Configuring LoRaWAN Gateways on Mixtile Edge 2 Kit Running Linux

Overview

Mixtile Edge 2 Kit has a mini-PCIe interface that can be used to integrate the LoRaWAN gateway for IoT application design. This tutorial describes how to configure a LoRaWAN gateway on Mixtile Edge 2 Kit that runs a Linux distribution.

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

1. Installed a LoRaWAN gateway to Mixtile Edge 2 Kit as follows:

   

2. Installed a Linux distribution on Mixtile Edge 2 Kit. For details, see Installing an Operating System on Mixtile Edge 2 Kit.

3. Connected Mixtile Edge 2 Kit to the Internet.

4. Connected to Mixtile Edge 2 Kit as a standard user via SSH.

This guide takes LoRaWAN gateway SW8031 and Debian 11 (download the image here, username mixtile, password mixtile) to illustrate the configuration process. If you use a different Linux distribution, steps might vary slightly.

Setting up Chirpstack and LoRaWAN gateway

Mixtile provides a script to help you easily set up Chirpstack and the LoRaWAN gateway. You can run the script as follows:

1. Download the script to Mixtile Edge 2 Kit and run it:

   cd ~
   wget https://downloads.mixtile.com/doc-files/lora_linux.sh
   bash lora_linux.sh
   

   Note:

   This script has only been tested on Debian 11. If you use another OS, you might need to modify the script accordingly.

2. Input yes and then your password (mixtile in this case) when the messages below are prompted:

   
   Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])? # Input yes
   
   mixtile@localhost's password:   # Input your password
   

3. Select a region for the LoRaWAN gateway based on the LoRaWAN module and devices you intend to use:

   Please select a region file:
   1. AS923
   2. CN490
   3. EU868
   4. US915
   Enter the option number:
   

4. Decide if you want to start the LoRaWAN gateway on boot:

   Do you want the LoRaWAN gateway to start on boot? (y/n)
   

5. Select a Chirpstack configuration option based on your region. This region needs to match the one configured for the LoRaWAN gateway in Step 3 (otherwise, the communication may fail)：

   Please select an option:
   1. as923
   2. as923_2
   3. as923_3
   4. as923_4
   5. au915_0
   6. au915_1
   7. au915_2
   8. au915_3
   9. au915_4
   10. au915_5
   11. au915_6
   12. au915_7
   13. cn470_0
   14. cn470_1
   15. cn470_10
   16. cn470_11
   17. cn470_2
   18. cn470_3
   19. cn470_4
   20. cn470_5
   21. cn470_6
   22. cn470_7
   23. cn470_8
   24. cn470_9
   25. cn779
   26. eu433
   27. eu868
   28. in865
   29. ism2400
   30. kr920
   31. ru864
   32. us915_0
   33. us915_1
   34. us915_2
   35. us915_3
   36. us915_4
   37. us915_5
   38. us915_6
   39. us915_7
   Enter the option number:
   

   Some regions may have more than one configuration option. In this case, the *_0 option (for example, us915_0 for US and cn470_0 for CN) is recommended.

6. Wait about 10 minutes for the script to complete. When it’s done, it returns the LoRaWAN gateway ID (0016c001f160f372 in this example) and the Script completed successfully message as follows:

   

   Copy this ID somewhere convenient, as it’s needed in later steps.

Adding the LoRaWAN gateway to ChirpStack

1. Open a browser to access <IP-address>:8080 (replace <IP-address> with the IP of your Mixtile Edge 2 Kit) and log into Chirpstack (username: admin; password: admin):

   

2. Click Gateways in the side navigation bar and click Add gateway:

   

3. In the Name field, set a name for the LoRaWAN gateway as you like, set Gateway ID to the EUI obtained during the LoRaWAN gateway configuration (in this example, 0016c001f160f372), and then scroll down to click Submit:

   

You have now added the LoRaWAN gateway to Chirpstack. You can go to the Dashboard or Gateways > Dashboard page to check the gateway status. If the gateway status is online, it’s configured successfully.