The Things Network (TTN)

The Things Network (TTN) is a global, community-built LoRaWANProtocolLoRaWANOpen long-range, low-power LPWANView profile network. Its coverage is crowdsourced: members install gateways and share them, and anyone can register devices for free. TTN uses The Things Stack Sandbox, a free and limited version of The Things Industries' network server, meant for non-commercial, small-scale testing and experimentation, without guarantees or an SLA.

How TTN works

A sensor sends a LoRaWAN uplink, and any TTN gateway in range receives it and forwards it over the internet to The Things Stack Sandbox. The Sandbox handles the LoRaWAN network logic and passes the data to your application, and from there you send it to your platform with integrations such as webhooks. For the full path from sensor to cloud, see how LoRaWAN works.

Fair use policy and limits

Because TTN is shared and free, it applies a Fair Use Policy per device:

• Uplinks: 30 seconds of airtime per day (24 hours) per node.
• Downlinks: 10 messages per day (24 hours) per node.

The limit is airtime, not a message count. A higher spreading factor needs more time on air for the same payload, so fewer messages fit in a day. On a private network these limits don't apply, although you still have to comply with regional radio regulations and the LoRaWAN specification.

TTN vs The Things Stack

The Things Stack is the LoRaWAN network server software built by The Things Industries; TTN is the community network that uses its free Sandbox deployment. For commercial projects, the vendor recommends an SLA-backed option:

• The Things Stack Cloud: a fully managed subscription with an SLA.
• The Things Stack Enterprise: installed on your own hardware or cloud.
• The Things Stack Open Source: the core features under Apache 2.0, which the vendor describes as limited in features and not suitable for production.

If you'd rather run your own network server, another open-source option is ChirpStack.

TTN and Cloud Studio IoT

Cloud Studio IoTITermIoT (Internet of Things)The IoT (Internet of Things) is the network of physical objects with sensors, software and connectivity that collect and exchange data and act autonomously.View profile has no built-in network server: LoRaWAN data arrives from an external one. In The Things Stack, the platform TTN runs on, you add it under Integrations > Webhooks > Add webhook by choosing the Cloud Studio template and entering your instance name and an access token. The steps are in the Cloud Studio IoT guide for The Things Stack.