LoRa Gateway

1.Introduction

LoRa is a wireless spread spectrum communication technology, and LoRaWAN is a LoRa-based communication protocol.

As shown in the figure above, LoRaWAN defines Node, Gateway and Server,a total of 3 entities, at the same time, defines the communication interface between entities, and in order to ensure the "interconnection" of global manufacturers' products, the LoRaWAN protocol (currently, the latest versionis V1.0.2) and the frequency bands of various countries (regions) are disclosed.

LoRaWAN has become one of the industry standards for the Internet of Things with its "standard, open, free and secure", and it is believed that it will be as successful as the IP protocol 30 years ago.

2.Feature

• Support web parameters, which greatly improves ease of use and stability.
• Multi-channel: Based on SX1302 chip, 8 channels, up to 10,000 LoRa nodes.
• Long distance: The open environment can cover an area with a radius of 5km.
• Adaptive: Support ADR, higher rate, lower energy consumption, easy expansion.
• Compatibility: Fully compatible with LoRaWAN, "interoperable" with equipment from various manufacturers.
• High quality: industrial-grade ARM platform, efficient and stable, based on Linux system, mature and easy to use.

3.Technical Specifications

4.Power supply and installation

As shown in the figure below, use the "12V Power Adapter" (gateway accessory) to power the "Gateway" and connect to the Internet/Intranet through the "Router".

5.Dimensions

6.Rate and frequency

6.1 Rate sensitivity distance

As shown in the table below, the base station supports 6 communication rates.The higher the rate, the closer the effective communication distance, and the lower the rate, the longer the effective communication distance.

In order to simplify the use, the communication rate is dynamically set by the server, and its rules are: the node close to the base station and the signal is good, the high rate is adopted, and the node far away from the base station and the signal is weak, the low rate is used. This is called ADR (Adaptive Data

Rate) technology.

6.2 LoRa Signal indicators

Field strength value RSSI: normal value -120 ~ -10 dBm, below -125 dBm packet loss rate will be higher.

SNR: Limit value -20 dB.

6.3 Communication frequency

7 Communicate with nodes

In general, the base station and node communicate well. If the communication fails, troubleshoot the cause in the following order:

8.Interface definition

The base station strictly follows the LoRaWAN GSID (Gateway to Server Interface Definition) standard.

Generally speaking, as long as the following 3 parameters are set, the base

station can be connected to "any" LoRaWAN Server.

1) server_address (Explanation: the domain name address of the server, e.g.

router.cn.thethings.network)

2) serv_port_up (Explanation: UDP port uploaded to the server by the base

station, default is 1700)

3) serv_port_down (Explanation: The server goes down to the UDP port of the

base station, the default is 1700)

The protocol stack of the LoRaWAN GSID is shown in the following figure

9.Common Problems and Solutions

Q: Why is the packet loss rate high between base stations and nodes?

A: Please check if the antenna is properly installed and matched.

Base station <--> whether the Internet/intranet network environment of the

server is smooth.

Whether the receiving environment is harsh, such as: obstacles are very

dense and there are strong interference sources.

Whether the node has ADR turned on to reduce co-channel interference.

Q: What should I pay attention to in the proximity test?

A: Base stations and nodes should be more than 10 meters apart as much as

possible.

Indoor base station Install the "fiberglass" antenna <--> node to remove the

antenna

Indoor base station Install a "glue stick" antenna <--> node to install a "glue

stick" antenna

Q: 4G communication quality is poor and packet loss rate is high.

A: Please check if the 4G antenna is installed correctly and matched.

Check your local 4G signal quality.

10.Configuration Parameters

Step 1: Prepare your network environment

The default value of the base station is 192.168.1.99, please set the PC to 192.168.1.100, and connect the base station and the PC directly through the network cable.

If you want the base station to be directly connected to the LoRaWAN Server in the LAN, you can set the base station to a static IP, at this time, be sure to record the IP address (as shown in the figure above 172.16.0.123), otherwise,the PC will fail to connect to the base station!

Principle: The PC with the configuration parameters must be on the same network segment as the base station (for example, 192.168.0.x or 172.16.0.x).

Step 2: Log in to the base station using a browser

Enter the base station IP address, user=guest, password=rimelink, and click "Login".

Step 3: Configure parameters

Support settings: server address and port, frequency, power, IP address. Click "OK" and it will take effect immediately!.

11.View logs

Diagnosis 1: Whether the node reports data

RF packets received by concentrator: 131 <-- Received 131 LoRa packets

Diagnosis 2: Whether the server responds to the Gateway handshake packet

(Firewall Enabled)

PULL_DATA sent: 5(100.00% acknowledged) <-- The base station and the

server have 5 handshakes normally

Diagnosis 3: Whether the server delivers node data

RF packets sent to concentrator: 2 (46 bytes) <--The base station transmits

two downlink LoRa packets

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