What components are required to build a 915 mhz LoRaWAN Gateway on an Arduino



  • Hello:

    Can someone provide the pycom component list to create a LoRaWAN gateway using an Arduino board?

    I have this list but I do not know if it is correct, and, if it is, I do not know which Arduino is required:

    900Mhz Antenna Kit - For LoPy, LoRa
    Expansion Board 2.0 for Pycom IOT Development Boards
    LoPy with LoRa WiFi Bluetooth IoT Development Platform from Pycom

    Thanks for any advice on this,

    Rob.



  • @jcaron said in What components are required to build a 915 mhz LoRaWAN Gateway on an Arduino:

    Note however that the LoPy is a single-channel device. A real LoRaWAN gateway needs to be able to listen on multiple channels at the same time, while the LoPy can only listen on one channel at a time.

    So you can build what is called a "nano-gateway" here, which will listen on a single channel, and is usable with devices that send on that single channel. If you want to support other devices:

    Not only single channel but single DR, can detect signal with one Data rate only, no multi-spreading.



  • @robertthompson Yes, of course you will need another antenna and the pigtail cable (u.fl to SMA). With antennas it may be a little bit tricky. The one provided by Pycom is a lambda/2 antenna, which is uncritical in installation. You can also get small lambda/4 antennas, which are smaller, but these need to be installed in a sufficiently large metal counterweight, like a metal case.



  • @robert-hh hi again & thanks again. :)

    I tried the company of your link but they don't seem to offer the product for 915 mhz for Canada.

    I guess that i would need another antenna as well - anything else?

    Rob.



  • @jcaron Thank for the information, Rob. :)



  • @robertthompson For the node your would need another LoRa capable device, like a LoPy.
    The Gateway would typically be powered from a mains power adapter via USB, since it has to run all the time, need LAN connectity and consumes relatively high power.
    The Node can be powered from a LiPo Battery. It can be programmed to go to sleep when it does not have to transmit data. It shall however be noted that LoPy + Psense is a relatively expensive node. You get small node board for much lower price, maybe harder to code. e.g. the http://shop.imst.de/wireless-modules/lora-products/12/im880b-l-lorawan-long-range-radio-module?c=11



  • @robert-hh Thank you! :)

    One or two more questions, if you have the time...

    The following will provide the gateway:

    900Mhz Antenna Kit - For LoPy, LoRa
    Expansion Board 2.0 for Pycom IOT Development Boards
    LoPy with LoRa WiFi Bluetooth IoT Development Platform from Pycom

    Now, if I want to create a node with a sensor, say the pycom Pysense Sensor Board, what more do I need to make it transmit its data to my gateway?

    Also, how do I power both the gateway and the sensor?

    Thanks again for your time,

    Rob.



  • Note however that the LoPy is a single-channel device. A real LoRaWAN gateway needs to be able to listen on multiple channels at the same time, while the LoPy can only listen on one channel at a time.

    So you can build what is called a "nano-gateway" here, which will listen on a single channel, and is usable with devices that send on that single channel. If you want to support other devices:

    • it will take longer to join (until one of the join requests ends up on a channel the gateway is listening on)
    • somehow relevant MAC commands should be sent to the device to let it know it should only use that single channel, which probably needs some help from the network.


  • @robertthompson Actually, you do not need an Arduino at all. The LoPy can handle that by itself. It contains the LoRa modem and a powerful CPU with Python engine to run the LoRa gateway code. Not to mention the built-in WiFi for the connection to the Lory Host. The only additional part you need is a USB/serial converter. That is on the simple expansion board, which also adds a SD card slot and a LiPo battery support. And you have that already on your list.


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