This project came from the need for a concentrator point for a distributed field monitoring application, in which many remote devices used LoRa communication and had to forward their data to the client’s local infrastructure.

The solution was part of a larger system used in remote monitoring applications, and required a gateway able to receive data from the distributed nodes, concentrate it and deliver it to the client’s Ethernet network.

ECK took part in developing the hardware for this hub, integrating PoE power, an Ethernet interface, a Raspberry Pi and the RAK833 LoRaWAN concentrator, along with the protections needed for outdoor installation.

From LoRa in the field to local processing

The system architecture was based on LoRa communication between the remote devices and a concentrator installed at an elevated position.

This concentrator received packets from the field nodes and forwarded them to the client’s infrastructure.

In practice, the hub bridged the radio network and the local network.

This allowed many devices spread over a large area to send data without individual cabling to the processing point.

RAK833 as the LoRaWAN concentrator

For the LoRaWAN concentration layer, we used the RAK833 WisLink LPWAN Concentrator.

The RAK833 is an SX1301-based LoRaWAN concentrator in mini PCIe format, designed for integration into gateways and embedded platforms.

It offers multiple simultaneous receive channels and was used together with a Raspberry Pi, which ran the software needed to receive and forward LoRaWAN network data.

Combining the RAK833 and the Raspberry Pi made it possible to use libraries and tools already available for this type of application, reducing the complexity of developing the protocol layer.

Raspberry Pi as the core of the gateway

The Raspberry Pi served as the hub’s processing core.

It received data from the RAK833 concentrator, handled the communication flow and forwarded the information over the Ethernet interface to the client’s local network.

Final processing of the information took place on a computer or server at the site itself.

This architecture separated the radio gateway from the application-specific logic, keeping the hub focused on receiving, concentrating and forwarding data.

Ethernet and PoE power

One of the key project requirements was to simplify the physical installation.

The hub was installed at an elevated position, which made separate data and power cables inconvenient.

So the Ethernet input used PoE.

The same cable that carried data also supplied the power for the Raspberry Pi, the concentrator and the auxiliary electronics.

This reduced the amount of cabling and made installation and maintenance easier.

Designed for tower installation

Since the hub was mounted high up and exposed to the outdoor environment, the electronics had to cope with harsher conditions than a typical indoor application.

Surge and discharge protections were included, especially on the interfaces that exposed the device to the environment and to external cabling.

This was important to increase the reliability of the assembly and reduce the risk of failures caused by electrical and atmospheric events.

Bridging radio and the local network

Functionally, the device connected two domains: remote devices transmitting over LoRa and the client’s Ethernet infrastructure.

Data received by the concentrator was handled by the Raspberry Pi and sent to the local network, where the client’s system did the final processing.

This architecture kept the radio system concentrated at a single point and fed the received data directly into the existing IT infrastructure.

Hardware development for a LoRaWAN gateway

ECK’s role was to turn the combination of Raspberry Pi, RAK833 concentrator, Ethernet and PoE into a device usable in the field.

This involved developing the power interface, the mechanical and electrical integration of the modules, the network connection and proper protection for outdoor operation.

The challenge was not simply to connect off-the-shelf modules, but to create a robust, installable product suited to the real operating environment.

Use in distributed systems

Solutions based on LoRa and LoRaWAN are particularly suited to applications with many remote points, low data volumes and the need to communicate over long distances.

In this kind of system, the gateway plays a central role: concentrating the data received from many nodes and making it available for processing.

This project shows how that role can be implemented with a dedicated LoRaWAN concentrator, an embedded Linux platform and an Ethernet interface with PoE.

ECK developed the hardware needed to turn this architecture into a hub ready for field operation.

See other electronic engineering projects developed by ECK.