ncamilo/ttn-irnas-gw

LoraWAN gateway with RAK831/iC880A and Raspberry Pi Zero W for TheThingsNetwork

Build and configure your own LoraWAN Gateway from The Things Conference On Tour in Maribor!

Instructions available HERE.

LoraWAN gateway for TheThingsNetwork

To boost the growth of cost-effective community established outdoor gateways we have designed IRNAS outdoor LoraWAN gateway that includes all components and an antenna element in a weatherproof enclosure. This way communities can easily deploy good quality gateways with minimal costs. Currently there are a number of different designs available:

1. TheThingsConference Slovenia GW RPi 3b+ using resin.io and RAK831 (latest), optional external antenna, optional 3G uplink
2. RPi Zero W and RAK831/IMST iC880A

TheThingsConference Slovenia gateway LoraWAN gateway RAK wireless RAK831, Raspberry Pi 3B+ with resin.io and IRNAS connecting PCB

This gateway desing is the latest in series of the gateways, optimized for simple assembly and reliable outdoor operation. It is available in basic and external antenna configurations:

• Components of basic version

  • RAK wireless RAK831 gateway module http://www.rakwireless.com/en/WisKeyOSH/RAK831 (TheThingsNetwork Conference on Tour Maribor units sponsored by RAK wireless)
  • IRNAS https://github.com/IRNAS/RPi-HAT-RAK831-PoE PCB (TheThingsNetwork Conference on Tour Maribor units sponsored by IRNAS)
  • Raspberry Pi 3B+ (TheThingsNetwork Conference on Tour Maribor units sponsored by resin.io)
  • micro SD card 16GB (TheThingsNetwork Conference on Tour Maribor units sponsored by resin.io)
  • Waterproof PoE connector (TheThingsNetwork Conference on Tour Maribor units sponsored by resin.io)
  • Polyethilene tubing for enclosure (TheThingsNetwork Conference on Tour Maribor units sponsored by resin.io)
  • 24V Passive PoE injector/power supply (TheThingsNetwork Conference on Tour Maribor units sponsored by IRNAS)

• Components of upgrade

  • SMA to N-connector adapter
  • RAK wireless 4dB 868MHz antenna
  • Pipe mounts for installing the GW outdoors

TheThingsNetwork LoraWAN gateway with RAK831 / IMST iC880A and RaspberryPi Zero W for outdoor use. DIY 5.5dB colinear antenna or N connector antenna.

There are two key design options available, subject to selecting the antenna:

• DIY colinear antenna with designed gain of 5.5dB, typically build quality reducsed this to about 3dB (shown left)
• N-connector option for other antennas, default option is RAK wireless omni glass fiber antenna 6dB (design files to be avilable shortly) (shown right)

IRNAS outdoor LoraWAN gateway joins great solutions into an unified gateway:

• RAK Wireless RAK831 concentrator option:

  • RAK wireless RAK831 gateway module http://www.rakwireless.com/en/WisKeyOSH/RAK831
  • RAK-Raspberry Pi shield by ch2i https://github.com/hallard/RAK831-Zero

• IMST iC880A concentrator option:

  • IMST ic880A concentrator https://wireless-solutions.de/products/radiomodules/ic880a.html
  • iC880A RPi shield/backplane https://www.tindie.com/products/gnz/imst-ic880a-lorawan-backplane-kit/
  • note this backplane requires a minor manual modification to install Murata OKI-78SR-5 regulator, untill an optimized version is designed, check photosfor details

• Components used in both versions

  • Murata OKI-78SR-5 power regulator (multiple versions available)
  • Raspberry Pi Zero W embedded computer + SD card https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-zero-w/
  • micro USB-Ethernet USB 2.0 adapter: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/PZ-USB-2-0-to-fast-Ethernet-10-100-RJ45-Network-LAN-Adapter-Card-Micro-usb/32819958748.html
  • Waterproof PoE injector http://szzq.en.alibaba.com/product/60307069118-209893270/IP67_waterproof_RJ45_ethernet_cable_connector.html
  • DIY 5.5dB co-linear antenna designed by Fabien Ferrero from UNICE in France
  • Polyethilene tubing for enclosure 75mm diameter
  • 3D printed part by IRNAS to mount everything together
  • 24V Passive PoE injector/power supply
  • Optional INA219 current measurement board via I2C

The final product is a simple and and cost-effective gateway for about 250 EUR anyone can make and simply install outdoor. With this design we have achieved over 50 km coverage between Pohorje mountain and cities of Graz in Austria and Zagreb in Croatia.

Assembly instructions

Assembly instructions are coming up shortly, however the posted images are sufficient for replicating the design. The only custom mechanical part that can be 3D printed or milled available in this repository in the folder: mount and on this link.

RAK Wireless RAK831 concentrator option

IMST iC880A concentrator option

Co-linear antenna wire

Bending the wire for the co-linear 5.5dB antenna is likely the most challenging part and requires special care. Note that the frequency is tuned with the diameter of the loop and thus it must be made rather precisely. There are two antenna designs available, one for 868MHZ EU and the other for 915MHz USA. Step-by-step instructions on how to make the antenna available in this video tutorial.