Hi,
I am looking to get into LoRaWAN and was having a look around for more information. I found the Newcastle & Lake Macquarie - The Things Network Community and see that I’m on the boundary of some gateways and near gaps.
I was wondering what’s the cheapest gateway and development board I can get to test out the technology and improve coverage in Newcastle?
What region is used in the Newcastle & Lake Macquarie region, I have heard both AU915 and AS923 are used in Australia, but budget modules seem to only support one or the other 915HMZ/923MHZ. Do I need to spend the extra for a device that supports both regions?
It seems like the cheapest solution from Core Electronics is the Pycom LoPy4 with Pycom Expansion Board 3.1 & Pycom LoRa & Sigfox Antenna Kit for $120.
I have also found the CubeCell – Dev-Board from China for $30 delivered.
Hey Uskompuf,
Excellent questions, in our region we’re able to use both those standards, the actual regulations are listed on the site below exactly. You should be able to use devices on either frequency with no problems, just as long as the standards match, so you likely won’t need a device that supports both standards. I agree the LoPy 4 would be the best value option we supply for your project, as for the price difference, the increase comes from the Australian logistics, returns, and support that we’re able to provide as well as quality assurance on the price itself. If there’s anything that we’re able to do for you please let us know. 
Bryce
Core Electronics | Support
From past experience definitely worth the extra from Core. Buying direct from China is a gamble on whether it will arrive this year and if it doesn’t work out of the box you’re on your own more often than not!
Definitely worth it for local Australian warranty and after sales support imo.
And I don’t have any experience with Heltech, but I know Pycom definitely make good quality stuff that does what they say it does.
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