# Hello, help with starting with Lora

**URL:** <https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/hello-help-with-starting-with-lora/34924>\
**Category:** How to get started\
**Created:** [February 28, 2020, 8:24pm UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/hello-help-with-starting-with-lora/34924 "2020-02-28T20:24:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 17

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![arjanvanb](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/user_avatar/www.thethingsnetwork.org/arjanvanb/32/46626_2.png) [@arjanvanb](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/u/arjanvanb)\
**Post date:** [July 8, 2020, 12:40pm UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/hello-help-with-starting-with-lora/34924/17 "2020-07-08T12:40:47Z")

</div>

> [@martinkavcic](#):
>
> after holding act jey between 1 and 3 seconds I saw blue led blnking on the sensor

To _activate_ on TTN first, I think you should have pressed the ACT button for more than 3 seconds. Before activation, uplinks will indeed not have worked. But okay, meanwhile it has somehow activated, and “Status: never seen” changed into some time. So, assuming the manual is correct, I guess you pressed the button a bit longer during at least one test?

Beware: pressing that ACT button for more than 3 seconds might make it activate again. This may invalidate the earlier successful activation, while a new activation may fail if reception is bad. So, don’t activate again if there’s no good reason for that.

Once activated, a blue LED only indicates the device has transmitted; it does not know if any gateway also received its transmission from its current position.

Next thing to investigate: at what data rate did the device connect? And are uplinks indeed received from your garage? Given the instructions from the manual, I’d say:

- Open the TTN Console application’s or device’s Data page on your mobile phone (this needs to be open during your tests)

- Press the ACT button for a bit more than 1 second (but surely less than 3 seconds)

- If the gateway receives the test uplink, then clicking an item in TTN Console will show you what data rate (Spreading Factor and bandwidth, like “SF7BW125”) was used:

If you’re seeing a fast data rate (like “SF7BW125”) then a slower data rate may increase its reach. If it’s a slow data rate (like “SF12BW125”) when outside, but no uplink is received when inside, then you’re probably out of luck if things do not work from your garage.

---

_[View the full topic](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/hello-help-with-starting-with-lora/34924)._