Single channel gateway is not recognizing any device

Gateways [obsolete] SCPF
1

I would like to check with you, if single channel gateway is totally forbidden in TTN.
I am asking because I am using LORA/GPS HAT to create Single Channel Gateway to connect a Heltec ESP32 Board . I followed instructions from this page Getting started with LoraWAN to create and register the gateway.
The gateway could be registered and it can receive packets and report them in the traffic console
image
However all packets are OTAA join requests, but the device is never recognized.
Is this happening because TTN server is rejecting any device with single channel communication? ,and this configuration will never go to work. Or is any setup that I am missing?.
If single channel is forbidden is there any good tutorial to connect this LORA HAT with my Heltec ESP32 board in a peer to peer configuration.
Thanks

2

TTN does not stop single-channel gateways, though they often disturb the network by not being able to manage downlinks and thus OTAA, which is what is happening in your case (check the docs: downlinks not supported). You may have better luck using the ESP32 as gateway, however consider also that the cost of Raspi and hat is close to a TTIG gateway.
I too started with some single-channel gateways, however, move on as soon as you can and, if you have regular gateways around, use them instead.

2 Likes
3

Forbiden, I dont think so.

However, TTN is a free to use service, as in someone else is paying for it, so the TTN forum might be reluctant to provide you with support for a non-complaint Gateway.

4

However all packets are OTAA join requests, but the device is never recognized.

That would be an issue of mismatch between the node details entered into the node itself vs. those entered into ttn.

Or possible an issue of a node re-using join nonces which it has already using in the past.

5

@UdLoRa is right: this single channel forwarder (sometimes called a “gateway”, but it really isn’t) does not support downlinks, hence cannot be used for OTAA.

Too bad the 2017 tutorial does not mention that. It even writes “If the TTN registrations and pairing successful, then we will be able to see all the uplinks/downlinks on TTN interface” but I really think that’s false, as it uses git clone https://github.com/tftelkamp/single_chan_pkt_fwd.git while that repository clearly states:

Please note this repository is deprecated, and the code is not up-to-date to use on The Things Network.
…
Not (yet) supported:

  • …
  • downstream messages (tx)

TTN will know that this forwarder does not support downlinks, as it never polls TTN for commands for such downlinks. So, for future readers, I wonder if there’s really no error message to be seen in TTN Console:

  • Please click the OTAA Join Requests in the gateway’s Traffic page, and see if there’s any error? Please carefully read the “trace” part as well.

  • Please see if the application’s or node’s Data page shows the Join Request as well? And if yes, please tell us if clicking that shows any errors?

Screenshots are appreciated! It might be something like described in Activation not valid - no gateways available.

So, this single channel forwarder can only be used for testing with ABP, not with OTAA.

6

Hi, I was just in the process of playing around with a single channel gate way, or as you put it a forwarder.

I built on ESP32 gateway to test a node that I am developing, from what I can see, on the gateway status page in TTN, nothing gets shown, as if the gateway is not even on. On the device data page on TTN I can see the activation message, but nothing else,
{
“time”: “2020-04-03T11:32:24.132158843Z”,
“frequency”: 868.1,
“modulation”: “LORA”,
“data_rate”: “SF7BW125”,
“coding_rate”: “4/5”,
“gateways”: [
{
“gtw_id”: “eui-xxx”,
“timestamp”: 1005882827,
“time”: “”,
“channel”: 0,
“rssi”: -83,
“snr”: 9
}
]
}

So like you say, the single channel gateway works reasonably well with ABP, as long as you do not want to send downlink messages, but does not function at all with OTAA

7

I think forum members will be reluctanct to assist, they dont want to add to the list of solutions for these non complaint devices being attached to TTN.

1 Like
8

Not asking for assistance, was just putting information down so that no one else has to go do the work again.

Was just confirming that the single channel gateway does not respond to OTAA