My PCBs arrived 
Tested and working…
6 Likes
How about the sensitivity issue compares with Semtech SX1276 or IMST iC880a?
Somsak
Hi Epyon,
I will do that although it raises an other question: What is the difference between a Gateway and a PackeT Forwarder??
EDIT:
Host: embedded computer on which the packet forwarder is run.
Gateway: a device composed of at least one radio concentrator, a host, some network connection to the internet
So, if I get it right: The Gateway is the combination of the RPi and the Concentrator (in my case the RAK831).
It’s all there in the documentation … but there is so much of it 
Also: There is no “Raspberry Pi + RAK831 installations manual”
Is the IMST ic880a “the same”/“compatible” with the RAK831 (I think I have seen a reference to the ic880a in the setup instructions from RAKWIRELESS in the document “Getting started with the RAK 831 Lora Gateway and RPi3.pdf”)?
LoRaWAN seems getting more complicated by every question I have
@kersing & @jezd: keep us posted!!! You are ahead of my order delivery.
The packet forwarder is the piece of software that runs on a gateway and forwards all LoraWAN packets to and from the network server. The gateway is the hardware consisting out of the antenna, the concentrator (e.g. RAK831) and a host computer running the packet forwarder.
The packet forwarder should work with most concentrator boards, including the RAK831. You only need to find the relevant wiring diagrams, the software should function the same.
If you’re new to this, best start with reading the wiki .
4 Likes
@mrTheWheel >> https://www.hackster.io/naresh-krish/getting-started-with-the-rak-831-lora-gateway-and-rpi3-e3351d?
Does this mean you are the first to have a working interface PCB for the RAK831 + Pi (well in Europe at least)?
Do you intend to sell these as I have a RAK board somewhere between Asia and Ireland as I type…
Looks neat, good work.
Thx, G
Wuhu
6 Likes
Do you think it is feasible to port packet forwarder to ESP8266 or even better some small ARM Cortex M3/M4?
Technically it’s perfectly possible. There already has been some discussion on the subject, I think in the TTN gateway thread. However no-one actually bothered to invest time in it because you can buy €9 miniature Raspberry Pi clones that do the job just as well.
The official TTN gateway will use a PIC32 and afaik they will release the firmware under an open-source license. The chip is quite expensive in single quantities though.
@jezd
Thanks for your reply.
For me, this is where the confusion continuous. The blog you suggest uses “https://github.com/ttn-zh/ic880a-gateway.git” and it has some strange remote config repository whilst the option @Epyon suggests does not have that at all.
I copied the TTN Packet Forwarder binary to my RPi and that seems to work (I have not received my RAK831 yet, so not really sure…)
Still: thanks again!
@GryKyo
I’m not the first to have a PCB, Kilobyte had boards days ago, but as I got a RAK831 early on I’m one of the first with a tested board.
I have a limited number of boards available for sale @ 4.50 euro plus postage (just PCB, no connectors).
Later this week I will put the design files somewhere public so anyone can download them and order their own board(s) at a PCB house. (Cheap PCBs == a couple of weeks wait time, faster == more expensive)
3 Likes
That would be strange as a packet forwarder generally requires a concentrator and the packet forwarders I know abort when no concentrator is available.
1 Like
@kersing is correct, no concentrator, no packet forwarder, and more than that, packet forwarder relies on low level SPI concentrator library named libloragw
The new TTN forwarder does too. It will exit saying that it ‘failed to start concentrator’. Maybe he just meant he could install it?
You are all right. I meant that I do not get a dump file if I try to start it.
This is the output trying to start:
#systemctl status ttn-pkt-fwd
● ttn-pkt-fwd.service - TTN Packet Forwarder Service
Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/ttn-pkt-fwd.service; disabled)
Active: activating (auto-restart) (Result: exit-code) since Wed 2017-08-23 11:26:00 CEST; 5s ago
Process: 16113 ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/packet-forwarder start --config="/etc/packet-forwarder/ttn-pkt-fwd.yml" (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
Main PID: 16113 (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
Aug 23 11:26:00 LoRaGateway systemd[1]: Unit ttn-pkt-fwd.service entered failed state.
#
Now waiting for the delivery of the RAK831!!!
@Charles … what does that mean? I have SPI enabled in the RPi. Do I need to install additional packages?
it means that if the installed software don’t find the right SPI device (rak831 in your case) it won’t work properly
@mrTheWheel
Hi, maybe you forgot to reset RAK831 board through RESET pin wired with RPI GPIO PIN.
I got the same problem like yours, but it was a reset problem.
Looks very interesting/ Are you publish sch/brd files ?