Gateway
A local device that collects data from nearby sensors over short-range radio and forwards it to the cloud over the internet or a mobile network.
Gateways bridge short-range technologies (Bluetooth, Zigbee, LoRaWAN, Wi-Fi) and the internet. They often filter or combine data before sending it on.
Why it matters for business
One gateway can serve many low-cost sensors, which lowers cost per sensor, but it is also a single point of failure that needs power, connectivity and maintenance.