Operating Outside North America

LoRa mesh hardware designed for North America operates on 902-928 MHz, which is an ISM band in the US and Canada but is not an ISM band in most of the rest of the world. Traveling or deploying internationally requires care.

European Union: 868 MHz

Europe uses 863-870 MHz for LoRa operations, under ETSI EN 300 220 harmonized standards. EU regulations differ from US Part 15:

• Frequency: 863-870 MHz - 915 MHz hardware will not meet EU spectrum regulations and may cause interference with other licensed services
• Duty cycle limits - EU regulations impose maximum duty cycle limits (e.g., 1% in some sub-bands) that are not required in the US. This significantly limits how frequently nodes can transmit
• Power limits: 25 mW ERP (14 dBm) in most EU sub-bands - much lower than US 4W EIRP
• CE marking required for devices placed on the EU market

US hardware (915 MHz) must not be operated in EU countries. If you are deploying in Europe, purchase EU 868 MHz hardware specifically.

Australia and New Zealand

Australia (ACMA) and New Zealand (Radio Spectrum Management) allow LoRa operation on 915-928 MHz under license-exempt rules broadly equivalent to US Part 15. Devices certified for the US market are generally compatible.

Asia-Pacific

Regulations vary significantly by country:

• Japan - 920-928 MHz is available under the ARIB STD-T108 standard. Power limits differ from US.
• South Korea - 920-925 MHz available under KCC regulations.
• China - 470-510 MHz and 779-787 MHz LoRa bands; 915 MHz is NOT a license-exempt band in China.
• India - 865-867 MHz for LoRa under WPC guidelines.

General International Guidance

• Before operating in any country, verify local spectrum regulations for the frequency band of your hardware
• Do not assume US-certified hardware is legal to operate in other countries
• When traveling, bring your device's FCC certification documentation if questioned by authorities
• Consider purchasing locally-certified hardware for extended international deployments