Brisbane's public access IoT network

The city of Brisbane has received its first ever public access Internet of Things (IoT) network, courtesy of a partnership between the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), IoT integrator Meshed and IoT community The Things Network.

The network will bring low-power, long-range, wide-area connectivity to the city using the open standard technology LoRaWAN. As explained by QUT Associate Professor Dian Tjondronegoro, this means Brisbanites will be able to connect their battery-powered, smart sensor devices to the internet without using cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or other wireless technologies for the first time.

“The Internet of Things enables smart devices, applications and connected systems to communicate with each other using the internet and no human intervention,” Professor Tjondronegoro said.

“QUT’s role is to create and coordinate public access to the community-driven IoT network, with the first LoRaWAN gateway being located at the QUT campus.”

Professor Bronwyn Harch, executive director of QUT’s Institute for Future Environments (IFE), said the IoT network will tie into the institute’s research into “IntelliSensing, or the ways that people and organisations can harness data from sensors and other digital devices to solve real-world problems and make better decisions”.

“The Brisbane IoT network will give the Brisbane community access to information that will help us to understand and improve our city,” said Professor Harch.

Professor Tjondronegoro said the Meshed model enables companies and communities to set up their own IoT data networks at a fraction of the cost of alternative IoT carrier networks. He added that these networks could be used for applications such as monitoring traffic congestion and air quality.

Meshed’s sales and strategy manager, Catherine Caruana-McManus, said the QUT gateway will cover a radius of 2.5 km, taking in the CBD. Meshed is now encouraging the city and community to host additional gateways.