Sigfox Learning Center

The Sigfox Learning Center is packed with links to essential and advanced content.

Here is a few picks from what you'll see on this page.

... and much more: videos, webinars, tutorials, articles, etc. 

The Learning Center will become your go-to place for Sigfox content!

Before diving into Sigfox and its technology, you must first understand what IoT is.

Presenting the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) aims at getting everyday objects connected to a network, and to regularly communicate their current status. The collected data is then used to remotely monitor and control those objects.

IoT can rely on any kind of network, depending on the use-case: Ethernet, Wi-Fi, 3G/4G/5G, Bluetooth, and low-power wide-area networks (LPWAN), of which Sigfox is the leading protocol. Which network you should use depends on your use-case, which can vary greatly: read our Qualification page to check whether Sigfox fits your needs!

Presenting Sigfox and the 0G network

Sigfox uses publicly available and unlicensed radio bands to exchange messages. It relies on a network of base stations installed all over the globe by local partners. Those base stations serve as antennas, receiving the messages sent by devices and uploading them to the Sigfox Cloud. From there, IoT platforms can access the data from their devices.

Sigfox is the initiator of the first global 0G network. Under that banner, the Sigfox network serves as a backup/complementary to different means of broadband connectivity: 3G, 4G, etc. When everything else fails, Sigfox coverage remains available thanks to its network of base stations.

The easiest way to get started with Sigfox is to use a devkit. We worked together with several board and chip makers in order to provide first-timers with accessible hardware. 

You can choose your preferred devkit on Sigfox Partner Network.

Once you have received your devkit, you need to register it to get your 1-year free connectivity. Go to the Sigfox Buy website, click on "Activate my Devkit", and follow the instructions.

We designed the protocol in such a way that it only takes a few lines of codes to start sending Sigfox messages.

Your first message is sent to the Sigfox network through neighboring base stations (if your area is covered). Base stations then upload the message to the Sigfox Cloud, where you can access it either through the Sigfox Backend web interface or through its REST/Callback API.

Follow-up links:

• Connect to the Sigfox Backend here.
• Learn more about the Sigfox API v2.
• Learn more about Backend callbacks (requires a Sigfox Backend account).

You now know how to send Sigfox messages, and how to retrieve them. Great! Now it is time to think further about your project idea, and all that it implies: audience et coverage, budget and selling price, hardware choices, casing choices, etc.

Building a prototype

To make technical decisions, you must first build a prototype. 

Two pages are available on Sigfox Build to help you:

• Prototyping page, where you will learn about hardware choices, how to get a connectivity contract for your prototype, and how to emulate the Sigfox network locally for your tests. 
• Development page, where you will go further in your choices (antenna, battery, radio chipset, casing). 

Building a platform

Your device sends messages to the Sigfox Backend. Great! But how can your customer or your team access this data in an effortless manner, with graphics for instance? By providing a platform, of course!

An IoT platform fetches your data from the Sigfox Backend, and displays it in a pleasing way, usually through a dashboard.

You can either build your own by leveraging the Sigfox API, or you can use an existing platform.

Building a business

Making sure your device idea is technically strong is only half of the project: you have to ensure that what you are building can find an audience -- an audience that will want to buy your final product.

Knowing about IoT might only be part of your plan. Because sharing is caring, this section of the Sigfox Learning Center features resources which you can use to learn AND to teach about IoT.

You can continue expanding your knowledge of IoT:

• Our workshop slides: see Aurelien Lequertier's presentations, Nicola Lesconec's presentations, and of course the GitHub repository for our MKRFOX workshop.
• Local events with Sigfox Operators.
• Our monthly webinars.
• Hackster.io tutorials. 

Deep-dive in specific topics!

• Read about the Sigfox Protocol Library.
• Learn how Sigfox geolocation works. 
• Understand what Sigfox Radio Configurations are, and the Monarch service. 

This e-learning page has been created to give massive access to the public, to some of the contents shared with Universities and Schools around the world and from Sigfox Ambassadors.

Sigfox Academy is the Sigfox e-learning platform, decicated at first to our employees and operators' team. With the aim to develop access to knowledge, some exclusive access have been created for our partners. Learning plan, classroom and more remain exclusive to Academy users, but we are more than happy to share now our most popular contents here with you. The Open Academy is yours, enjoy!

Connect and start e-learning here!