Changing Frequency region after upgrade

[SakshamaGhoslya]

Hello All,

I recently upgrading my LoPy devices (LoRa). While doing so I accidentally upgraded one of my LoPy to a different country zone which works on 915MHz frequency. Now all others LoPy devices are transmitting over 868MHz frequency and one is transmitting over 915MHz, so, they are not able to communicate with each other, obviously.

When we upgrade the LoPy devices for the first time, it ask us to select the country and i accidentally selected a different country. Now I tried to upgrade this LoPy again but the software (Pycom Firmware Update) doesn't show any option to select the country again and directly upgrade over the previously selected country.

I have also tried resetting the LoPy but nothing worked. It doesn't even downgrade. Untill unless it doesn't work over 868MHz frequency region, this LoPy is useless to me.

Please suggest any possible solution to change the frequency region.

[bmarkus]

Easy change of frequency plan without refreshing and any complicated procedure is also important if you are developing a product for different markets. OK, LoPy is far away from being a production level component, but this would be useful.

[abilio]

@SakshamaGhoslya, I need to remove your 915MHz device from the database, so you can run the complete steps on the upgrade tool again. Can you please provide me with the wireless mac address of your device. To get it, please run this on the REPL:

import binascii
from network import WLAN
binascii.hexlify(WLAN().mac()).upper()

Please report back the printed MAC address.

[SakshamaGhoslya]

@abilio Thanks for the reply. Here is the wireless mac address: b'240AC4000BA6'

[robert-hh]

@abilio: Do I understand right that you maintain a database of mac addresses and register the country assignment? Which means that:

a) Whenever this is to be changed you have to manually change your database?
b) Changing between countries is not easy?
c) You actually take the responsibility for your customers, that they use the device with the proper country setting, even when the devivce is moved?

Even if that was intended, I guess, as a customer service, I do not think that this is a good idea. Better provide an option in your tool to reraise the country question locally if needed, or ask always but remember the previous setting.

Best regards, Robert

[SakshamaGhoslya]

@robert-hh I agree with you. There must be easy way to change the country region.

[bmarkus]

Why PyCom is keeping the region information in a database? From technical point it is not needed and also rise some privacy questions. DevAddr, frequency plan, keys are up to network service provider and user, not the device vendor. The only thing to keep is the HW EUI.

[abilio]

We keep a database for several reasons:

1. So we know which devices were manufactured and when.
2. The LoRa MAC is stored in flash, so if by accident gets erased, you won't be able to recover it. We store them so even if you brick your device, you can recover it.
3. Same as point 2 goes for Sigfox, where is even more important, as only Sigfox provided ids, pacs and keys will work in their system.

The latest version of the installer only asks the board type and all the extra configuration once, to save steps to the final user every time an update is released. This is implemented using the database and is another of the features we can provide by keeping it. For future boards, it will even save the user the mistake of flashing WiPy's firmware in a LoPy.

We do agree that switching LoRa frequencies should still be available for these cases, and is going to be brought back in future releases of the installer.

@bmarkus: we have no means to keep track of the personal details of the customer associated with a specific device. Keep in mind that many of our sales go through resellers. We don't even keep the country, just the frequency (in the case of LoRa) or the region (in the case of Sigfox).

[abilio]

@SakshamaGhoslya, now your board is out of the system's db. You can try to reprogram it in 868 ;)

[bmarkus]

@abilio said in Changing Frequency region after upgrade:

@bmarkus: we have no means to keep track of the personal details of the customer associated with a specific device. Keep in mind that many of our sales go through resellers. We don't even keep the country, just the frequency (in the case of LoRa) or the region (in the case of Sigfox).

There are no any reason to keep frequency. If you want to track device through sales channels, record HWEUI.

[abilio]

@bmarkus, can you please suggest in which practical way keeping a bool (0=868, 1=915) is considered a privacy issue?

[Erica Galindo]

How this conversation looks to me right now.

@bmarkus
In terms of being spied i think my cellphone carrier even knows what i had for lunch yesterday, since they have my IMEI, SIM ID and credit card numbers.

[bmarkus]

@abilio said in Changing Frequency region after upgrade:

@bmarkus, can you please suggest in which practical way keeping a bool (0=868, 1=915) is considered a privacy issue?

You are putting a wrong question. It is a generic rule do not keep data you do not need. Keeping it and binding to update is not needed from the technical point (speaking about LoRa), makes customers life complicated in using a board he already payed, requires resources from your side, etc.

[abilio]

@bmarkus, we save it to make your life easier when after every release you have to update your boards. It saves you at least 3 clicks per device. For example, when you have 25 boards to update, it saves you 75 clicks in a very repetitive process that is prone to errors (there are countries of 915 MHz close to countries of 868 MHz). After 6 firmware releases, it would have saved you 450 clicks.

Yes, you won't damage your board by mistakenly selecting a 915 MHz country when you really wanted an 868MHz one, but it can take you a lot of time figuring out why it stopped working all of the sudden ;)

As I said before, we agree that the current updater lacks the option to change the band in case you made a mistake. But we are more focused on fixing firmware bugs than adding this feature, than in around 3 weeks, has only been needed once.

[rskoniec]

Right now I don't have my LoPys with me to check, but here is my idea:

Default Pycom Firmware Update Tool Windows location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Pycom\Pycom Firmware Update

1. Go into the Upgrader subfolder.
2. Open lopyupdate.py file (in Notepad++, PSPad editor, etc.).
3. Try to change self.__setFrequencySelectorVisible function calls from False to True (in the newest version of the upgrade tool lines 458 and 795 are candidates for change).
4. Save the changes.
5. Run the update tool.

[livius]

@abilio
If i can propose 3 things for updater:

1. add button change
   or only select default frequency which was stored in pycom database for the device on drop combo box.
2. add possibility to run updater offline.
   Updater check at start if there is new version
   and if there is no internet connection look into folder if already files are there. If yes update board.
3. change default High speed unchecked.

[GerryS]

@abilio My LoPy is also set to work in the 915MHz band, but I need to have it work in 868MHz band. Please remove it from your database, my MAC is 240AC400CC82. Thanks!

[johnmcdnz]

@abilio I have the same issue.
For some reason my LoPy on upgrade changed to 868 when it should be 915.
I have tried doing downgrade to revert to the correct frequency, but with only an annoying partial success.
Following instructions here, I was able to downgrade and have 915, but if I then upgrade to the latest version the Upgrade tool again reverts to 868.
https://forum.pycom.io/topic/517/downgrading-firmware-advanced-users/2

My MAC address for this unit '24:0a:c4:00:b8:ac'

Please confirm how I can correct this. thanks.

[jmarcelino]

@johnmcdnz I’m afraid Abílio is no longer at Pycom, can you send your request to change the region by email to support@pycom.io please, it will probably get a better response.

[johnmcdnz]

@jmarcelino Will do, thanks.