Cisco is abandoning the LoRaWAN space, and there's no lifeboat for IoT customers Networking giant Cisco is getting out of the LoRaWAN market for IoT device connectivity, announcing end-of-availability and end-of-life dates for its gateways and associated products, with no planned migration pathway for customers. Switchzilla made this information public in a notice on its website announcing the end-of-sale …
Say what you will about Cisco (the worst of it being true), they don't pass on making money. If there was a growing market here that one of their dealers could swindle into a convoluted contract that once it expires renders the hardware being covered by said contract functionally useless, they absolutely would be there selling it.
"One analyst we spoke to who covers the IoT space said this likely isn't a profitable part of the business as far as Cisco is concerned. Since LoRa has a long range, fewer gateways are required than in Wi-Fi deployments, for example, and there are many vendors making LoRa sensors and hardware, resulting in a competitive market."
Sounds about right. There simply wouldn't be the volume to make it attractive for Cisco. Once you have installed and configured a LoRaWAN gateway it tends to just sit there for years being a gateway. It doesn't need expensive support contracts (which is where the money is) with even more expensive short-turnaround SLAs. It just kind of sits there - a bit like a WiFi router - you don't really notice it unless it breaks.
Here in Aberdeen, LoRaWAN is being put to good use by the Aberdeen City Council. All street lamps are fitted with LoRaWAN enabled devices monitoring light levels, and performance of the light. So, they decide when to switch on and off, and in the event of a problem, they notify an endpoint and a man in a van can come out and fix a specific lamp post, instead of waiting for reports by residents, or having to drive aimlessly around looking for non-functional street lamps. A rare case of a council lead initiative that is actually sensible!
Cisco and LoRaWAN were never a good fit IMO. An open standard goes against the vendor lock-in business model and they were late to the party with a rebadged gateway which was monstrously overpriced and didn't add anything new. I wonder what is happening with the OEM deal they did for LoRaWAN sensors? I wonder if they ever even sold one?
Another issue I think Cisco had in this space is that in my experience, it's not the IT department installing & dealing with IoT. So the "lets spend a fortune on Cisco because all our other IT infrastructure is Cisco" paradigm doesn't work, an IoT consultant will go with something else more cost effective from a more nimble & innovative manufacturer.
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