LoRaWAN Modem (RN2483) Setup & Documentation

With this LoRaWAN Modem you are able to connect the Raspberry Pi to the LoRa WAN Network.

The Lora Modem is connected via the internal RS232 Connector to the /dev/ttySC1 for the Andino X1 and /dev/ttyAMA0 for the Andino IO

For downloads of all scripts used in this tutorial, see our GitHub repository.

Preparing Raspbian

First, run

sudo nano /boot/cmdline.txt

To ensure correct shell behavior, remove entries beginning with console= in this file. An example for entries needing to be removed is highlighted here with >>[entry]<<. After having edited the file, save and exit.

dwc_otg.lpm_enable=0   >>console=serial0,115200 console=tty1<<   root=/dev/mmcblk0

Afterwards, run

sudo nano /boot/config.txt

Jump to the end of the file and add

enable_uart=1
dtoverlay=pi3-disable-bt-overlay
dtoverlay=pi3-miniuart-bt

Finish by rebooting the pi

sudo reboot

Configuring the modem

First, install some tools for testing

sudo apt-get install screen elinks minicom

Testing the modem connection can be done via minicom. For the initial setup, run

sudo minicom --setup

After having completed the initial setup, minicom can be run without the --setup flag in the future. Enter Serial port setup

+-----[configuration]------+
| Filenames and paths      |
| File transfer protocols  |
| Serial port setup        |
| Modem and dialing        |
| Screen and keyboard      |
| Save setup as dfl        |
| Save setup as..          |
| Exit                     |
| Exit from Minicom        |
+--------------------------+

Here the connection can be set up.

To connect to the modem, the serial device has to be set to /dev/ttySC1 for Andino X1 and /dev/ttyAMA0 for Andino IO

+-----------------------------------------+
| A -Serial Device  : /dev/ttySC1         |
| B - Lockfile Location : /var/lock       |
| C -   Callin Program  :                 |
| D -  Callout Program  :                 |
| E -Bps/Par/Bits   : 57600 8N1           |
| F - Hardware Flow Control : No          |
| G - Software Flow Control : No          |
|                                         |
|Change which setting?                    |
+-----------------------------------------+

After completing the configuration, press the Esc key to return to the main setup menu, choose Save setup as dfl to save the configuration for future usage and exit. Now you can communicate with the Modem. After a command you need to type M J for the line ending. (=CR + LF)

sys reset <CTRL>M <CTRL>J 
RN2483 1.0.4 Oct 12 2017 14:59:25

Hardware remarks

The Reset of the Modem can be controlled via the RTS Line. By default this line is cut the that the Modem runs on Power On. If you like to controll the Reset via RTS you need to replace the cable.

Example in Python to connect the LoRaWAN from the Raspberry PI

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ python get-deveui.py
sys reset
RN2483 1.0.4 Oct 12 2017 14:59:25
mac get deveui
0004A30B002544A2