Are gateways without Locations allowed?

Gateways
1

Hi,

I’ve searched but can’t find an answer to this question.

I was using TTNMapper and had a “ping” but couldn’t work out where the gateway was (nothing reported in TTNMapper for the location)

I checked on the API and the gateway isn’t showing a location:
http://noc.thethingsnetwork.org:8085/api/v2/gateways/eui-00800000a000270d

Interestingly most of the gateways with similar gateway IDs are also missing locations (I used https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/gateway-data/ to check this)

I thought all Gateways had to have a location, is this not a requirement?

Thanks.

2

you can set gateway privacy settings in the console

54%20PM

3

Ah, so do gateways require locations, but they can be hidden?

If so, this makes planning new gateways very difficult.
If privacy is on, could the location be fuzzed rather than removed?

4

Gateway locations are not mandatory. However not delivering a location will cripple some features of the LoRaWAN network like metadata that comes with your received packet.

5

Exactly, I mean if no location is provided how would the network know if that gateway would be suitable for downlink?

I realise I cannot get the location, but is there anything that would tell me if there’s a private location configured for this gateway?

6

I am not sure I am understanding. Why do you need location for downlinks? For planning it could be partially useful, although a site survey is more suitable to have an idea of coverage.

7

Simple: The network server evaluates RSSI and SNR of all gateways receiving the node and selects the gateway with the best report for downlink of a packet.

E.g. no coordinate required for this mechanism.

1 Like
8

Ok, sounds like my understanding was wrong.

I’d thought that the network used location in the scenario where a gateway had exceeded the legal transmission time.

E.g., node was heard by 1 gateway only A.
Gateway A has been transmitting and has used up all of its allotted transmission time.
Downlink is requested.
Gateway B is known to be geographically close.

I thought in this scenario the network attempted to downlink from Gateway B.
Are we saying that in this scenario the network just refuses to attempt to deliver the downlink?

9

If gateway B did not receive the uplink and forwarded it to TTN there is little chance a downlink sent by it will be received by the node. So not attempt to send a downlink is made.

2 Likes
10

Geographical proximity is not the same as “radio” proximity, which is better measured with RSSI and SNR. You might have a gateway in the basement that does not receive more than hundreds meters. Or, more realistically, you might have a node in a city that, due to lucky combination of buildings, trees, gateway altitude, etc, is received by one far gateway and not by a closer one.

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11

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