Guys,
Im looking for a recommendation please. I am soon to buy a small farm (50 - 100 acres) and will not have mobile reception but will have internet connectivity at the house.
I want to implement a LoRaWAN gateway so that I can initially monitor water troughs, gates and importantly electric fences & soil moistures / temperatures around the property.
With regards a gateway, would the unit based around a Pi Zero (https://core-electronics.com.au/ugateway-for-lorawan-ttn.html) suffice or do I need to step up to the Laird Sentrius (https://core-electronics.com.au/laird-sentrius-rg191-lorawan-gateway-au915-as923-compatible.html)?
Reliability / availability of the service is important to me, along with range.
What would be the key points that would direct me to one unit or the other?
Thanks
Jon
Hi Jon,
This biggest difference between the two would be cost and customization.
The uGateway is much lower cost and can be customized however you like to fit your needs. (the Pi zero inside will allow you to run Node-red directly on the gateway for example)
The Laird Gateway is a commercial grade device, and offers maximum reliability, but it comes with a high price tag and there is very little you can do to change its behavior.
Thanks Stephen.
Reliability is going to be key, as too the ability to connect via Ethernet. I have taken the plunge and ordered the Laird.
Im guessing I’ll have tons more questions to ask in the coming months!
Thx
J
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Good choice with the Laird. I have several running in the field paired with a variety of nodes and they work flawlessly. Just set yourself up with The Things Network and you will be away. Send me a message or post a reply if you need some help getting started. BTW a Pycom Lopy4 is a great way to start out as well and lots of examples around to get you going and micropython is pretty good to get the hang of. Once again, if you need some pointers just ask that is how I got started and the help was appreciated. Cheers.
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Thanks Steve.
Thought Id post a quick reply to update on progress…
I got the Laird up and running quickly with no problems - the tip on the Core-electronics shop page about NOT using the legacy TTN and using AS923 for the Laird setup was gold. Seemingly saved me a good few headaches!
Anyway, its up and running and my LoPy4 is communicating to TTN and Node-red:)
Admittedly its only passing test data but its now a good learning platform for me.
Thanks guys - great products once again.
Jon
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