< 200€ Plug and Play 868Mhz Gateway?

Gateways
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Hi !

Last time I played with Lora was 2+ years ago. Back then the top DIY option was the IC880A/Pi combo and was around 250€ if I remember well.

Today I’m looking for a similar gateway in term of specification (868Mhz + multi channel + bidir), but plug and play. I saw that ismt was selling the gateway assembled (Lite gateway) but when you add shipping and tax price rise up to 280€!

I also saw the Tektelic but didn’t find a lot of feedback (except that it’s not straightforward to connect it to TTN) plus it seems that only 915MHz is available.

Is there any solution out there that I may have missed ?

Any suggestion appreciated!

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rakgw

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Thanks! I did saw it at some point but didn’t figured out what it was exactly. Any comment on performance / setup issues ? Look like the perfect solution :blush:

I saw @Jeff-UK bought a couple… if not a dozen :stuck_out_tongue:

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I have 2 myself and they work pretty good.
Also there’s a lot of info and dedicated topics about this gateway.

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Damn someone is counting! :wink: 5 registered on TTN (so far) a bunch more due in Jan & Feb :wink: Have also built my own equivalents using RPi 2’s (lower power but no WiFi unless adding a dongle) & 3’s with RAK interface BD as well as using RPi Zero W’s (much lower power but WiFi only unless adding Enet/USB dongle) and @Charles interface bd, but complete package is easier in some ways. As you have already found there is equivalent (minus GPS) from iMST with the Lite GW. Options where built in metal box mean WiFi can be a bit hit and miss but as long as you are close to AP then no real issues. Another low cost GW to consider - the one I set up fastest - time is money on my pro vs hobby side! - with no need to flash images etc is the Laird RG1xx…from unboxing I can get registered on TTN and online in aro 4 mins, aro 5 if having to lookup/set up WiFi (over Enet connection) :slight_smile: Just one cautionary tail wrt main adapter and use in UK that you need to watch for - not a problem in rest of Eu. Iast one a bit beyond your €200 - is that before shipping & taxes? If so Rak shipper may catch you out (esp if choosing the faster e.g. DHL delivery options vs Ali Express std dely) or you may get lucky wrt VAT & brokerage charges…you takes your chances…

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Thanks both of you!

Damn this thing is ugly! I literraly didn’t considered it at first sight :smile: . But if the inside is worth the price and the setup speed I guess I can close my eyes a little. For the records the Laird RG186 (868Mhz version) is 229€ with free shipping from Mouser.

It would be for a pro application (and I agree time is money in this case). My only fear with the raspberry Pi + Rakk is the longevity of the SD card. Any data on this part ?

But everything added up, and considering that the Rak may have extra fees, I guess the Laird might be a better option.

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I have also taken the Laird motherboard and re housed in IP rated external box with passive PoE solution with some success…cheaper than buying externally rated GW’s (so far). FYI crude measurements suggest Laird consumes ~8400mAh +/- over a 24hr period vs Rak with Rpi2 or Rpi Zero aro 10-15% more with Rak + Rpi 3 clocking in around 17000mAh - may be of interest or not - esp if considering running of e.g. Solar etc & for sizing any back-up supply.

Only issues I have seen so far (4 years with LoRaWAN GW’s) with SD cards have been my own fault - running pop-up/test & trial units off USB power banks and not shutting gracefully before drained or one occasion (out of many) where a power cut looks to have taken a card out (corrupted?). There are techniques to use to mitigate wear and use of SD Card (Log2Ram etc.) which once implemented on a standard image become easy to deploy…(search threads on Forum for others advise wrt SD/uSD life extensions)

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plus VAT :wink:

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no-additionnal-vat

That’s what I thought but can’t see where it may be added :man_shrugging:

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At the very end:
image

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Build some gateways. Some comments on DIY TTN gateway based on Raspberry Pi:

  • used plug and play IMST gateway: no GPS, Pi2 (no WiFi), aluminium housing. Problem was: no wifi, no GPS, had to find a way to use TTN. Pricing > 250 euro. Good thing: no wiring.
  • IC880-SPI and Pi3: build own housing, used Dupont wiring, added GPS, added oled display, added RGB led. Price 200 euro.
  • RAK831/Pi3 (AliExpress), black aluminium casing, has GPS but you need to install GPS software. Aluminium housing did not block too much WiFi signal to my surprise. Make sure to order the right frequency! (AliExpress uses the phrase ‘color’ for this). The module was delivered with a minimal antenna…

Some tips:

  • one and one only gateway is a single point of failure …
  • LoRa -> TTN installation was easy. Follow one of the many e.g. TTN blogs for this.
  • If you use GPS you need to install and configure GPS software or enable the GPS serial.
  • I prefer to have some visual feedback from the gateway: internet connection, remote configuration via WiFi AP (need to install this!) via tiny oled display (2 euro), and/or RGB led (1 euro).
  • installed internet connectivity scripts: priority: LAN, WiFi. And parellel to this WiFi AP with webmin software package for remote access and ssh access for updates etc.
  • SDcard time to live: one Pi run now 5 years with the original SD card. But you have to limit logging, or (like IMST is doing) change the SDcard to read only (see Adafruit instructions for the how to). What I do: use a small switch, when pressed for longer as 10 secs the ‘power off’ command is fired or I use the remote command function.
  • or use remote logging.
  • added GPRS/G4 mobile support via Huawei dongle
  • use wifi or G4 if you use an outdoor antenna!
  • for just in case I made an fresh gateway install script: but has not needed to try it out yet: see https://github.com.teusH/MySense RPi and LoRa for more info on the config scripts I am using.
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only post here ready ‘plug and play’ full gateways with a price below 200 euro’s pls

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…will be a short thread! (for now! :wink: )

1 Like
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Thanks @teus for the tips. Finally, I will go for the RAK solution for dev purpose, and will certainly switch to Laird for production. The 100euros difference with the VAT is worth the little configuration needed.