Upgraded LoRaWAN gateway adds Node-RED support

Upgraded LoRaWAN gateway adds Node-RED support

Jun 24, 2021 — by Jeff Child

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ICP Germany has upgraded its “UG65” LoRaWAN gateway to add Node-RED support. The unit supports 8 simultaneous LoRa channels and more than 2,000 LoRaWAN nodes, along with Ethernet, Wi-Fi and cellular (optional) connectivity.

We missed covering ICP Germany’s UG65 LoRaWAN gatewaywhen it was first announced in mid-March. Now the company has upgraded the UG65 with new features. With the firmware update to version 60.0.0.35, the UG65 LoRaWAN gateway adds support for Node-RED and provides LoRa class updates.

Developed by IBM, Node-RED is a programming interface that can be used to connect hardware, interfaces and services from the IoT. According to ICP, this feature makes the UG65 more attractive to developers of Smart applications. Target applications for the unit include IoT systems, Smart Infrastructure, sensor-to-cloud systems and Smart Agriculture.

UG65 LoRaWAN gateways front (left) and rear
(click images to enlarge)

While we’ve seen numerous IoT gateway announcements, there are a handful of products we’ve covered in 2021 that specifically provide LoRaWAN support. These include M3M IOT’s GW-01-WI-FI LoRaWAN gateway, a Raspberry Pi CM3+-based gateway from Innovelec called Dingo LoRaWAN BACnet, and Seeed’s WM1302 LoRaWAN Gateway Module with companion Raspberry Pi HAT. None of those products mention Node-RED support. A gateway that does support Node-RED APIs is a Kickstarter-launched Axon board from Qotex that functions as a WiFi and/or LoRa gateway. Although it lacks LoRaWAN support, the recently announced AIC-100 and AIC-110 gateways from Vecow support the Node-RED browser-based flow editor.

Linuxgizmos’ sister website Circuit Cellar has noticed the Node-RED has become a popular technology mentioned in several of Circuit Cellar’s product articles. These project articles include “Build an Automated Pest Deterrent System,” “Controlled Circuit Breaking,” “MQ Telemetry Transport (Part 1 and Part 2),” and “IoT Monitoring System for Commercial Fridges.”

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The UG65 supports 8 simultaneous channels and more than 2,000 LoRaWAN nodes. Designed for indoor use, the UG65 can process data from sensors at a distance of up to 10km. LoRa protocol V1.0 and V1.0.2 class A and C are supported. A fully integrated, internal antenna provides LoRa transmission over 8 channels.

At the heart of the UG65 is a 64-bit 1.5GHz Arm Cortex-A53 processor, but the unit’s datasheet doesn’t indicate which processor is used. For memory, the UG65 has 512MB DDR RAM and 8GB eMMC. Networking includes a 10/100/1000 Base-T network connection, WLAN according to IEEE 801.11 b/g/n standard and optional 2G/3G/4G mobile network reception(/access). UG65 supports multiple back-haul backups with Ethernet, Wi-Fi and cellular and has integrated mainstream LoRa network servers (such as TTN, ChirpStack, etc.). It also provides built-in network servers and Ursalink Cloud for easy deployment.

UG65 LoRaWAN gateway in an application example
(click images to enlarge)

The UG65 is enclosed in an IP65-protected housing measuring 180 x 110x 57-mm. Mounting options include desktop-, wall-, or pole-mounting. Although designed for indoor use, the UG65’s temperature range of -40°C to +70°C also allows operation in protected outdoor installations, says ICP. The UG65 runs off a voltage of 9V to 24V DC, or alternatively via the PoE 802.3 af-enabled LAN connection. The system supports all common network functionalities, including the protocols MQTT, TCP, UDP, VPN tunnels like OpenVPN, DMVPN, access authentication like CHAP, PAP, firewall functionalities and management options.

Further information

More information is available at ICP Germany’s Upgraded UG65 announcement and the UG65 product page. Pricing information requires registration on ICP Germany’s website.