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Why Nuna

There are a few common ways to get data home from a remote site. Each works somewhere. None was designed for a whole Arctic field site that runs unattended through winter. Here is where we fit, and how the options compare.

Where each option fitsQualitative
better on both ↓Nuna Systemsone uplink per siteLoRaWAN gatewaysgateway on steady powerConsumer LoRa meshrecharged within weeksSatellite terminalterminal and heaterbetter on both ↓NunaLoRaWANConsumer meshSatellite

Where it fits

Satellite reaches everywhere, one station at a time

A terminal at every station means its own power supply, its own airtime and its own visit when it fails.

Consumer meshes are made for people, not stations

They run on hobby boards and batteries that need recharging within weeks, and are not rated for an Arctic winter.

We built for the remote, low-power corner

Scheduled radios, power-aware routing and a self-healing mesh, tested in a climate chamber to -40°C.

Your options

Six things station operators told us they weigh up, set against each other two at a time. On every map, up and to the right is better. Where another option is the better fit, the map shows it.

Cold against deliveryQualitative
better on both ↓Nuna Systems-40°C tested, reroutesSatellite terminalone point of failureLoRaWAN gatewaysindustrial, no relayingConsumer LoRa meshbest effort, cold limitsbetter on both ↓NunaSatelliteLoRaWANConsumer mesh

Cold and delivery measured

Through a winter nobody visits

An unattended site has to survive the cold and keep delivering when something fails. Our V1 boards were tested to -40°C in a climate chamber at DTU, and the mesh reroutes around a node that drops out. A satellite link is reliable too, but a station with one terminal has one point of failure.

Reach against running costQualitative
better on both ↓Consumer LoRa meshlow cost, you maintain itNuna Systemswhole site, as a targetLoRaWAN gatewaysbackhaul in every cellSatellite terminalairtime per stationbetter on both ↓Consumer meshNunaLoRaWANSatellite

Reach and running cost target

One uplink for a whole site

A satellite terminal serves the station it stands at, with airtime paid every month. A LoRaWAN gateway covers its own cell and needs power and backhaul in each one. A consumer mesh costs least to buy, if you build and maintain it yourself. Serving a whole site from one uplink is a V2 design target.

Bandwidth against powerQualitative
better on both ↓Nuna Systemsultra low power, targetLoRaWAN gatewayslow at the sensorConsumer LoRa meshrecharged within weeksSatellite terminalimages, terminal and heaterbetter on both ↓NunaLoRaWANConsumer meshSatellite

Bandwidth and power target

Where a terminal is the better fit

If a station needs to send images, a satellite terminal is the right tool, and it needs the power to match. We carry sensor readings, on nodes designed to run 2 to 5 years on a battery. That battery life is a V2 design target. No option here offers both.

Show the ratings as a table
CriterionNuna SystemsSatellite terminalConsumer LoRa meshLoRaWAN gateways
How you payService subscriptionreplace and repair Terminal and airtimeper station, every month Low hardware costyou build and maintain it Gateway per cellplus power and backhaul
PowerUltra low2 to 5 year battery targetHighterminal and heater Mediumrecharged within weeks Low at the sensorgateway needs steady power
CoverageA whole remote site5 to 15 km per hop targetAnywhere with skyone terminal per station Local areasshort hops One cell per gatewaybackhaul in every cell
Cold-40°Cclimate chamber at DTU measuredCold capableheating draws power Consumer gradebattery cold limits Industrialrating varies
DeliverySelf-healing meshreroutes on its own Reliable linkone terminal, one point of failure Best effortmessages flooded Acknowledgedno relaying between sensors
BandwidthLowsensor readings, not video Highenough for images Lowshort messages Lowsmall payloads

Positions are qualitative, drawn from vendor documentation and conversations with station operators. Nuna values marked as a design target are modelled for the V2 node and have not been validated in the field. The first field deployment is planned for summer 2027.

Getting started

Switching does not mean starting over. If a station already has a satellite terminal, the mesh grows out from it, and the sensors already on site plug into our nodes. If there is nothing on site yet, we supply every part of the network.

You have a stationKeep your satellite terminal. Our gateway uses it as the uplink and the nodes form a mesh behind it. Start with ten nodes and add more as the site grows.
Your sensors plug inThe sensor ports are Phoenix Contact headers, and more than 100 Phoenix Contact connector types fit them. The instruments and cables a station already runs connect with the right plug, not a replacement.
You have nothing yetWe supply the whole network: a gateway with its uplink, relays and sensor nodes, all one board set configured by firmware.
Room to growA full network is designed to cover about 31,000 km². That is a V2 design target, not yet validated in the field.
Extending a station
existing uplink

One terminal, extended into a whole site

Measured and targeted

We keep the two apart. Measured values come from the climate chamber at DTU. Design targets are modelled for the V2 node, and each one will be replaced by a measurement once it has been observed in the field.

Three V1 circuit boards with an antenna on a board inside a frosted climate chamber
V1 boards inside the climate chamber at DTU during cold testing

measured In the climate chamber

In a climate chamber at DTU
tested to minus 40 degrees Celsius
Of about 19,600 packets acknowledged at -40°C
over 98 percent
Crystal clock stability
held to 0.03 parts per million

target V2 design targets, modelled

Battery life per node
Target2 to 5years
Distance per hop, depending on terrain
Target5 to 15km
Area one network is designed to cover
Target~31,000km²

If you run an Arctic station or a monitoring programme, we would like to hear what you need to measure and where. Or follow the build, with occasional updates on the first field season.

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