Tektelic Kona Micro Gateway

Gateways
1

Hi all!

We’re setting up some new Tektelic Kona Micro gateways with The Things Network in the US and I’m running into an odd issue. We have the device configured to talk to TTN. Here’s the JSON configuration we are using for the gateway:

{
"SX1301_array_conf":[
{
    "board_freq_band": "US915",
    "SX1301_conf":[
    {
        "chip_enable": true,
        "chan_multiSF_0": {"chan_rx_freq": 903900000, "spread_factor": "7-10" },
        "chan_multiSF_1": {"chan_rx_freq": 904100000, "spread_factor": "7-10" },
        "chan_multiSF_2": {"chan_rx_freq": 904300000, "spread_factor": "7-10" },
        "chan_multiSF_3": {"chan_rx_freq": 904500000, "spread_factor": "7-10" },
        "chan_multiSF_4": {"chan_rx_freq": 904700000, "spread_factor": "7-10" },
        "chan_multiSF_5": {"chan_rx_freq": 904900000, "spread_factor": "7-10" },
        "chan_multiSF_6": {"chan_rx_freq": 905100000, "spread_factor": "7-10" },
        "chan_multiSF_7": {"chan_rx_freq": 905300000, "spread_factor": "7-10" },
        "chan_LoRa_std" : {"chan_rx_freq": 904600000, "bandwidth": 500000, "spread_factor": 8 }
    }],
    "loramac_public":true,
    "aes_key": "ABCDEF0123456789ABCDEF0123456789"
}],
"gateway_conf": {
    "gateway_ID": "REDACTED",
    "server_address": "router.us.thethings.network",
    "serv_port_up": 1700,
    "serv_port_down": 1700,
    "keepalive_interval": 10,
    "stat_interval": 30,
    "push_timeout_ms": 100,
    "forward_crc_valid": true,
    "forward_crc_error": false,
    "forward_crc_disabled": false
}
}

I see the gateway online through TTN console, which is great! It looks like messages are coming through fine. Here’s where it gets weird. For every uplink from a device, we’re getting a downlink in response to the same dev id that sent the message even though these devices should not be receiving any and aren’t sending confirmed uplinks.

We have a Laird RG191 running in the same location, and on that gateway we only see the uplink messages as expected, which leads me to think this is something particular to the packet forwarder configuration on the gateway. I have a ticket open with Tektelic support and will update this thread with any responses we get there. Setting this gateway up in the US could really use a tutorial, happy to draw one up once all the little issues are resolved!

Has anyone set up a Kona Micro on TTN in the US? Did you run into this issue? Any pointers?

2

After a bit more investigation, these look like ADR downlinks. Still looking into it.

3

There are issues with LMIC in combination with TTN when ADR is active, check this forum for details.

4

Yeah, that’s it for sure. I had link check disabled in the sketches:

LMIC_setLinkCheckMode(0);

But not ADR:

LMIC_setAdrMode(0);

Disabling ADR seems to have cured the behavior. Curious why the ADR downlinks didn’t start until we added a second gateway. I’ll have to dig deeper.

Devices that don’t rely on LMIC were (and remain) working fine.

5

For anyone else looking for instruction on how to set up the Tektelic Kona Micro with TTN in the US, here’s a handy tutorial. Bonus, it’s all done over SSH, no need for the Windows only KonaFT tool.

2 Likes
6

Great article Nathan! We’ll link to it from our shop product page, if that’s OK with you?

7

Of course, have at it! And thanks :grin:

8

Cool, it’s linked from here!

9

I have one of their PICO Gateways at home in the UK (868mhz EU)… Will pick nodes upto about 8 miles! (10km). Don’t think they intended it for that range.haha. Solid hardware.

10

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