The Things network (TTN) anyone?

[MJU]

Anyone connected a device to the Things Network? https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/
Anyone did this via Flowcode?

What hardware did you use? What kind of data do you send?
Tell us about it please.

[kersing]

Yes, first time in 2016.

I used an 8 bit pic (I have to check which one) with RN2483 LoRaWAN module from microchip. Created a Flowcode component for the RN2483.

[MJU]

Thanks kersing,

I will check this module out.

Do you know your way in the LORA-world?
I saw this cheap LORA gateway: https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/docs/g ... ngsindoor/ Is this something that can be of any use to other people than myself if I put it on my attic?

I don't know much about HF, but maybe this gateway has a bit of reach so other people can use it too?
Or is it only useful near my own home?

[MJU]

I found this one:
https://www.benl.ebay.be/itm/LoRaGo-MOT ... SwSq1d6LNn

Looks promising?
There is a schematic in a link.
I'm going to check this out or is there a reason why it doesn't meet the requirements?

Would this work with your component?

[kersing]

Currently there are issues with the software stack of that gateway. The Dragino LPS8 would be a better choice and also allows connecting a better antenna. (It does not include a USB power supply, that needs to be added)

If you enjoy building your own gateway based on an Raspberry Pi you should probably wait a couple of weeks for the newest generation of hardware to become available (might take longer given the current situation in China). The new hardware should be more energy efficient, current hardware can reach temperatures of 70+ degrees Celsius when used at twenty degrees room temperature.

Gateways with indoor antennas will never have a great coverage.
Positioning an antenna outdoors at height and without obstacles in the line of sight would provide several kilometers coverage.

When connecting an external antenna use low loss 50 ohms coax. Cheap coax will result in signal loss of 50% in just a couple om meters of cable.

The component requires the node to have a RN2483 module. Any LoRaWAN compliant gateway will work with that combination.
Keep in mind LoRaWAN is not suitable for large data volumes, real-time communication or frequent updates. It is a low volume IoT network.

[kersing]

I found this one:
https://www.benl.ebay.be/itm/LoRaGo-MOT ... SwSq1d6LNn

Looks promising?
There is a schematic in a link.
I'm going to check this out or is there a reason why it doesn't meet the requirements?

Would this work with your component?

The pictures do not show an RN2483 module on the board. It seems to use a SX1276 radio chip which would work for LoRaWAN but needs a lot more software in the controller and is not compatible with the component.

Edit: they took (some) of the components from an rn2483 module and put them on their own pcb. That might work, but I would personally go for the official microchip module, not a Chinese knock off.

[stefan.erni]

Hi Kersin


Here is an idea for a hardware

The picture is with a network click board. Just change the clickboard to the Lora clickboard (Microchip RN2483)
In the forum post, You can download a sample program for the PIC 32 . There you can change the network-modul to the lora.

Link to the demosoftware:
https://matrixtsl.com/mmforums/viewtopi ... 76&t=21827

WP_20200131_15_00_32_Pro.jpg (220.47 KiB) Viewed 4891 times

lora.PNG

(57.91 KiB) Downloaded 865 times

MIKROE-1997
https://www.distrelec.ch/de/lora-click- ... cache=true

MIKROE-1585
https://www.distrelec.ch/de/oled-click- ... ggest=true
MIKROE-2800
https://www.distrelec.ch/de/clicker-fue ... ggest=true

[kersing]

Keep in mind LoRa and LoRaWAN are different things. LoRaWAN adds a lot of features and standards on top of LoRa.

Thanks for the suggestion, I am not looking for hardware. I designed (and build) my own 4 years ago.

[MJU]

Currently there are issues with the software stack of that gateway. The Dragino LPS8 would be a better choice and also allows connecting a better antenna. (It does not include a USB power supply, that needs to be added)

Can you give me an idea of the range for this kind of gateway? I want to put it on my attic and don't want to use it solely for myself.
I want to contribute to the Lora community.
Is it in a range of 100m or 1km?

If you enjoy building your own gateway based on an Raspberry Pi you should probably wait a couple of weeks for the newest generation of hardware to become available (might take longer given the current situation in China). The new hardware should be more energy efficient, current hardware can reach temperatures of 70+ degrees Celsius when used at twenty degrees room temperature.

No just plug/play and forget.

Gateways with indoor antennas will never have a great coverage.
Positioning an antenna outdoors at height and without obstacles in the line of sight would provide several kilometers coverage.

Don't want to start drill holes and pull cables..

Keep in mind LoRaWAN is not suitable for large data volumes, real-time communication or frequent updates. It is a low volume IoT network.

I know, a few messages a day will suffice for my own purpose.

[kersing]

The question what the coverage of a gateway will be is often asked but depends on too many variables to be predictable.

From experience, if a gateway is deployed in a city within a building the range will be limited to a few kilometers at most. If the building is one of new types with all kinds of RF shielding (the ones where WiFi won’t work outside) the coverage will be a couple of 100 meters at most.
If the building is surrounded by other, taller, buildings the coverage will also suffer and be at most a couple of 100 meters.

A gateway deployed within a building that is tall and has almost no RF shielding (keep roof insulation in mind) might cover 3 or 5 kilometers, however there is no guarantee...