LoraWAN is a widely used low-power, long-range network that consists of sensors and gateways.
I will provide you with an overview of the currently available gateways as well as how
to select them.
Because most gateways use the same chips and, therefore, should have similar ranges, I will
not test it.
Still, you will see big differences in capabilities, software, and price.
This is the second video on the topic.
Please watch the first part if you are interested in how to select LoRaWAN gateways and which
indoor gateways are available.
Grüezi YouTubers.
Here is the guy with the Swiss accent.
With a new episode and fresh ideas around sensors and microcontrollers.
Remember: If you subscribe, you will always sit in the first row.
The gateways in the last video were all in quadrant 1 and 2.
So we continue with the next quadrant: Outdoor gateways without 4G.
We stay with Mikrotik and its wAP LR8 kit.
It is pretty small and light and can be powered by PoE or 9-30V DC.
Keep in mind that this is not the standard 48VPoE, it is the 24V passive one used by
CCTV cameras.
So, this gateway will not work with standard PoE.
You must either use one of these special PoE hubs or the power injector delivered with
the kit.
Then, you only need one Ethernet cable to the gateway and can use the provided power
supply at the other end of the cable.
Very handy.
If you do not want to use Ethernet, you can use 2.4GHz Wi-Fi to connect the gateway to
the internet.
Before we start, I show you an important detail: If we open the box, we see the LoRa PCIe card.
The same card is used in the KNOT, BTW.
An interesting concept because they just can change this card for other regions.
You see that as a default, the SMA connector for the external antenna is connected to the
card.
We have to change it if we want to use the built-in antenna.
As always: Newer power these gateways without an antenna connected.
Otherwise, there is a chance they will be damaged.
For my purpose, I use the internal antenna and connect power to the gateway with the
supplied 24V power brick.
It consumes 2.5W. As with the KNOT before, the initial setup is done via Wi-Fi because
the Ethernet plug is not enabled as a factory default.
The Basic Station protocol is only available from release 7 of RouterOS.
I had to upgrade both Mikrotik devices before I could use them.
And still, with the Outdoor gateway, it created error messages.
This small gateway is the cheapest outdoor gateway.
It is not particularly waterproof if we compare it with other products for the same application.
My first gateway has been on my roof for over seven years now and is also not waterproof.
So far, I did not see any signs of corrosion.
So, there is a chance that this gateway also survives, at least in “European” weather
conditions.
The next gateway in quadrant 3 is the Wifx L1, a true Swiss.
It looks very different from all others: It is hardly thicker than its beefy antenna and,
therefore, extremely easy to mount.
This gateway has all the needed features but not much more.
It is sold as easy to manage.
And this is absolutely the case.
Connected to an Ethernet cable and powered by a passive PoE splitter, it can be reached
by its name printed on the sticker.
No search for an IP address.
Its management cockpit is nicely looking, and has everything needed to set a gateway
up in minutes.
It supports Basic Station, and after it is connected to TTN, we get an overview in its
dashboard.
Nothing fancy, but it's easy to understand.
And it comes with another important feature: Remote management that only needs an internet
connection to work.
Also simple and straightforward.
The only disadvantage of this little gateway is its price: Close to $600.
If you only need one or a few gateways and have to pay a technician for the installation,
this is the right solution because it does not need much time to install this simple
and well-documented product.
If you are a Maker, there are probably better choices.
The next gateway is way sturdier and already belongs to quadrant four because it is for
the outdoors with 4G connectivity: The HT-M02-V2 from Heltec.
It comes in an aluminum casing with waterproof power and Ethernet connectors.
The antenna connectors are of the reverse polarity SMA type.
They probably have to be protected for a long-term installation.
Here, I prefer the MikroTik version with the SMA connector inside the case.
It contains hardware similar to the HT-M2805 seen before, just with an additional 4G module.
The user interface looks very similar and is minimal.
Also, here, no Basic Station protocol support.
But I got the message that they are working on it.
The 4G module supports standard LTE modes and should work globally.
So, no special SIM card is needed.
Because there are no setup fields for 4G in the configuration menu, and it did not work
in the beginning, I was lost.
Now I know the trick: Switch the Wi-Fi to access point mode, and 4G works automatically.
Without tinkering with settings.
Very interesting…
In the past, I had to enter all sorts of parameters till the 4G modems worked.
It can be powered by a 4.5 – 17V power supply and with “standard” 48V PoE.
They even include a power injector if your router does not support PoE.
Cool.
A small trick: If you want to check if and which kind of PoE your cable delivers, use
such a small device.
It indicates active or passive PoE as well as its voltage level.
This is the first gateway running Debian and not openWRT or an adapted Linux.
So, it is a bit easier to manage if you know Raspberry OS.
Also here, docker is pre-installed.
So, it is a perfect box for tinkerers with Linux know-how.
Its price is $299 for the quadrant four configuration.
The cheapest version without PoE, Wi-Fi, and 4G is $229.
And now we come to the last one: The RAK7289V2.
It also belongs to quadrant four because it offers a heavy-duty outdoor case and 4G connectivity.
However, you can also get it for quadrant three if you order it without a 4G module.
It comes with a proper antenna and a proper N-connector.
You can mount it directly on the aluminum case.
And because it is bigger than the other gateways, it contains the Wi-Fi and Cellular antenna
protected inside the case.
A very good solution that, of course, only works because the front is made of plastic.
So, mounting direction can matter if you do not have a good 4G or Wi-Fi coverage.
As with most outdoor gateways, it can be powered by PoE or by 12V.
This one has another unique power option, particularly for remote areas without a grid.
You get an integrated solar power station with a beefy 640Wh battery.
Because the gateway consumes 4W, it would run 160h or nearly seven days without charging.
On average, during the worst month, your panel has to produce 24x4=96Wh.
I once made a video on calculating the needed size of a solar panel.
I will go with a 100W panel and hope for the best.
As we will later see, we can monitor the battery remotely.
The gateway comes with the same software as the indoor RAK7268, just with the 4G functionality
added.
Its price in the quadrant four configuration is $402, including the sturdy antenna.
This is the only gateway in this video that offers an option for 8 additional LoRa channels
and a second antenna.
Because quadrant four gateways are often mounted in remote locations where access is difficult,
remote management is most welcome.
Connected to Wi-Fi or Ethernet, you can use a VPN as offered by some earlier gateways.
But standard VPNs do not traverse CGNAT used in 4G networks, and we cannot connect to the
gateways.
So, the manufacturer has to provide a solution.
Or you can watch this video.
As said before, RAK offers this functionality separated from the data transfer.
You can choose the way you want to transfer the data.
Only the management is made via a cloud.
For me, this is a good compromise.
I would not want an integrated cloud solution where the data is also transferred via the
manufacturers cloud.
RAK’s management platform is called WisDM, which shows most of the parameters, including
battery status, from far away.
An absolute must if you want to manage a lot of remote gateways.
These were all the 12 gateways I had on hand.
I created a Google sheet with all the needed information.
Like that, you can choose the quadrant and then search according to your criteria.
This was all for today.
As always, you find all the relevant links in the description.
I hope this video was useful or at least interesting for you.
If true, please consider supporting the channel to secure its future existence.
Thank you!
Bye