Hi,
Does anybody know what is the actual difference between lorawan “indoor” and “outdoor” gateways? There seems to be a huge price difference between the 2, and am wondering why? I know that they use sx1308 and sx1301 chips respectively but then again what would be the difference between these 2 chips?
Thanks,
Sid
Chips have a different remperature range (-40. +80 for SX1301), however the difference in price is coming from extras, at least IP67 case and antenna. Brand name may make some difference too 
If you want to drill in deep you can download the datasheets for both chips from the Semtech web site and compare. Check for temperature differences, receive sensitivity and maybe transmit power.
That is an assumption and is not true in all cases. Generally the difference is in the enclosures to make sure outdoor gateways are waterproof and the antenna connections. Indoor gateways usually have integrated antennas. And outdoor gateways usually include PoE where indoor gateways require a power plug adapter.
Another possible (just possible, depends on brand) difference is the components used, specifically regarding operating temperature ranges. (Not just for the SX chips but for all components)
The more important question is: When will it be available, the cheap one of course… 
@bluesensing1 The below is a ‘cheap’ outdoor gateway from gemteks.com for about $400 …available mid march from what I’ve been told
##LoRa Outdoor Micro Gateway
@TonySmith, for sx1301 and sx1308- the temperature range is -40C to 85C and 0C to 70C, receive sensitivity is -139dbm and -142dbm and transmit power is the same. So not much of a difference.
@kersing and @UdLoRa, agree that they have a more robust enclosure and a high gain antenna probably few extra components such as a gps/e-sim module, but does that justify a 5-10 times price increase that we see between these 2 types of gateway?
For example take the new things industry’s indoor and industrial gateway priced at USD 70 and USD 400 resp. I think people would really appreciate if someone did a teardown video of these two types and explained the differences.
I get a feeling that its more of a business strategy, like have a cheaper one for home and personal use so everyone can afford and try it and a more expensive one with a higher margin for commercial use.
Hi @sidpat, I think that your “feeling” is plain wrong. I have been making outdoor industrial equipment for 30+ years. Everything is more expensive for outdoor; enclosures, connectors, glanding, cabling, assembly, mounting, testing…
Please build some real outdoor equipment yourself and keep a careful account of time and materials used before posting comments like this.
Maybe so, the indoor one could be loss leader, or at least one on which very little profit is made.
So if ‘they’ were to increase the cost of the indoor model it would more readily explain the supposed high cost of the outdoor models.
If its percieved that the higher cost of the outdoor models cannot be justified, then surley there is a great buisiness oppertunity for someone to sell a much cheaper version ?
Also, the 70€ price point we are still waiting to see is much less than currently sold indoor gateways, more towards 200-300 than 100. The cheap gateway made specifically for TTN has a different meaning and utility.
@cultsdotelecomatgmai, you are getting unjustifiably offended. My comment is just a mild opinion after some research I could do on the 2 types of gateways. Agree that it requires more considerations to design industrial products hence more cost involved for development, but margins are based on your BOM and not cost of development. With that in mind and the 5-10 times higher pricing, I commented that the % margins may be higher for industrial than for the indoor gateways. It is a very common business strategy (loss leader as @LoRaTracker mentioned) for all sorts of products.
If by ‘margin’ you mean profitability, I suspect you will have trouble convincing companies involved in a low volume market, such as outdoor TTN gateways, that the price they charge should not reflect the high cost of development and certification.
My own view on such things is that if you consider a product ‘overpriced’ don’t buy it.
Some of the people that provide you answers have done the development and created and priced a BOM for out door gateways. Feel free to prove them wrong by creating and offering an assembled certified outdoor gateway that is substantially cheaper that does not loose you money. Oh, BTW, don’t forget about after sales support, warranty exchanges and the like. (Suggestion: don’t involve investors as they will want a healthy return on their money)
I will gladly buy a cheaper alternative so please don’t hesitate to ping me once you are selling… 
@LoRaTracker, margin is (selling price-cost price)/selling price*100. I have no issues with buying a product with higher margins if it brings value to me. If you look at the original question, which is why is the industrial gateway priced multiple time more than the indoor one. I wanted to understand if there is a different BOM involved or what. And since to me a different BOM didnt justify such a high price difference, I suggested that they might have a higher margins as industrial users will still find value in the product.
@kersing, I dont understand why the argument that I should try and make my own gateway came here. I am just looking for a higher price justification. A simple answer by the experienced is enough.
After some thinking I removed my previous response.
It looks like you have a gut feeling and are looking for confirmation. Several people provided information that should at least put things into perspective. Use them to your advantage (or not).
Agree with Jac that if you are pricing for a commercial or serious application, the cost of a typical high quality, carrier grade, LoRaWAN gateway is not the main issue. Robustness, component quality, flexibility, feature richness (ie Cellular backhaul), warranty and support offered are very important. Buying cheap can cost you a packet down the line if something fails, and if it’s poorly supported…cost you even more.
This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.