The following are common troubles to people have when working on wireless connectivity for digital sensors:
Limited choices of wireless sensors
Do not want to send sensors readings through the public Internet
Wireless networking knowledge is required
Sensors and radio equipment might require programming or complicated hardware integration to work together
Sensors regularly sit in radio blind spots
This standalone LoRa modem device is being developed to answer those requirements above. With this care-free, long range connectivity you can build up a standalone ad-hoc IoT network in a blink, and choose any digital sensor in the market having a generic RS-485 serial interface.
LoRa modem customised PCB
Modem PCB with casing supporting wall or DIN-35 rail mounting
How it works:
How the standalone LoRa modem works
Detail illustration of the modem design
Standard operation mode: (RS485 ↔ LoRa)
The basic function of the modem is to transfer any message it receives on either of its ports to the other port. It is working as a transparency RS-485 cable replacement.
Example 1: A sensor reports its data. When the modem receives the data message on the RS485 port, it resends the message on its LoRa radio channel.
Example 2: A control message for the sensor is received by the modem over the LoRa channel. The modem resends the message over its RS485 port and it reaches the sensor.
Repeater mode: (LoRa in ↔ LoRa out)
By pressing a button, the modem can be set to function as a LoRa repeater device. In the “radio repeater” mode, the modem resends any LoRa radio message it hears instead of transmitting it to the RS485 port. To avoid “message looping”, messages bouncing back and forth between two BR100 repeaters, they check incoming messages and simply discard those they have already handled. The RS485 port is unavailable in this mode, so no sensor can be connected. To switch between Standard and Repeater mode, hold the RESET button for 5 seconds
Our team is currently running a Kickstarter campaign and hope to bring this LoRa modem to production and widely available for the IoT communities with low cost.
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