DRAFT – I’m working on this! Check back later and see how I’m getting on. 🙂
Here’s how to build a multi-channel gateway and connect it to The Things Network, using the RAK831 board and a Raspberry Pi.
There are two (pretty equivalent) options here and setup is almost the same for each. Firstly to use RAK’s own carrier PCB and a full size Raspberry Pi and secondly to use Charles Hallard’s lovely version that uses the Raspberry Pi Zero Wireless.
There are pros and cons to each and it really depends what you want to achieve; if you simply want to create a gateway that connects to your router via WiFi and that router is nearby the installation location, I’d recommend going the Pi Zero route, as it is smaller, more power efficient and generates less heat. If you think you might later want to run your own LoRa WAN backend server on the same Pi as the gateway, go for the Raspberry Pi 3B version.
Shopping list for European countries (868MHz):
- RAK831 gateway development kit – £159.99 from Amazon
- Raspberry Pi 3B Plus (with starter kit to make initial installation easier) – £59.99 from Amazon
Shopping list for Australia / New Zealand (915MHz):
- RAK831 gateway development kit – £159.99 from Amazon
- Raspberry Pi 3B Plus (with starter kit to make initial installation easier)