Problems connecting RAK2287 to TTN as a gateway

Gateways RAK Gateway
#1

Hi. I’m having trouble registering my RAK2887 as a gateway. I’ve posted on the RAK forums, but I’ll duplicate it here in case anyone can help me. Thanks.

Issue: RAK2287 won’t connect to TTN as a gateway

Setup: Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Rev 1.1, OS “10 (buster)”, 4.19.97-v7l+.
RAKWireless gateway RAK2287 version 4.2.3R install from firmware.
Gateway ID: DCA632FFFExxxxxx.

Server: TTN

Details: I’ve followed all the instructions here (https://doc.rakwireless.com/rak2287-concentrator-module/connecting-to-ttn) to connect my RAK2287 to TTN as a gateway. Unfortunately I don’t get the “Connected” in the TTN console. What might the issue be?

#2

There is an issue where the Console doesnt always show gw’s as connected - do you have a node (known good!) sending data that you can see in Application?

Also double check the MAC Addr used to register as GW (on a Pi use the Enet Mc vs WiFi MAC even if connecting on Wifi only - unless you are usinga Pi0W ofcourse.

Assume you checked legacy forwarder if using UDP when registering?

Check that is correct… and typed correctly. Most PI’s I’ve seen start B82 - though that may have changed with the Pi4 - (dont use one for a gateway yet) so am suspicious there…

Also try monitoring with ttnctl & command line… vs using console (Search forum & docs & GIYF.)

#4

The RAK2287 is based on the “new” SX1302 chip. This chip is different to the previous SX1301 chip as it has its own unique ID. Depending on the Packet Forwarder being used, the gateway may have an ID based on the Raspberry Pi, the ID extracted from the SX1302 chip or the ID set in the global_conf.json file.

I would start by inspecting the global_conf.json file

This may also give some insight into what’s happening

#5

Good to know…still waiting on my 1st '1302 based gw/con card to evaluate… :wink:

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#6

:thinking: Hummm if you use the chip ID to register a GW and card later fails and needs replacement - e.g. if it goes deaf after a nearby lightning strike (not close enough to kill whole GW) what happens to that GW registration? Spares and mapping could be a wrinkle… Also in a broader (non TTN as only 8 channels supported) deployment what if you deploy a dual conc 16 channel or duplicated 8 channel GW…what would you use for reg - mixing GW MAC, Chip ID etc could get confusing for large estate management…! (Bit off topic for the thread but new features triggers questions and thoughts… :wink: )

#7

Thank you for the responses. To answer the questions asked:

  • I’ve tried two known-good nodes transmitting into the RAK2287. Neither has had any success.
  • The gateway ID is shown when I run “sudo gateway-config”:
    image
  • Yes, I checked legacy forwarder when registering

In terms of the global_conf.json file, I have used the one provided with the kit. I’ve just had a look in there (/opt/ttn-gateway/packet-forwarder/lora_pkt_fwd/global_conf.json) and found that there is a line setting “gateway_ID” to “AA555A0000000000”:
image

However, in the same directory there is a file called local_conf.json which has this (and only this) in it:
image

Perhaps the local_conf overwrites the global_conf??

I hope some of what I’ve said has been useful! Thanks for any further help you can offer.

#8

you are absolutely correct, the local_conf.json over rides the same items found in global_conf.json

#9

See if you can see if the gateway is running or if it failed at startup.

on a command line try typing sudo systemctl status lora (and hit tab at this point).
It should resolve to something like sudo systemctl status lora_pkt_fwd.service

See if the packet forwarder is running or if it failed to start.

#10

Does it matter which directory I call this from?

I’ve tried it in /opt/ttn-gateway/packet-forwarder/lora_pkt_fwd/ so far. Hitting tab at the point you suggest doesn’t resolve. If I type the command you’ve suggested in full it says:
Unit lora_pkt_fwd.service could not be found.

I’m guessing this isn’t good!

#11

its probably ttn-gateway.service, so try sudo systemctl status ttn (and press tab at that point.

It does not matter what directory you are in.

To see all the services run by systemd you can type sudo systemctl status

#12

Hold the help peeps, let’s get Andrew’s DNS settings sorted first!

#13

The problem was that the RAK2287 didn’t have a DNS server configured. The dhcpcd.conf file didn’t have any entries for domain_name_servers so dns requests were going unresolved. I’ve added a line to the dhcpcd.conf file to specify a domain name server and it’s working now.

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#14

aaI7

I have the same problem with a rak7244, where to modify the dhcpcd.conf file? can you explain the procedure to me?
thank you

#15

I don’t have a RAK7244 so you may need to tweak what I say here. The issue for my kit seems to be that the supplied code needs to access a URL but isn’t able to look up the IP address for that URL, because no DNS server is listed in the supplied dhcpcd.conf file. Basically you need to tell the Pi where your DNS server is. You need to add something along the lines of
static domain_name_servers=x.x.x.x
to your dhcpcd.conf file, where x.x.x.x is the IP address of a/your DNS server. My dhcpcd.conf file has a section at the bottom saying “don’t edit these lines” so I added it earlier in the file. That seemed to do the job.

If you don’t know the mechanics of editing the dhcpcd.conf file then this webpage might help you: https://pimylifeup.com/raspberry-pi-dns-settings/

I hope that helps.

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#16

The pupil becomes the master!

#17

:rofl:
Important to (try to) give as well as take!

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