Academy for LoRaWAN®

When an uplink message from an end device is received by the network server, it extracts the data payload contained in the message and forwards it to the associated application server. The application server may be combined with a specific application, or it may be separate. The application server may also send downlink messages from an application to the network server for transmission down to the end device.

The application server receives and decrypts data from the end devices and forwards the decrypted data, along with other information about the device message, to an application. The application stores the device data and either displays it in readable form or acts on it. The application server’s primary responsibilities are to decrypt uplink messages from the network server and encrypt downlink messages to be transmitted back to the end device via the network server. This keeps the content of the application payload confidential: the payload is never exposed to the network server.

Application servers, which can be integrated with other IoT platforms, usually have either a web- or API-based interface that allows users to extract payload data.