I need rto buy a TTIG gateway and am looking at RS-online. I seee the following versions and want to know which to buy for use in South AFrica EU868.
192-7593 The Things Industries Indoor Gateway Development Kit 868MHz TTIG-868_UK R1991.01
201-8876 The Things Industries Indoor Gateway 868MHz TTIG-865IN R1495.35
201-8877 The Things Industries Indoor Gateway 915MHz TTIG-915-AU R1491.91
Prices quoted in ZAR.
I think the TTIG for Indonesia has an incorrect freequency plan, but some of the sales blurb looks like any gateway can be used anywhere and will change frequency plans on deployment. Is this a correcct asumption?
Would either of the cheaper options work correctly at EU868 or do I need to go for the UK version?
There is some question mark over TheThingsShop as someone else has recently purchased a TTIG from it and come unstuck, still hoping to get some feedback from @rish1 or @KrishnaIyerEaswaran2 or indeed anyone inside TTI on that website.
It will depend on the GW - some are built for wider operation. Specifically for the TTIG I know from personal experience (RS accidentally shipped me a mis-packed 915 as an 868!) that a TTIG at 915 will not function (reliably if at all!) under 868. They have different BOM’s and builds - I suspect ant matching/balun and change of Ant style/tuning…there is a small non functional smd resistor placed near the (top IIRC) edge of the pcb to help visially denote which build the pcb is. I think the changes wrt IN(dia!)/EU and any other <900Mhz verions or US/AU >900Mhz are more subtle, being localisation based on the physical power adaptor. The only different I could spot between UK or EU versions Both EU868 band operation is the slip on shoe for the power adaptor - at one point they charged us more for the privilege of the ‘correct’ power shoe! (WTF!), which may in part explain the price differences - also batches coming in at different times under variable exchange rates, etc. TLDR: no guarantees but likely the IN865 will be ok but not the AU 915 - which is the power shoe you need or plan on adapter/change! (units often ship with a bag of options covering several shoes)
Hi Jeff-UK
Thank you so much for the prompt reply TLDR
Being a voracious reader that did not deter me in the least as I took the opportunity to get a more in-depth insight.
I agree that the +900MHz versions are less likely to work, but that the 863 might well work.
The UK and EU should be identical other than the power adapter since they use the same channel plans.
The only remaining problem would be based on whether the channels are set up in ROM and switchable - I guess not, but the documentation hints that it might be so.
So I think the only reliable version ATM will be the UK one which should be all OK other than the plug adapter since I dont have a SWR meter or VNA.
I’m looking forward to joining one or 2 GW to TTN. I have about 6 good sites (2 are excellent)
I have about 9 TTN GW in my area (Johannesburg South Africa) but unfortunately zero cover at my home (mountains etc which many helium HS ‘see through’ ROTFL
I’ve go a few excellent locations and am looking forward to be able to test and compare the without the ridiculous assertion costs attracted elsewhere
Welcome to the community - Good to hear you are thinking of adding GW’s to the Community network
GW’s rarely ship with a ‘fixed in ROM’ config. they are usually configured through a a set of defaults or user set conditions - e.g. through a webgui or a command line i/f, or may take instruction over the 'net, then store in flash/eeprom. In the case of GW’s such as the TTIG - using BasicStation PF - they will grab their configuration and set up information from a (3rd Party) CUPS server. This is enabled by the ‘claiming’ process you undertake with such a GW during the network registration process.
To use a SWR/VNA you are typically testing the Antenna itself, and in the case of the TTIG the Ant is embedded and mounted on the pcb directly (There are hacks than can be done to add an external ant option - breaches warranty etc., and you need to be mindful of breaching RF regs! (So dont go mad wrt Ant gain) - just gives some plexibility wrt physical ant placement - possibly outdoors with GW sheltered in more benign enviorns ) (Forum Search for the win!)
Thanks again Jeff.
In that case, it will be well worth while trying the India version since we use the same mains plugs and the 3MHz difference is unlikely to cause problems. Maybe the SWR will be up a bit.
I am aware of the RF power regulations and am not going to make those adjustments for a while - at least till I have mapped my intended locations.
The built in RSSI should give me a good idea of whether or no to tune the antenna - I just need to ensure EIRP is within bounds (it should be).
I probably would not be able to get any form of meter in there - in fact I saw a paper that suggested that the only way to test these antennae cost effectively is to put them on CW and read RSSI some distance away.The writer had access to a university lab.
Yep, good old IP65 on the roof. probably void the warranty sooner than later. It looks like a simple hack. There’ s a lot of headroom on TxP, so I would assume that TTI / TTN have checked the standard config out and operate near the legal limits. Will be as legal as I can make it.
Here is an exploded view of one of my early TTIGs - showing the MeanWell PSU module (left side) the Build indicator resistor (yellow outline), LoRa Ant structure (blue outline). Fitting a pigtail, disconnecting the internal Ant to use top of case mounted SMA connector for external Ant is usual hack…
Yes, I’ve seen that hack on Youtube and would probably do something similar.
Would probably need to drop TxP for something like a 6Db antenna.
I’ll get there - have some other fish to fry more urgently.
Download chirpstack, configure, get gateway , test, map
If thats all Ok I might go no further at 100 euros most commercial projects won’t even notice one or two TTIGs.
It’s a zero sum game! No need to go higher than conventional 2/3.15dBi ant as you have to then fiddle Tx pwr down… not easy if you don’t have full control of gw firmware….other than add an attenuator so literally no point! If not on a very short ultra low loss feeder cable then you look to use ant to compensate for cable/connector losses but reality is little to gain. Experience shows a loss of 0.5/1db or no big issue as you loose little real world range/penetration an any devices at the edge of coverage likely to find reliability an issue anyhow due to other environmental factors so pragmatism rules KO! High gain for ant also starts to bring in directionality and nearer area coverage issues and loss of sensitivity which has possibly more impact to value of your extra coverage. We are not Helium, and so don’t need to beacon to other gws 50km away just to gain $0.0000001 rewards
If you intention is to DIY your LNS with Chirpstack, please be aware that this is not the forum for you - it is primarily TTN, some TTI, users as it is funded by TTI. Quite why you aren’t using the TTS OS edition is anyones guess
I suspect from your antenna discussions that you may have a radio licence. Please also be aware that LoRaWAN is an appliance more than an environment to explore. It has many layers so it is highly recommended that you start with an (unmodified) gateway and off-the-shelf device with an LNS provided for you. Then you can mix things up. But always mindful if you are on TTN that keeping the gateway online & stable is a must otherwise it can become quite disruptive to the network. There is also a Fair Use Policy on device traffic.
Ha Ha.
Yep, those are the reasons I want to move away from Helium.
Their business model sucks and results in people trying to do all sorts of things that muck up the network and usability.
My experience is that my TTGO mapper gets excellent cover - up to 60 Km with a stubby. I dont think I need more than a Km or two for most installatons … 1 Km radius is about 300Ha which does many farms. Buildings, concrete and rocks have other challenges and more gateways is good in those situations.
I only know of one farm of 100 000Ha (60Km corner to corner). The grand uncle that owned it sold it years ago. It would have required at least 20 gateways.
OK, I have to read a bit more on who is who in the zoo of TTN. I thought chirpstack to be another name for TTN so must get into the books again…
I studied for radio license some time back , but had 4 kids instead
I’m really looking for appliance type gateway as I see most of what I need to do in the end node department. So ideally low cost gateways that can be positioned as needed and QRP and adaptive power wherever to reduce battery drain.
Fair use is ok since higher volume can always be much better served by other protocols (BT, WiFI, ZIgbee) with a few edge cases in indutrial control where 30 second intervals are desired. Most of that can be overcome with a bit of local intelligencee…
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ALL gateways are appliances - they have very few buttons, some have blinkenlights, once setup they should just run & run, they have no intelligence, they just listen for LoRa transmissions and if they pass the CRC check, send them to the Network Server. If you are developing devices then you may occasionally take a look at the on-gateway log, but usually the web console suffices.
Much is made of the gateway and the devices and all sorts of hardware razzmatazz, but the real bit to get in to is what sensors & how that data is turned in to information. Knowing a pump station out in the bushveld’s fuel level without driving there twice a week, that’s what LoRaWAN is all about.
FUP is generous enough for sensor applications - just giving you heads up before plans start to heat up.
The very best thing to do is to follow the Learn link at the top right of this page (scroll to the top). It has the essential information that you need to know.
The between the docs & reference material & asking questions here, it’s all good.
ROTFL
