Thanks for the tip. I was wondering how to get on slack.
Those SMC development boards we got from Tim W back last fall have 915Mhz antenna’s in them. Might be some possible projects with those?
I have an account on thethingsnetwork but how do i join the vancouver community?
Nevermind…
Figured it out…
Update on this project…
The gateway on top of VHS continues to run. The only LoRaWAN node that’s used it (to my knowledge) is this raspberry pi rig that I cobbled: consisting of a lorawan radio and GPS module and a USB battery pack I found at VHS. I modified the software so it queries the GPS for its current location, and then sends those coordinates out over the LoRaWAN radio. I bike around with this thing and it sends out LoRaWAN packets which get picked up by our gateway (or not) and they are forwarded over the Internet to TTNMapper to be plotted on a map along with signal strength. Effectively this plots out the range of our gateway.
Here’s the map:
(live version)
The dead spots are either because the signal is too weak, OR I simply haven’t biked there.
How to get involved
You need a device with a 915Mhz LoRaWAN radio module. These are available as Arduino shields, Pi hats, castellated radio modules, and several other form factors. Our gateway is hooked up to The Things Network. Make an account on TTN and follow a tutorial to get your node device set up. If you’re within range of our gateway you should be able to get a signal through. Post here if you do!
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http://noc.thethingsnetwork.org:8085/api/v2/gateways/pico-gw-647fdafffe0052d9
https://tektelic.com/product/pico-iot-gateway/
New gateway in your area, I’ll be doing an outdoor RAK831 soon too.
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Packed up most of the gateway last Saturday around 2pm. Forgot to post it.
Here is the bundle that I have saved safely in my car for installation later at the new V
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All we should need to reinstall is an ethernet connection with POE power. And perhaps a place to mount the antenna high above the roof.
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Hihi! Wondering, is there anyone interested in getting this gateway back up and running? I could… pull cable, hold a ladder, help out?
I think TTN (etc) is really interesting and would love to see more coverage in Vancouver.
Hi robot-army,
I have the gateway, and antenna in my car still. I took it down from the old space when we were doing the move. Not sure if the bin was saved. Someone else might know.
I’ve been busy with other stuff the last few months, but it would be great to get a kick in the butt to set this up again at the new space.
Let me know when you can meet at the space, and I can bring in the parts that I saved.
If anyone else wants to meet up again, it would be great to revamp this project!!
I got really excited about this technology last year and then other projects muscled their way into my queue… too many projects.
Tiny solar powered devices seemed like an awesome application of this tech since they can be plopped down anywhere and report data over miles.
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I still have the PoE injector that goes with the gateway Pi. I’ve also got my battery-powered LoRa mapper Pi which @packetbob improved.
Let’s bring it out of retirement.
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I also have my node that I had running on my roof till the summer when I had to pull it down cuz the house was getting painted…
I can set it back up but my location isn’t great for the city as I’m on a slope facing north (near the PNE) with the house blocking the signal going towards Vancouver proper… However it does give decent coverage to the North Shore…
If someone has access to a better location I’d love to relocate it. Unfortunately I don’t think the Space is a great site as the roof is really low…
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Awesome!
I’ve got my node (eh…‘prototype’) in my bag right now! Was going to try to see if it gets seen on the gateway in Poco after work tonight, thinking of coming down to the space tomorrow as well.
I’ll keep this thread up to date with plans, let me know if you think you might be around tomorrow eve.
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Unfortunately I can’t make it tomorrow…
I’ll see if I can get my node back operation…
The only traffic I ever saw on it was my own remote testing to see where it would reach to…
Cool! So is that two gateways in hand but not up and running?
I’d be very happy to host one of them until I get my own, if that helps?? I’m up on the arbutus ridge at 20th and Blenheim. From my roof, I can see most of downtown and the north shore. I reckon between my place and the Hackspace we’ll cover loads.
Can we put stuff up high at the Hackspace (roof?)
Earliest I could volunteer would be Thursday night.
Thurs/Fri would work for me, and then maybe Sunday day.
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Hi Roland,
If you’re still up for today, I am too. Let me know if you’ll make it to the space tonight.
R
I’m planning on being over there at around 6 after work. I’ll post if something happens.
Gateway is up and running in a sensible location, but not sustainably wired. I’ll iterate on weatherproofing and beautifying, anyone is welcome to do range tests obvs! I’m using ttnmapper and a cheapo Dev board. I’ve got more dev boards coming and a custom design in the (re)works. Will do a PCB design and SMD soldering workshop at the space if there’s interest, using a lorawan board as the example. Help will be v welcome, is anyone down?
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