# The hard RAK831 cafe part 1 **URL:** \ **Category:** RAK Gateways\ **Created:** [July 13, 2017, 6:54pm UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464 "2017-07-13T18:54:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![jmarcelino](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/user_avatar/www.thethingsnetwork.org/jmarcelino/32/46753_2.png) [@jmarcelino](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/u/jmarcelino)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 5:57pm UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464/86 "2017-07-29T17:57:14Z")
The Pi is really bad choice for gateways: Ethernet hanging off internal USB that falls over if you look at it wrong, power supply issues with many models, stability problems with SD cards, messed up UARTs on the 3… It does have its applications, video being a big one, but for gateway tasks one can do a lot better. ---
**Author:** ![kersing](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/user_avatar/www.thethingsnetwork.org/kersing/32/44777_2.png) [@kersing](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/u/kersing)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2017, 6:27pm UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464/87 "2017-07-29T18:27:22Z")
> [@Epyon](#): > > there a reason most people stay with the ‘full’ RasPi and not cheaper boards such as the Zero Simple, an RPi has wired ethernet on board which I need for most gateways as there usually is no or marginal WiFi. There are better choices like the beaglebone black, but the RPi is cheap and readily available. ---
**Author:** ![Epyon](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/user_avatar/www.thethingsnetwork.org/epyon/32/8479_2.png) [@Epyon](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/u/Epyon)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 12:17am UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464/88 "2017-07-30T00:17:49Z")
The lack of Ethernet is indeed my main beef with the Zero (W) too. I have good experiences with the NanoPi Neo, and looking forward to Armbian support for the new Plus2 version. It has native Ethernet (tied directly to the H5 SoC), onboard WiFi and 8GB eMCC. It should sell for €10 less than a RasPi. Looks like an excellent choice for place-and-forget stuff like gateways. ---
**Author:** ![Charles](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/user_avatar/www.thethingsnetwork.org/charles/32/45146_2.png) [@Charles](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/u/Charles)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2017, 12:44pm UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464/90 "2017-07-31T12:44:24Z")
I agree RPI is fine but too expensive for this (except the Zero + WiFi) I’m using CHIP $9, it has Wifi, BT, power controller, and can be powered with Lipo with charger on board. Also 4GB of NAND on board, for $9 it’s a really great alternative, $9 and that’s it 😉 [https://getchip.com/pages/chip](https://getchip.com/pages/chip) A good one could also be the nice Omega2 tried and fine but not tested with LoraWan concentrator [https://onion.io/omega2/](https://onion.io/omega2/) ---
**Author:** ![BoRRoZ](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/user_avatar/www.thethingsnetwork.org/borroz/32/44234_2.png) [@BoRRoZ](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/u/BoRRoZ)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2017, 12:55pm UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464/91 "2017-07-31T12:55:03Z")
> [@Charles](#): > > I’m using CHIP $9 but you can’t **[buy](https://getchip.com/pages/store)** them 😉, _I would be more interested in a concentrator board under the 100,- or a complete LoRaWAN gw_ ---
**Author:** ![jmarcelino](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/user_avatar/www.thethingsnetwork.org/jmarcelino/32/46753_2.png) [@jmarcelino](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/u/jmarcelino)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2017, 12:56pm UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464/92 "2017-07-31T12:56:16Z")
The Chip is no longer being made and Chip Pro which was supposed to be the next great (or GR8 as they would say) thing is no longer available as modules, only Dev kits - got burned by them on that. So be aware if you’re planning anything needing any quantity of them. Also both the Chip and Omega2 lack native Ethernet so again neither are very good fit for gateways ---
**Author:** ![Charles](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/user_avatar/www.thethingsnetwork.org/charles/32/45146_2.png) [@Charles](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/u/Charles)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2017, 1:42pm UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464/93 "2017-07-31T13:42:13Z")
@BoRRoZ Yeah guys they had too much success, amazing they can’t sell anything since the beginning of the year because they sold all their production too fast 😉 Hoping GR8 will come soon @jmarcelino, correct, if you need Ethernet RPI is the only choice, or building a shield on top of Omega2 that have Ethernet and Lorawan concentrator pinout, a smart shield, but need some work. I always thought OpenWRT would be a good choice for a GW. I got some of this mini router [https://www.gl-inet.com/mt300a/](https://www.gl-inet.com/mt300a/) they have MicroSD Slot and/or SPI interface, and with this one you got WiFi + 2 Ethernet (LAN+WAN) + USB port for 3G/4G Modem 😉 Router is $30 [http://www.ebay.com/itm/322049108921](http://www.ebay.com/itm/322049108921) ---
**Author:** ![Charles](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/user_avatar/www.thethingsnetwork.org/charles/32/45146_2.png) [@Charles](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/u/Charles)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2017, 1:47pm UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464/94 "2017-07-31T13:47:35Z")
And for Ethernet, this one could also be a great choice > **[2-in-1 Orange Pi Zero H2 Quad Core Open Source 512MB Development Board +...](https://www.banggood.com/2-in-1-Orange-Pi-Zero-H2-Quad-Core-Open-source-512MB-Development-Board-Protective-Case-Kit-p-1140245.html?rmmds=search)** > > Only US$21.01, buy best 2-in-1 orange pi zero h2 quad core open source 512mb development board + protective case kit sale online store at wholesale price. ---
**Author:** ![Gig](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Gig](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/u/Gig)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2017, 1:55pm UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464/95 "2017-07-31T13:55:04Z")
A colleague of mine is using a Orange Pi Zero for a demonstrator, and while it works, it required some effort to have it do anything useful. ---
**Author:** ![Charles](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/user_avatar/www.thethingsnetwork.org/charles/32/45146_2.png) [@Charles](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/u/Charles)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2017, 2:03pm UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464/96 "2017-07-31T14:03:33Z")
@Gig each target need to be configured, at least for: - SPI concentrator GPIO connection (SCK/MOSI/MISO/CS) - SPI name `/dev/spi_blabla` or `/dev/spidev_xxx` - Reset GPIO line used in startup script As soon as you’re using debian Jessie on target, it should go straightforward - install build tools - clone repo, - build all changing SPI name - changing reset GPIO line in startup script - use systemd startup script I’ve done this on 3 different targets without any problem is it the only thing or is there something strange to do with Orange PI? ---
**Author:** ![jmarcelino](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/user_avatar/www.thethingsnetwork.org/jmarcelino/32/46753_2.png) [@jmarcelino](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/u/jmarcelino)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2017, 2:05pm UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464/97 "2017-07-31T14:05:22Z")
The only really effort compared to other boards is making sure you pick the right Linux distribution for it 🙂 But if you go with Armbian you should be fine. Maybe just me but I feel Armbian is easier than installing Raspbian on a Raspberry Pi to be honest. OpenWRT is interesting and I hear RAK is good at OpenWRT boards… or something 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Gig](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Gig](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/u/Gig)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2017, 2:07pm UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464/98 "2017-07-31T14:07:13Z")
@Charles He had driver issues, mostly. Among other things the ‘official’ distribution found on the manufacturer’s website was bugged beyond relief. I think he ended up with a Armbian with a re-compilated kernel, now it appears to be working just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Charles](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/user_avatar/www.thethingsnetwork.org/charles/32/45146_2.png) [@Charles](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/u/Charles)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2017, 2:07pm UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464/99 "2017-07-31T14:07:16Z")
I’d love to see a full RAK concentrator with OpenWRT combined right out of the box 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Charles](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/user_avatar/www.thethingsnetwork.org/charles/32/45146_2.png) [@Charles](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/u/Charles)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2017, 2:15pm UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464/100 "2017-07-31T14:15:25Z")
guys, I was not aware of armbian, need to try this one 😉 the most easier I ever seen was for Chip, plug USB CHIP in you computer, launch chrome and install debian directly following next, next, next Coming from RPI with Win32disk imaging, I was totally bluffed 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BoRRoZ](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/user_avatar/www.thethingsnetwork.org/borroz/32/44234_2.png) [@BoRRoZ](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/u/BoRRoZ)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2017, 2:30pm UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464/101 "2017-07-31T14:30:50Z")
![](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/c/c0725c38e89229f393d69928b2a018c7cd5d9635.jpg) I had 2 hours fun… and then it died 🤣 ---
**Author:** ![Epyon](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/user_avatar/www.thethingsnetwork.org/epyon/32/8479_2.png) [@Epyon](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/u/Epyon)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2017, 2:33pm UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464/102 "2017-07-31T14:33:00Z")
Armbian for the Orange Pi is still a work in progress. You’re better off with the NanoPi Zero, Armbian support for the peripherals is better there and they run more stable. My latest gateway is using a NanoPi Zero with the TTN packet forwarder, running good for weeks now. Really looking forward to Armbian support for the NanoPi Zero Plus 2, which has 8GB of onboard eMMC memory. That makes for a much more stable and reliable product than using an OS on a SD card. ---
**Author:** ![BoRRoZ](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/user_avatar/www.thethingsnetwork.org/borroz/32/44234_2.png) [@BoRRoZ](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/u/BoRRoZ)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2017, 6:04pm UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464/103 "2017-07-31T18:04:46Z")
**[’ Alexa, do we have a connection to TTN ? ’](https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/WisCore-Open-Source-Hardware-Module-built-in-Amazon-Alexa-Voice-Service-function-Compatible-with-Raspberry-Pi/2805180_32811396241.html?)**😉 ---
**Author:** ![BoRRoZ](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/user_avatar/www.thethingsnetwork.org/borroz/32/44234_2.png) [@BoRRoZ](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/u/BoRRoZ)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2017, 2:16pm UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464/104 "2017-08-01T14:16:42Z")
![](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/8/89c0b832dee0ecda91b3908db45b2091abc101a0.jpg) 🙄 can’t wait … ![](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/a/a93db209ab07391c83c8ae3e238446df8bc120dd.JPG) ---
**Author:** ![BoRRoZ](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/user_avatar/www.thethingsnetwork.org/borroz/32/44234_2.png) [@BoRRoZ](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/u/BoRRoZ)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 6:42am UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464/105 "2017-08-05T06:42:46Z")
![](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/6/6843aaf11ba8cb06e0cb579aeacc8fb87e7e5a56.png) ![](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/uploads/default/original/2X/d/d6c178f2458f9f7a2cd8101e78aa2bf4b9f9d4e1.jpg) source : [https://twitter.com/rakwirelessyu](https://twitter.com/rakwirelessyu) **[Getting started with the RAK 831 Lora Gateway and RPi3](https://www.hackster.io/naresh-krish/getting-started-with-the-rak-831-lora-gateway-and-rpi3-e3351d?)** ---
**Author:** ![jezd](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/user_avatar/www.thethingsnetwork.org/jezd/32/46461_2.png) [@jezd](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/u/jezd)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2017, 10:40am UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464/106 "2017-08-05T10:40:26Z")
Nice, my RAK831 is on its way 🙂 (oops) [Previous page](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464.md?page=3) [Next page](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/the-hard-rak831-cafe-part-1/8464.md?page=5)