In the past, GSM is the most commonly-used connectivity method used in commercial wide-area wireless scenarios, but one of its disadvantages is high power consumption. Lora is a perfect long-range protocol to create low-power, wide area networks (LPWAN).
To manage communication between LoRa gateways and LoRa end-node devices, LoRaWAN is defined as one of the network layer protocols/routing protocols, it enables easy management of device interaction, configuration, data transmission, etc. LoRaWAN empowers a device to have the capability to manage massive end-nodes.
So if your application is to manage a huge number of IoT devices like 1000+ devices within a large area in a private network and just need to transmit a small amount of data, a LoRaWAN network would be one of your best options.
You need 3 basic things to build your own LoRaWAN network: a LoRaWAN Gateway, at least one LoRa Node, and a LoRa server where you can monitor all your devices.
To lower the barrier of building a LoRaWAN gateway, we provide the kit of LoRa/LoRaWAN Gateway - 915MHz for Raspberry Pi 3 to give you a quick and easy start.
Please choose the corresponding ISM frequency plan for LoRaWAN gateway based on your location. The frequency plan we use in this kit is 902MHz ? 928MHz which can be used in places like USA, Canada, South America, Japan, Australia, South Korea, for more info, please check each country?s regulation.
This kit includes 1 main module and some required accessories:
1) RHF0M301- a LoRaWAN gateway module based on SX1301.
RHF0M301 is a joint effort by RisingHF and Seeed, it is a high-performance LoRa/LoRaWAN module based on Semtech SX1301 which can support in total 10 programmable parallel channels, including 8 multi- SF channel (IF0~IF07), 1 standard LoRa channel (IF8) and 1 FSK channel (IF9)?the network capacity is so much bigger compares to a single-channel gateway and enable you to manage more clients.
2) RHF4T002 ? an RPi adapter to bridge Raspberry Pi 3 and RHF0M301
With its 24-pin DIP port and 40-pin general Raspberry Pi Header, users can easily connect RHF0M301 to Raspberry Pi 3. RPi 3 is able to send the collected data through Ethernet and WiFi.
3) A 16G Micro SD card
An OS image with Loriot server and local server is flashed in Micro SD card to help you get started easily. If you prefer to use other servers like TTN, RisingHF also provides a guideline to help you switch to other services.
Besides 915MHz gateway, we also have the 868 MHz gateway to fit in more countries.
To build a private LoRaWAN network, the next thing you need is a LoRa node, please pair the gateway with Seeeduino LoRaWAN. If what you want to build is a tracker network, this one can help you.
If you need a commercial gateway, take a look at SenseCAP
Why use LoRa and LoRaWAN technology?
There are several advantages of using LoRa and LoRaWAN technology. They are:
Long Range
Connects devices over longer range compared to other wireless communication technology like Wi-Fi or BLE
Low Power
Devices like sensors working in a LoRa network do not require much power. Battery replacement costs will be minimized as battery life can be up to a few years.
Secure
Features end-to-end AES128 encryption, mutual authentication, integrity protection, and confidentiality.
Standardized
Offers device interoperability and global availability of LoRaWAN networks for speedy deployment of IoT applications anywhere
Low Cost
Reduces battery replacement expenses and operating expenses (eg. LoRa operates on unlicensed frequency spectrums = no fees or license charges).
Flexible
Like Wi-Fi, LoRaWAN operates in the unlicensed band and supports indoor applications; like Cellular, LoRa Technology is highly secure from end devices to the application server and is suitable for outdoor applications.
With these features, they are flexible and efficient which makes them ideal for your indoors or outdoors IoT applications which need to be installed in public, private or hybrid networks.
Note
Note that this suite does not include Raspberry Pi, you need to purchase Raspberry Pi 3B or 3B+ separately. The SD firmware included in the kit is suitable for Raspberry Pi 3B and can be used at boot. But if you are using 3B+, you need to click here to update the firmware in the SD card.
If you are using Seeeduino LoraWAN as the Lora node, please always plug a 3.7V Lipo battery into the Seeeduino LoraWAN board in case USB power supply is not sufficient.
Part List
Gateway module RHF0M301 ? 915 x 1
RPi 3 Bridge RHF4T002 x 1
16GB Micro SD Card ? Class 10 x 1
USB to UART Adapter x 1
0dBi Rubber Duck Antenna x 1
Micro USB Cable 20cm x1
Micro USB Cable 100cm x 1
RJ45 Ethernet Cable 200cm x 1
5V/2.1A American Standard power supply with USB Type-A Output x 1
Update for the re_computer case
