Terminology » LoRaWAN Identifiers:DevEUI,DevAddr,AppEUI,GatewayEUI

LoRaWAN Identifiers:DevEUI,DevAddr,AppEUI,GatewayEUI

lorawan addressing identifiers

Introduction : In a LoRaWAN system, unique identifiers are essential for ensuring secure communication, device management, and proper routing of data between end devices, gateways, and the network server. These identifiers are DevEUI, DevAddr, AppEUI (or JoinEUI) and GatewayEUI. They play specific roles in device activation, addressing and authentication.

DevEUI

  • Definition: A 64-bit globally unique identifier assigned to every LoRaWAN end device.
  • Assigned By: The device manufacturer (usually from an IEEE EUI-64 address block).
  • Usage:
    • Permanent & unique to the device (like a MAC address in networking).
    • Used during the Join procedure (OTAA) for device authentication.
    • Allows the Network Server to recognize the exact physical device.

DevAddr

  • Definition: A 32-bit address assigned to the device after it joins the network.
  • Assigned By: The Network Server (in OTAA) or pre-configured (in ABP).
  • Usage:
    • Used for routing messages between the device and the network.
    • Not globally unique : can be reused across different networks.
    • Much shorter than DevEUI : reduces airtime during uplink/downlink.

AppEUI

  • Definition: A 64-bit identifier for the application that a device belongs to.
  • Assigned By: Application owner or service provider (from IEEE EUI-64 space).
  • Usage:
    • Used during OTAA Join Request so the device knows which application server it wants to connect to.
    • Ensures the device is linked to the correct application backend.

GatewayEUI

  • Definition: A 64-bit unique identifier for a LoRaWAN Gateway.
  • Assigned By: Gateway manufacturer (IEEE EUI-64 format).
  • Usage:
    • Identifies which gateway received a given uplink.
    • Helps the Network Server in deduplication when multiple gateways receive the same packet.
    • Used in gateway registration and management.

Conclusion: Together, they form the backbone of how devices are recognized, how sessions are established, and how data packets are directed through the network. Understanding these identifiers is crucial for deploying scalable and secure IoT solutions using LoRaWAN.

In short,

  • DevEUI = device’s permanent ID (like a serial number).

  • DevAddr = temporary session address (like an IP), Used for addressing during data exchange.

  • AppEUI = application identifier (like a tenant/app ID), Links device to the correct application.

  • GatewayEUI = gateway identifier (like a base station ID), Identifies each gateway to the Network Server