Water Conductivity Monitoring Solution LoRaWAN Network Server Guide

Network Server and Visualization Configuration

This section outlines the operational steps for connecting the device to the network server in both the LoRaWAN and LTE-M application scenarios.

Figure 1: LoRaWAN application scenario

LoRaWAN Application

Cloud Network Server Setup

The cloud network server deployment solution connects the gateways and devices to a third-party cloud network server. This server integrates visualization applications to manage the water conductivity sensor data in real time.

This section provides instructions on creating a Datacake visualization application using the TTNv3 cloud network server.

Figure 1: Cloud network server deployment solution

Connect Gateway to TTN

For this example, you will use the TTNv3 cloud server and RAK7289 V2 WisGate Edge Lite 2 to demonstrate how to connect the RAK business gateway to a cloud server.

Register the Gateway

Register an account and log in to the TTNv3 website. If you already have a TTN account, you can log in using your The Things ID credentials.

Figure 1: Log in to the TTN website

Once logged into the site, click on Register a gateway to begin the registration process for a new gateway.

Figure 1: TTN home page

Input the Gateway EUI and then click on Confirm to proceed.
The Gateway EUI serves as a distinct 64-bit extended identifier for the gateway. It is accessible from the Overview page of the gateway management platform or the label situated behind the gateway.

Figure 1: Enter the Gateway EUI

Choose the appropriate frequency plan used by the gateway.

Figure 1: Configure the gateway frequency

Click on Register gateway to complete the registration process for the gateway.

Figure 1: Successfully registered the gateway

Generate a Token

TTNv3 supports TLS server authentication and client tokens, which require trust files and keys to configure the gateway and successfully connect to the network.

To generate a key file, navigate to API keys from the Overview page of the registered gateway, then click on Add API key.

Figure 1: Add API keys

In the Add API key page, set the Name field, tick off the checkboxes, then click Create API key.

Figure 1: Configure the API Key

A new window pops up with the generated key. Copy the new API key by clicking the icon and then the I have copied the key button.

Figure 1: Copy and save the API Key

Configure the Gateway

Navigate back to the gateway management platform Web UI. Click on the left navigation bar to access the LoRa > Configuration tab. Complete the following settings and save them.

Basics Station Server Type: LNS Server
Server URL: wss://eu1.cloud.thethings.network
Server Port: 8887
Authentication Mode: TLS server & Client Token Authentication
Trust (CA Certificate): Click the link to download.
Client Token: Copied API Keys

Figure 1: Configure the gateway

After saving the changes, return to the TTN gateway interface, and navigate to the Gateways tab to confirm that the gateway is now connected to TTNv3 as a Basics Station.

Figure 1: Gateway connected successfully

Connect Sensor Hub to TTN

Return to the TTNv3 homepage and select Create an application to add a node.

Figure 1: Select Create application

Click +Create application to initiate the process of creating a node.

Figure 1: Create a new application

Enter the desired Application ID in the provided field, then click on Create application.

Figure 1: Enter the application ID

Click on the +Register end device button to add a new end device to the application.

Figure 1: Add the end device

Set the parameters of the end device, as shown in Figure 17.

Figure 1: End device parameters

JoinEUI, DevEUI, and AppKey can be automatically generated by clicking Generate on the TTN web page, or they can be customized by the user.

NOTE

Ensure that the three parameters - JoinEUI, DevEUI, and AppKey - are consistent with the parameters set in the WisToolBox application.

After completing the settings, return to the WisToolBox app, and click JOIN NETWORK to send the end device network access request.

Figure 1: Sending end device network join request

As shown in Figure 19, the Sensor Hub has successfully joined the TTNv3 network server.

Figure 1: Successfully joined the TTNv3 network server

Visualize Data Through Datacake

Datacake is a versatile IoT platform. It offers a range of features tailored for effective data visualization and management, making it a preferred choice for IoT projects requiring efficient monitoring and analysis.

Create Datacake Integration

In the TTN console, navigate to Integrations on the sidebar, proceed to the Webhooks section, and then click +Add webhooks to set up an integration.

Figure 1: Adding an integration

From the list of webhook templates, select the Datacake template.

Figure 1: Select the Datacake template

Generate an API key for webhook authentication on Datacake. To get started, register a Datacake account, and then log in.

Figure 1: Log in to the Datacake IoT platform

Navigate to the Datacake workspace. Select Members on the sidebar, and switch to the API Users tab, and then click the Add API User button.

Figure 1: Add API User

Enter the name of the API User, for instance, TTS API. Set the relevant parameters accordingly and click Save to finalize the creation process.

Figure 1: Set Parameters

Click the Copy button to copy the generated Datacake API Token.

Figure 1: Copy the generated Datacake API Token

Back on the TTN website, enter sensorhub in the Webhook ID field (as an example), and paste the Datacake API Token you previously copied into the Token field. Click the Create Datacake Webhook button to generate the Datacake Webhook.

Figure 1: Create the Datacake Webhook

Add Sensor Hub to Datacake

To add a new device, select Devices in the sidebar and click the +Add Device button.

Figure 1: Add a device

Choose LoRaWAN from the options and click Next to proceed.

Figure 1: Choose LoRaWAN connectivity

As the Sensor Hub is a new device, there is no pre-existing template. Create a template by clicking New Product, enter the Product Name, and click Next to proceed.

Figure 1: Create a New Product

Choose a network server for your device. In this guide, select The Things Stack V3, then click Next to continue.

Figure 1: Select the Things Stack V3

In the STEP 3 Devices tab, enter the device DEVEUI and NAME fields, and click Next to continue.

Figure 1: Add DEVEUI and Name

In STEP 4 Plan, select the preferred subscription plan, and click Add 1 device to add the device. For this example, choose Free.

Figure 1: Select a subscription plan

The registered device can now be viewed on the Devices tab.

Figure 1: Registered device

Create a Payload Decoder

Click the successfully registered device and go to the Configuration tab. Scroll down to the Payload Decoder field, then copy and save the decoder code.

Figure 1: Configuration tab

Figure 1: Decoder code

Click to view the code

function Decoder(bytes, port) {
    var decoded = {};

    function value(bytes) {
        var value = (bytes[1] << 8) | bytes[0];
        value = twosComplement (value, 16);
        return value;
    }

    var offset = 0;
    while (offset < bytes.length ) {
        var channel_id = bytes[offset++];
        var channel_type = bytes[offset++];
        if ( channel_id === 0x15 && channel_type === 0x67) {
            var current = (bytes[offset++] * 256 + bytes[offset++]) / 10;
            decoded.water_Tem = current.toFixed (1);
        } else if ( channel_id === 0x16 && channel_type === 0x7F) {
            var electrolyte = ( (bytes[offset++] << 24) | (bytes[offset++] << 16) | (bytes[offset++] << 8) | bytes[offset++] ) / 10 00 ;
            decoded.electrolyte = electrolyte.toFixed (3);
        } else {
            break;
        }
    }

    return decoded;
}

Displace the menu bar to the +Add Field section and click +Add Field.

Figure 1: Add field

The Add Field window appears. Fill out the fields shown in Figure 37 to configure the stored data in the device.

Figure 1: Configuration fields

NOTE

Enter an appropriate name in the Name field.
The Identifier field will be automatically filled in based on the name.
When an uplink is received, refresh the page and the CURRENT VALUE field will be updated.
Leave everything else as default and click Add Field to complete the setup.

When completed, it will look the same, as shown in Figure 38.

Figure 1: Successfully added fields

Create a Dashboard

To create a dashboard, click the edit mode switch () on the Dashboard tab of the device on Datacake.

Figure 1: Turn on the edit mode switch

Click +Add Widget to add a visualization widget.
Select Value from the menu to create a new dashboard.

Figure 1: Select Value to create a new dashboard

NOTE

You can select different types of widgets to accommodate various data formats.

In the Title field under the Basics tab, name the widget as Electrolyte.

Figure 1: Name the widget

Under the Data tab, click the Field tab dropdown arrow and set the unit to us/cm.

Figure 1: Setting Parameters

Under the Gauge tab, select the gauge type and color, set the range of values for the widget, and then click Save.

Figure 1: Set Gauge

To add another widget, ensure the edit mode switch is ON, then click the +Add Widget button again.

Figure 1: Added Widget

When you finish adding the widgets, turn off the edit mode switch to save the edits.

Figure 1: Save the edits

The complete dashboard is shown in Figure 46.

Figure 1: Complete Dashboard

Built-In Network Server Setup

The RAK gateway comes with a built-in NS, which eliminates the need to deploy NS in the cloud or locally. This gateway is suitable for small-sized industrial application scenarios and offers various advantages such as cost savings, reduced R&D investment, high execution efficiency, and shorter delays.

The built-in network server of the RAK gateway provides MQTT and HTTP integration that allows for post-processing data and implementing solutions based on the needs.

This section will use the public MQTT broker integration as an example to demonstrate how to use the built-in network server to create a visualization application on ThingsBoard.

Figure 1: Gateway built-in NS application scenario

Configure ThingsBoard

Figure 1: ThingsBoard authentication page

After successfully logging in, you will be directed to the ThingsBoard homepage.

Figure 1: ThingsBoard homepage

Navigate to the Integration center > Data converters menu bar to create a data converter for the uplink data.

Figure 1: Create a data converter

Click the Add Data Converter icon () and choose the Create new converter option.

Figure 1: Create a data converter

Enter the name of the decoder in the Name field (for example, Uplink decoder), leave the Type field as Uplink, and select the JavaScript option.

Figure 1: Add the decoder code

Edit the decoder code by copying the following code into the edit box. Click Add to include the uplink decoder.

Click to view the code

/** Decoder **/
  // decode payload to string
  var payloadStr = decodeToString(payload);
  var data = JSON.parse(payloadStr).data;
  var bytes = atob(data).split('').map(function(c) {
    return c.charCodeAt(0);
  });

  var values = {};
  let i = 0;
  while (i < bytes.length) {
    var channelId = (bytes[i] << 8) | bytes[i + 1];
    var value;
    if (channelId === 0x1567) {
      value = (bytes[i + 2] * 256 + bytes[i + 3]) / 10;
      i += 4;
      values.watertem = value.toFixed(1);
    } else if (channelId === 0x167F) {
      value = (bytes[i + 2] << 24) | (bytes[i + 3] << 16) | (bytes[i + 4] << 8) | bytes[i + 5];
      i += 6;
      values.electrolyte = (value / 1000).toFixed(3);
    } else {
      break;
    }
  }
  var integrationName = 'MQTT Integration';
  var deviceName = 'sensorhub_electrolyte';
  var result = {
    deviceName: deviceName,
    attributes: {
      integrationName: metadata['integrationName'],
      watertem: values.watertem,
      electrolyte: values.electrolyte,
    },
  };

  /** Helper functions **/
  function decodeToString(payload) {
    return String.fromCharCode.apply(String, payload);
  }
  return result;

Navigate to the Integration Center > Integrations menu and click the Add Integration icon () to add the MQTT integration.

Figure 1: Add the MQTT integration

Enter the name of the integration (for example, MQTT Integration) in the Name field and select MQTT in the Type drop-down menu. Click Next to continue.

Figure 1: Basic Settings

In the Uplink data converter options, click Select existing to choose the previously created decoder (Uplink Decoder), then click Next.

Figure 1: Select the created decoder

In the Downlink data converter interface, no configuration is necessary and just click Skip to bypass this setup.
Configure connection options. Host is the MQTT broker address used for messages. The Host of the external MQTT broker used in this example is broker.hivemq.com. You can choose to use other brokers with a different Host.
Enter the address broker.hivemq.com in the Host field, with the port number 1883. Click the Add topic filter button to configure the subscription topic:

Figure 1: Configure the connection options

Configure the subscription topic

application/{{application_name}}/device/{{device_EUI}}/join
application/{{application_name}}/device/{{device_EUI}}/rx
application/{{application_name}}/device/{{device_EUI}}/tx
application/{{application_name}}/device/{{device_EUI}}/ack
application/{{application_name}}/device/{{device_EUI}}/status

application_name: The application ID created in the gateway.
device_EUI: The device EUI of the end device.

Modify the parameter values corresponding to the topics based on the actual application created and the device used.

NOTE

The values in the subscription topic must be all lowercase. For example, application/1/device/0123456789abcdef/join.

Figure 1: Add Integration

After configuring the details, click on Add to save and complete the settings.

Figure 1: Configuration completed

Configure the Gateway

This section will use the RAK7268 V2 WisGate Edge Lite 2 as an example.

To access the gateway web management platform, refer to the WisGateOS V2 user manual for details.

Figure 1: WisGate OS Web Management Platform

After successfully logging in, navigate to the LoRa® menu in the left navigation tree and set the Work mode of the gateway to Built-in network server.

Figure 1: Set the Work mode of the gateway

Once done with the setting, click the Applications tab, then the Add application button. You can also click add one now text link to add a new application.

Figure 1: Applications tab

Configure the following information: Application name, Application description, and Application Type.

Unified Application key: Choose this option if all devices will use the same application key. Once selected, a field for the application key appears, where you can manually type in an application key or click the Autogenerate button to generate one.

Figure 1: Unified Application Key

After enabling the Auto Add Device option, configure the Application EUI option. The value needs to be consistent with the node value. Once you have verified the application EUI and key, the device will be added automatically to the application.

Figure 1: Auto Add Device

NOTE

You can obtain the values by either querying the end device or generating them automatically and modifying the corresponding value of the device synchronously.

Separate Application keys: Each device has its own application key. Add the key when registering the device.

Figure 1: Add Application Key

Once you've completed the configuration, click on Save Application to add the new application.
In the application list, locate the newly created application and navigate to the End devices tab. If you've enabled the Auto Add Device function, the device will be automatically registered upon the addition request.

Figure 1: End devices tab

Click the Add end device button. In the End device information interface, fill in the following information:

Activation Mode: Select the device’s activation mode: OTAA or ABP.
- Choosing ABP mode creates two additional fields: Application Session Key and Network Session Key.
- In this example, you’re using OTAA activation mode.
End device (group) name: Enter the name of the end device or the group it belongs to.
End device description (optional): Optionally provides a description for the end device.
Class: Select Class A for the device’s operating mode.
Frame Counter Width: Keep the default value.
LoRaWAN MAC Version: The protocol version (v1.0.3) of the node.

Figure 1: Add new end devices

After completing, click Add end devices to proceed to the next step.

Figure 1: Add the device to the device list

In the Adding end devices interface, enter the device EUI in the End Device EUI (Main) field and select the Add to End Devices list button. Then click Add end devices to complete adding the end device.

NOTE

The device EUI configured here must match the end device. You can either obtain it by querying the end device or entering one (1) EUI and synchronously updating the corresponding value of the end device.
If the EUI is correct, the device will appear in the End devices list.
If the EUI is incorrect, the device will be displayed in the End devices with an error section.

Figure 1: Complete the end device addition

Click the Add button to confirm adding the device.

Figure 1: Confirm to add the end device

When finished, you will enter the End devices interface, where you can see the created end device.

Connect Sensor Hub to Built-In Network Server

For specific configuration on how to connect SensorHub to the server, refer to SensorHub Network Configuration > LoRaWAN Application Scenario.

Once completed, the device will join the network. As shown in Figure 70, the end device SensorHub has successfully connected to the gateway's built-in server.

Figure 1: End device SensoHub has been connected

Configure MQTT Integration

Navigate to the LoRa® > Configuration > Integration Interface Parameters section.
Toggle the Enable Integration Interface option and select Generic MQTT as the Integration mode.

Figure 1: Set up MQTT integration

In the MQTT Broker Address option, enter broker.hivemq.com, then click Save changes.
After the device has joined and has been sending uplink data, check the uplink data in ThingsBoard > Integrations > Your Integration > Events.

Figure 1: View the gateway uplink data

Visualize Data Through ThingsBoard

After creating the data converter, integrating, and obtaining some data in the Event tab, check the automatically created devices based on the decoder in the Entities > Devices > Groups tab.

Figure 1: Check the device

Click the group named All in the Device groups menu to automatically create a decoder device.

Figure 1: Automatically created decoder device

Click the device, navigate to the Attributes tab, and check on the node data.

Figure 1: Node data

To visualize the data, simply select the values you wish to display, then click the Show on widget button.
On the next page, select the desired widget for the data from the Current bundle drop-down menu. In this example, choose Outdoor Environment as it has an electrolyte widget.

Figure 1: Select Widget

After selecting the widget, click Add to dashboard to proceed.
The Add widget to dashboard window will appear. By default, there is no dashboard in the profile, so you need to select Create new dashboard and enter a name for the dashboard in the new dashboard title field.

In this guide, name the dashboard SensorHub_Electrolyte.

Figure 1: Enter the dashboard name

After setting the dashboard name, click the Add button to add more widgets. Alternatively, check the Open dashboard option to automatically open the created dashboard after adding the widget.

NOTE

If the Open dashboard option is not selected, users can still easily view the added widgets via Dashboard groups > All > [Group Name].

Figure 1: Dashboard created

In the upper-right corner, select edit mode ( of ).
Click the icon on the parameter dashboard to set other parameter information.

Figure 1: Set the parameters

Value: Conductivity unit
decimals: Number of decimal places

Once completed, click Apply to apply the configuration.
Exit the setting interface by clicking the icon, then click on to save the settings and exit the edit mode.

Figure 1: Parameter dashboard

You can visualize other data from the device following the same steps as above. The only difference is that when adding the widget, instead of Create a new dashboard, click Select existing dashboard. In this example, select SensorHub_Electrolyte.

Figure 1: Successfully created visualization chart

NB-IoT/LTE CAT-M1 Application

Connect Sensor Hub to MQTT Server

In the Network Server and Visualization Configuration section, the server in the example has been set as a public MQTT broker: broker.hivemq.com. You can also choose other brokers or servers, such as AWS IoT Core (optional), according to actual usage scenarios.

Figure 1: NB-IoT-LTE CAT-M1 application scenario

Visualize Data Through Datacake

In this example, you will use Datacake as the visualization platform. Datacake is a versatile IoT platform designed to visualize data from nodes in a user-friendly manner.

To get started, create an account on the official website and log in.

Add SensorHub to Datacake

After logging in to your account, navigate to the Devices tab and click +Add Device to proceed with adding the Sensor Hub end device.

Figure 1: Devices page

Select the API option and click Next to proceed.

Figure 1: Select API

As the device is new and there's no ready-made template, choose New Product from the Datacake Product options. Enter the device name in the Product Name field, then click Next to proceed.

Figure 1: Select New Product

The SERIAL NUMBER field can be left blank. Datacake will randomly generate a serial number for the device, then click Next.

Figure 1: Add Devices

Select the preferred subscription plan, then click Add 1 device. For this example, choose Free.

Figure 1: Select a subscription plan

The registered device can now be viewed on the Devices tab.

Figure 1: Registered device

MQTT Configuration

Click the name of the device you just created in the list to enter the interface, then select the Configuration tab.

Figure 1: Configuration tab

Scroll down to the API Configuration option and copy the Serial number. Save it locally for later use.

Figure 1: Copy the serial number

Continue scrolling down to the MQTT Configuration option and configure the external MQTT Broker.
Click +Add new MQTT server and configure the relevant parameters.

Figure 1: Configure the external MQTT Broker

Fill in the relevant information based on the actual server used, then click Test Connection to verify whether Datacake can successfully connect to the MQTT Broker. The information shown in Figure 92 is just an example.

Figure 1: Configure the relevant parameters

NOTE

If SSL/TLS encryption and authentication are set up for more secure communication, ensure to configure them accordingly in this section. However, for this example, you can skip this option.

If the connection is successful, you will see the message Connection successful. Click Add MQTT Server to complete the addition of the MQTT server.

Figure 1: Connection established successfully

After successfully adding the MQTT server, click on +Add Uplink Decoder to add a decoder.

Figure 1: Add MQTT Server

A new window will appear and fill in the fields according to your project.

Figure 1: Add Uplink Decoder

Subscribe to topics: Configure the subscription topics, that is, the value of the Publish Topic configured in the Network Server and Visualization Configuration section.
Decoder function: Copy the following decoding code and paste it into the Decoder function space.

function Decoder(topic, payload) {
var decoded = [];
var data = JSON.parse ( payload.replace (/\s*/g, ""));

var temperature = data["Temperature"];
var highPrecisionEC = data["High-Precision-EC"];

    decoded.push (
{
device: "b02f2535-5dd9-4fa5-9688-33dcf4df53a4",
field: "Temperature",
value:temperature
},
{
device: "b02f2535-5dd9-4fa5-9688-33dcf4df53a4",
field: "High_Precision_EC",
value: highPrecisionEC
}
);

return decoded;
}

NOTE

In the above code, make sure that the parameter serial_number (device: b02f2535-5dd9-4fa5-9688-33dcf4df53a4) matches the serial number saved locally earlier.

Once completed, click Add uplink decoder.
In the Fields option, click +Add Field to show the monitoring values of the devices. Each device can create a certain number of fields, also known as a data point.

Figure 1: Add Field

Set the necessary parameters of the Fields. For Fields with multiple data points, add them one by one. Once done, click Add Field.

Figure 1: Set the related parameters of the field

NOTE

The Identifier field will be automatically filled based on the name.

Once the uplink data is received, the Current value column in the Fields list will display the current monitoring value from the sensor.

Figure 1: Added sensor monitoring values

Follow steps 10 to 11 to add other monitoring parameters.

Figure 1: Add other monitoring parameters individually

Create a Dashboard to Visualize Data

Dashboards can be customized depending on the specific needs and preferences of a project. Follow the steps below to add widgets and visualize the data.

On the device details page, navigate to the Dashboard tab, then toggle on the edit mode switch ().
Click on the +Add Widget button to add a widget for visualizing data.

Figure 1: Open the edit mode

Choose what type of widgets you want to display. For this example, select Value to visualize the High_Precision_EC values.

Figure 1: Select and add widgets for visualizing data

Go to the Data tab and choose the data you want to visualize from the available Field options. For this example, select High_Precision_EC and set the unit to us/cm.

Figure 1: Select the visualization data field

After configuring the widget, click Save. You should now see the successfully created conductivity widget on the Dashboard interface.

Figure 1: Water Electrolyte data visualization

To add more parameter widgets, click the +Add Widget button again with the edit mode toggle () switch ON, then repeat Steps 4-6.
Once done with the dashboard configuration, turn off the edit mode switch to save the settings.

Figure 1: Water Electrolyte data visualization