and gateway mesh backhaul are opening up LoRaWAN in remote regions like the valleys of Wales.

Throughout the conversation, he returns to a core theme: LoRaWAN works brilliantly when hardware, RF, and business goals are designed together, not bolted on at the end.

Gavin on LinkedIn

RAK Wireless

• Helium Global IoT Coverage - Want to know if Helium coverage exists where you need it? Check out this map!
• Helium Foundation - The Helium Foundation's IoT Working Group (IOTWG) has generously provided support for the first 6 months of shows, please go check them out and consider using the Helium LoRaWAN as a primary or backup on your next deployment. With over a quarter million gateways deployed worldwide, it's likely that you have and can use Helium coverage.
• Support The Show - If you'd like to support the MetSci Show financially, here's where you can donate on a one-time or an ongoing basis. Thank you!
• MetSci Show - If you'd like to use our IoT or AI Data Value calculators, or you'd like to contact me, the MetSci Show site is the best way to do it.
• MeteoScientific Console - Use LoRaWAN - The MeteoScientific Console allows you to use LoRaWAN today. As long as you have Helium coverage (and you probably do, about 90% of populated areas in the world have a gateway within 2 miles), you can onboard a sensor. You can always check coverage at https://explorer.helium.com and switch to the "IoT" tab in the top right.

Violet Su, Business Development Manager at Seeed Studio, talks about how Seeed turns emerging technologies into practical LoRaWAN-ready solutions for industries, communities, and creators. She explains how the company bridges sensors, connectivity, and edge AI into a full stack that lowers friction for real-world deployments.

• Violet describes Seeed’s role as a hardware provider across the full chain: environmental, vision, and audio sensors; LoRaWAN, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular connectivity; and edge devices for control and AI-driven analytics. She emphasizes Seeed’s mission to make cutting-edge technology accessible for prototyping and production.
• She walks through Seeed’s unique customization pipeline, which supports everything from a single prototype unit to large-scale manufacturing. This includes PCB services, assembly, certification, white labeling, and access to Seeed’s sales channels, enabling startups and solution providers to scale without building a supply chain from scratch.
• Community-driven development is central to Seeed’s strategy. Violet shares examples such as the LoRaWAN Data Logger, which emerged after repeated requests from users needing Wi-Fi-to-LoRaWAN conversion. She highlights how Seeed listens to feedback at events like The Things Conference, Helium meetups, and Maker Faire to inform new product iterations.
• Violet explains Seeed’s commitment to open source, including releasing tracker hardware that allows developers to modify firmware and adapt devices for unique needs. She discusses the balance between being a commercial company and fostering a thriving ecosystem where people can extend, hack, and repurpose hardware.
• Through the Tech for Good program, Seeed supports environmental monitoring, disaster response, marine conservation, and education. Violet outlines how Seeed sponsors hardware, collaborates with universities, and co-develops niche solutions that may not be commercially viable but deliver meaningful societal value.
• She highlights inspiring community stories, including Seeed Rangers like Robert Boggs, whose grassroots LoRaWAN projects in a small village gained global attention and demonstrated how open hardware and documentation accelerate innovation.
• Looking ahead, Violet is excited about AI+LoRaWAN capabilities: edge cameras that send only inference results, Semtech’s new chip enabling LoRaWAN image transmission, and the emerging potential of satellite LoRaWAN. She underscores that the protocol’s evolution continues to unlock new applications across conservation, smart cities, and remote sensing.

Guest Links:

Violet on LinkedIn

Seeed

• Helium Global IoT Coverage - Want to know if Helium coverage exists where you need it? Check out this map!
• Helium Foundation - The Helium Foundation's IoT Working Group (IOTWG) has generously provided support for the first 6 months of shows, please go check them out and consider using the Helium LoRaWAN as a primary or backup on your next deployment. With over a quarter million gateways deployed worldwide, it's likely that you have and can use Helium coverage.
• Support The Show - If you'd like to support the MetSci Show financially, here's where you can donate on a one-time or an ongoing basis. Thank you!
• MetSci Show - If you'd like to use our IoT or AI Data Value calculators, or you'd like to contact me, the MetSci Show site is the best way to do it.
• MeteoScientific Console - Use LoRaWAN - The MeteoScientific Console allows you to use LoRaWAN today. As long as you have Helium coverage (and you probably do, about 90% of populated areas in the world have a gateway within 2 miles), you can onboard a sensor. You can always check coverage at https://explorer.helium.com and switch to the "IoT" tab in the top right.

Thomas Froment, Program Manager for Development Tools at the Eclipse Foundation, talks about how AI-native, vendor-neutral tooling is transforming the way IoT and LoRaWAN developers build, test, and ship products.

In this episode, he explains what Eclipse Theia is, why it matters, and how open-source toolchains give companies more control, privacy, and long-term resilience than proprietary AI editors. Drawing from his experience leading Theia, Open VSX, and other Eclipse development-tool initiatives, Thomas breaks down the rapidly evolving AI workflow landscape and why embedded engineers should pay attention.

• What Eclipse Theia actually is: a framework for building fully customizable, AI-native development environments designed for embedded and IoT toolchains
• How Theia differs from VS Code and Cursor, including privacy, extensibility, transparency, and the ability to integrate hardware, local workflows, and cloud systems in a single toolchain
• Why open-source governance and vendor independence matter for companies developing IoT devices, especially in regulated or security-sensitive environments
• The explosive growth of Open VSX and the shift toward extension ecosystems not controlled by a single vendor
• The role of Model Context Protocol, AI agents, and domain-specific prompting as organizations integrate AI deeply into engineering and testing workflows
• How teams use Theia to build hybrid local-plus-cloud development environments that support hardware-in-the-loop testing, device constraints, and long-tail IoT edge cases
• Emerging use cases for lightweight and local AI models inside IoT products, and why customization of prompts and agent behavior becomes essential
• Collaboration tooling within the Theia ecosystem, enabling real-time co-editing, code reviews, and multi-developer workflows for embedded teams
• Why IoT and LoRaWAN companies need to think in terms of entire toolchains rather than just IDEs, and how open-source components allow a tailored pipeline from development through testing and deployment

Guest Links:

• LinkedIn
• Eclipse Foundation

Jan-Ole Giebel, founder of J-O. Technik, talks about his rapid journey from early IoT tinkering to building practical LoRaWAN systems for schools and organizations. Beginning with ESP32 sensor experiments in middle school, he quickly ran into the limitations of school Wi-Fi and discovered LoRa—first as simple peer-to-peer radio, then as a full LoRaWAN stack. He shares how supportive teachers and family helped him pursue hardware and programming deeply at a young age, eventually leading him to build CO2-monitoring devices during the pandemic and lead older students in real deployments.

-How early experiments with ESP32s, simple sensors, and Dragino kits introduced him to LoRa and later LoRaWAN’s structured architecture

-The technical challenges he faced with overlapping packets, one-channel gateways, and why LoRaWAN became essential for scaling beyond a few nodes

-The skills he had to develop to make IoT work in the real world, including Linux administration, Python development, virtualization, databases, and managing network servers like ChirpStack

-Why conferences, YouTube, and self-guided learning played a critical role in understanding radio systems, backend servers, and security

-What he sees beginners struggle with most in LoRaWAN and where complexity still creates friction

-His current focus on making IoT practical for everyday users through an application server that hides complexity like payload decoders, device onboarding, EUIs, and downlinks

-How he is integrating LoRaWAN with real-world workflows such as school timetables, automated heating, smart thermostats, and energy reporting

-The type of clients who benefit most from his work, especially schools and organizations aiming to reduce energy costs and carbon footprint without compromising comfort or operational quality

-His perspective on AI tools in development, why he treats them carefully, and where they help versus hinder reliability and security

Jan-Ole on LinkedIn

J-O Technik

Dr. Simon Bunjamin, Project Manager for LoRaWAN and Smart City initiatives at NEW (Niederrhein Energie und Wasser GmbH) AG, talks about how a traditional public utility in western Germany transformed itself into a digital innovator by embracing LoRaWAN. He explains how the journey began with a single project and evolved into one of the most advanced regional LoRaWAN networks serving hundreds of thousands of customers.

Shares how he moved from a background in political science into the world of IoT and smart utilities

Describes starting at NEW as a one-person team tasked with exploring LoRaWAN use cases across electricity, gas, and water divisions

Explains how early skepticism turned into enthusiasm once colleagues experienced LoRaWAN’s simplicity and reliability firsthand

Details the creation of an internal “experience center” to demonstrate live sensors and educate staff across departments

Tells the story of solving a seemingly minor problem—rain leaking through office windows—that sparked a wave of new IoT projects

Breaks down how LoRaWAN reshaped utility operations by replacing costly, limited systems with flexible, data-rich solutions

Discusses the unexpected benefits of real-time metering data, from billing accuracy to optimizing heat and energy performance

Shares the now-famous “beaver project,” where LoRaWAN sensors replaced manual water level checks and paid for themselves in days

Highlights lessons on building internal buy-in, navigating data governance, and balancing regulation with innovation

Reflects on how curiosity, communication, and small wins can drive large-scale transformation within public infrastructure organizations

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-simon-bunjamin-b84a7419/

Company Website: https://www.new-energie.de/gk/service-fuer-stadtwerke/lorawan

A special edition in both German and English, hosted by my friend and former guest, Robert Bogs.

Tom Krüger, founder and CEO of TJK Solutions, talks about transforming a small German lakeside community into one of Europe’s most forward-thinking LoRaWAN regions. At just 20 years old, Tom has turned his early curiosity about wireless weather sensors into a growing company delivering LoRaWAN networks for environmental monitoring, smart villages, and disaster resilience. In this episode, he shares how local collaboration, open-source innovation, and cost-effective engineering can bring LoRa-powered infrastructure to life—even in small municipalities.

• How a classroom science project using LoRa temperature and pH sensors inspired the founding of TJK Solutions in Brandenburg, Germany
• The path from DIY weather stations to commercial LoRaWAN deployments for water authorities and tourism operators
• How LoRaWAN networks are being used to monitor water levels, beach conditions, and environmental data across the region
• Building an off-grid Meshtastic emergency network to maintain communication during blackouts, connecting nine disaster-response sites with solar-powered LoRa routers
• Collaboration between local government, the fire brigade, and private partners to deploy resilient, low-cost IoT infrastructure
• The business case for municipalities: reducing costs, improving transparency, and creating a foundation for smart city growth
• Why combining LoRaWAN for telemetry and LoRa mesh for citizen communication creates a powerful hybrid model for local resilience
• Insights into the Smart Village project, integrating LoRaWAN into lighting control, school air monitoring, and park management
• Tom’s view on LoRaWAN’s future across Europe and how small innovators can drive adoption through user-focused problem solving and partnerships

Links:

Tom's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-jonas-krueger/

TJK Website: https://tjk-solutions.de/

Robert's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertbogs/

• Helium Global IoT Coverage - Want to know if Helium coverage exists where you need it? Check out this map!
• Helium Foundation - The Helium Foundation's IoT Working Group (IOTWG) has generously provided support for the first 6 months of shows, please go check them out and consider using the Helium LoRaWAN as a primary or backup on your next deployment. With over a quarter million gateways deployed worldwide, it's likely that you have and can use Helium coverage.
• Support The Show - If you'd like to support the MetSci Show financially, here's where you can donate on a one-time or an ongoing basis. Thank you!
• MetSci Show - If you'd like to use our IoT or AI Data Value calculators, or you'd like to contact me, the MetSci Show site is the best way to do it.
• MeteoScientific Console - Use LoRaWAN - The MeteoScientific Console allows you to use LoRaWAN today. As long as you have Helium coverage (and you probably do, about 90% of populated areas in the world have a gateway within 2 miles), you can onboard a sensor. You can always check coverage at https://explorer.helium.com and switch to the "IoT" tab in the top right.

Paul Martin Schwartz, co-founder and CEO of SenArch, talks about how solar-powered LoRaWAN gateways are filling the connectivity gaps that traditional infrastructure can’t reach. SenArch’s gateways are built to run reliably in extreme environments, with energy-optimized electronics and rugged AGM batteries that can operate for up to a month without sunlight. In this episode, Paul explains the engineering trade-offs behind battery and solar panel sizing, why AGM batteries outperform lithium in freezing temperatures, and how off-grid connectivity enables new IoT use cases worldwide.

• Choosing between 150-watt solar panels with 100 amp-hour batteries versus smaller 50-watt/22 amp-hour setups, depending on deployment location and climate
• Why AGM batteries are critical in cold regions where lithium batteries lose charging ability and risk permanent damage
• The role of Iridium low-power satellites as a backhaul option compared to Starlink, and how connectivity costs shape IoT deployments
• Hidden costs in LoRaWAN, particularly the challenges of radio planning and the need for additional gateways to achieve reliable coverage
• The importance of focusing on customer needs instead of competition, and why mission-critical networks demand over-specified, always-on infrastructure
• Water metering as one of the strongest business cases for LoRaWAN, with lower installation costs, faster rollouts, and significant efficiency gains for utilities

Paul highlights how SenArch’s gateways are being used from Europe to North America to close coverage gaps, support water monitoring, and enable smart city, climate resilience, and agricultural projects. His experience in telecom and IoT gives him a unique perspective on building sustainable networks that deliver real-world impact.

Links:

Paul Martin Schwartz

Senarch

• Helium Global IoT Coverage - Want to know if Helium coverage exists where you need it? Check out this map!
• Helium Foundation - The Helium Foundation's IoT Working Group (IOTWG) has generously provided support for the first 6 months of shows, please go check them out and consider using the Helium LoRaWAN as a primary or backup on your next deployment. With over a quarter million gateways deployed worldwide, it's likely that you have and can use Helium coverage.
• Support The Show - If you'd like to support the MetSci Show financially, here's where you can donate on a one-time or an ongoing basis. Thank you!
• MetSci Show - If you'd like to use our IoT or AI Data Value calculators, or you'd like to contact me, the MetSci Show site is the best way to do it.
• MeteoScientific Console - Use LoRaWAN - The MeteoScientific Console allows you to use LoRaWAN today. As long as you have Helium coverage (and you probably do, about 90% of populated areas in the world have a gateway within 2 miles), you can onboard a sensor. You can always check coverage at https://explorer.helium.com and switch to the "IoT" tab in the top right.

Fabio Rosa, CEO and founder of TagoIO, talks about what it takes to build an IoT platform that scales globally while staying grounded in customer needs.

With over 1,000 supported devices and a GitHub-driven ecosystem for integrating LoRaWAN sensors, TagoIO has become a cornerstone in the IoT space. Fabio shares how his team prioritizes support for every user—whether it’s a student running a free account or a company deploying tens of thousands of devices.

He explains why TagoIO is designed not just for developers, but for the customers of their customers—making it easier to deliver value all the way down the chain. The conversation dives into the hidden costs of using AI in IoT, especially when querying massive datasets, and the steps TagoIO is taking to balance innovation with operational sustainability.

Fabio also reflects on key lessons from running the company: build fewer features, listen harder, and focus relentlessly on solving the right problems. He discusses how AI can be used not just to improve the developer experience, but to help end users extract actionable insights from their data—if it’s implemented thoughtfully.

Throughout the episode, Fabio emphasizes the importance of trust, transparency, and customer success obsession as guiding principles for long-term impact in a rapidly evolving tech landscape.

Fabio on LinkedIn

TagoIO Website

Brandon Dalida, Regional Sales Director at MultiTech, talks about how large-scale LoRaWAN deployments succeed when they're designed around cost-efficiency, business alignment, and network structure.

With over two decades in telecom and IoT, Brandon brings a deeply practical perspective on what makes LoRaWAN work for enterprise—especially when budgets, security, and data costs are on the line.

• Breaks down how LoRaWAN networks can be tailored to support different business models, comparing Capex-driven private networks with Opex-heavy cloud-based topologies
• Explains the value of edge intelligence and why Fortune 500 companies are increasingly turning to on-site LoRaWAN deployments for privacy, scalability, and WAN data cost savings
• Introduces MultiTech’s Conduit gateways and their BACnet/IP integration, enabling seamless LoRaWAN-to-building automation system communication for smart buildings
• Discusses the retrofitting opportunity: how LoRaWAN can be used in older buildings like museums and courthouses where wired infrastructure is not feasible
• Talks through the challenges of fragmented networks in multi-site deployments and how MultiTech is building tools for onboarding and orchestration to unify device management at scale
• Shares the vision for future integration between LoRaWAN and Bluetooth Low Energy, especially for mobile onboarding, firmware updates, and device configuration
• Highlights how different wireless technologies—LoRaWAN, LTE, BLE, NFC—can work together depending on the use case, cost, and scale requirements

Links:

Brandon on LinkedIn

Multi-Tech website

Olivier Hersent, founder and CEO of Actility, talks about the accelerating convergence of LoRaWAN and BACnet in building automation, and what that means for retrofits, logistics, and the future of wireless sensing. With BACnet still dominating 70% of the building automation market—even on brand new PLCs—Olivier explains why making LoRaWAN invisible to integrators is critical, and how Actility is bridging these two worlds one sensor at a time.

He also shares insights into the work Actility is doing with custom sensing and logistics tracking, including real-world deployments in automotive assembly lines, massive vehicle yards, and remote conservation areas. From RS485-era wired sensors to modern closed-loop logistics, Olivier points to a shift toward simplicity and targeted data collection, where most application layers are 99% noise and only one bit matters.

• Why BACnet remains the king of building automation—and what makes integrating LoRa so difficult
• How Actility is streamlining LoRaWAN-to-BACnet translation by mapping and testing each individual sensor
• The growing role of AI in simplifying sensor driver creation and semantic standards
• A new market segment in geolocation: closed-loop logistics and the return of valuable assets
• Why Africa is poised to be the next major IoT growth market, with utilities growing 50% year-over-year
• The cost advantages of LoRaWAN for emerging economies and remote infrastructure
• Why older, simpler wired protocols like RS485 are easier to port to LoRaWAN
• How LoRaWAN could reduce power grid strain by syncing appliances with real-time energy signals
• Olivier’s advice for new founders: help wired sensing companies go wireless

Olivier Hersent on LinkedIn

Actility