So far, we have discussed Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN) and Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN). These types of communication bridge the sensors to a local net but not necessarily the internet or other systems. We need to remember that the IoT ecosphere will include sensors, actuators, cameras, smart-embedded devices, vehicles, and robots in the remotest of places. For the long haul, we need to address the Wide Area Network (WAN). 

This chapter covers the various WAN devices and topologies including cellular (4G-LTE and the upcoming 5G standard) as well as other proprietary systems including Long Range Radio (LoRa) and Sigfox. While this chapter will cover cellular and long-range communication systems from a data perspective, it will not focus on the analog and voice portions of mobile devices. Long-range communication is usually a service, meaning it has a subscription to a carrier providing cellular tower and infrastructure improvements. This is different to the previous WPAN and WLAN architectures as they are usually contained in a device that the customer or developer produces or resells. A subscription or service-level agreement (SLA) has another effect on the architecture and constraints of systems that need to be understood by the architect.