iC880A-SPI-basics-station

How install Semtech Basic Station LoRA packet forwarder on a Raspberry Pi with a Imst iC880A-SPI radio module and connect it to TTN v3

I wrote this doc for upgrading a working installation on a Raspberry Pi of a Semtech udp packet forwarder to the new Basics Station protocol. If you need to install the hardware go to the best howto and complete hardware install, stop before software install, and back here.

I tested it on a Raspberry Model B Rev 2 with debian jessie 8.0 but it should work on all types, remember that with very old Raspberry Pi you must change the spi address.

Get the source code:

git clone https://github.com/lorabasics/basicstation.git

Compile it:

cd basicstation
make platform=rpi variant=std

Manually install it:

sudo su -
mkdir /opt
mkdir /opt/basicstation
mkdir /opt/basicstation/bin
cp build-rpi-std/bin/station /opt/basicstation/bin

Create config directory:

mkdir /etc/basicstation

Create the service file:

/lib/systemd/system/basicstation.service

with this content

[Unit]
Description=Basic Sation TTN V3 service

[Service]
WorkingDirectory=/opt/basicstation/bin
ExecStart=/opt/basicstation/bin/station -h /etc/basicstation
SyslogIdentifier=ttn-gateway
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Go to TTN v3 console.
Create a new gateway checking the Require authenticated connection box.
Create station.conf file:

cd /etc/basicstation

create the file station.conf with this content

{
    /* If slave-X.conf present this acts as default settings */
    "SX1301_conf": {                 /* Actual channel plan is controlled by server */
        "lorawan_public": true,      /* is default */
        "clksrc": 1,                 /* radio_1 provides clock to concentrator */
        /* path to the SPI device, un-comment if not specified on the command line e.g., RADIODEV=/dev/spidev0.0 */
        "device": "/dev/spidev0.0",
        /* if you don't have pps from gps */
        "pps": false,
        /* freq/enable provided by LNS - only HW specific settings listed here */
        "radio_0": {
            "type": "SX1257",
            "rssi_offset": -166.0,
            "tx_enable": true,
            "antenna_gain": 0
        },
        "radio_1": {
            "type": "SX1257",
            "rssi_offset": -166.0,
            "tx_enable": false
        }
        /* chan_multiSF_X, chan_Lora_std, chan_FSK provided by LNS */
    },
    "station_conf": {
        "routerid": "ffffffffffffffff",
        "log_file":  "/var/log/basicstation.log",
        /*"log_level": "DEBUG",  /* XDEBUG,DEBUG,VERBOSE,INFO,NOTICE,WARNING,ERROR,CRITICAL */
        "log_level": "INFO",
        "log_size":  10000000,
        "log_rotate":  3,
        "CUPS_RESYNC_INTV": "1s",
        "RADIO_INIT_WAIT": "2s",
        "radio_init": "/opt/basicstation/bin/reset_gw.sh"
    }
}

get the Gateway EUI parameter from the TTN v3 console's gateway info and put it on the routerid parameter.

The device parameter is correct for new Raspberry Pi cards, if you have a really really old Raspberry Pi you need to change it.

Radio Init

Create the file /opt/basicstation/bin/reset_gw.sh with this content

# Reset iC880a PIN
SX1301_RESET_BCM_PIN=25
echo "$SX1301_RESET_BCM_PIN"  > /sys/class/gpio/export
echo "out" > /sys/class/gpio/gpio$SX1301_RESET_BCM_PIN/direction
echo "0"   > /sys/class/gpio/gpio$SX1301_RESET_BCM_PIN/value
sleep 0.1
echo "1"   > /sys/class/gpio/gpio$SX1301_RESET_BCM_PIN/value
sleep 0.1
echo "0"   > /sys/class/gpio/gpio$SX1301_RESET_BCM_PIN/value
sleep 0.1
echo "$SX1301_RESET_BCM_PIN"  > /sys/class/gpio/unexport

execute this command to allow /opt/basicstation/bin/reset_gw.sh execution

chmod +x /opt/basicstation/bin/reset_gw.sh

Choose which type of config you want LNS or CUPS, with CUPS you can control the gateway from remote and in future you could do more thing, LNS configure only the frequencies, this is what I understand after fast documentation reading, for best understand read this link.

You must choose one type of configuration LNS or CUPS, don't mix!

LNS configuration

Create the tc.trust file:

cd /etc/basicstation

create the file tc.trust with this content:

this is the public certificate of the SSL TTN servers

Create the tc.uri file:

cd /etc/basicstation

create the file tc.uri with this content:

wss://eu1.cloud.thethings.network:8887

this is the TTN v3 secure websocket server.

THIS SERVER IS FOR THE EUROPEAN USERS. IF YOU ARE NOT AN EUROPEAN USER USE THE SERVER IN Gateway Server address ON YOUR TTN v3 INFO PAGE.

Go on the TTN v3 console on your new gateway API keys section and add a new key, call it LNS and check the

Grant individual rights box

link as Gateway to a Gateway Server for traffic exchange, i.e. write uplink and read downlink box

Save changes

write down the key in a text file and save it for next usage, YOU CANNOT SEE THE KEY AFTER!!! If you loose it you must delete ad recreate it!!!

Create the tc.key file:

cd /etc/basicstation

create the tc.key with this content:

Authorization: NNSXS.Your key from previus point

THE FILE MUST HAVE A DOS FORMATTED END OF LINE, IF THE FILE DON'T HAS IT THE BASIC STATION SERVER GIVE THE INFAMOUS INCORRECT END OF LINE ERROR!!!!!!!

Go to enable the server section.

CUPS configuration

Create the cups-boot.trust file:

cd /etc/basicstation

create the file cups-boot.trust with this content:

this is the public certificate of the SSL TTN servers

Create the cups-boot.uri file:

cd /etc/basicstation

create the file cups-boot.uri with this content:

https://eu1.cloud.thethings.network:443

this is the TTN v3 secure web server.

THIS SERVER IS FOR THE EUROPEAN USERS. IF YOU ARE NOT AN EUROPEAN USER USE THE SERVER IN Gateway Server address ON YOUR TTN v3 INFO PAGE.

Go on the TTN v3 console on your new gateway API keys section and add a new key, call it CUPS and check the

Grant individual rights box

view gateway information box

retrieve secrets associated with a gateway box

edit basic gateway settings box

Save changes

write down the key in a text file and save it for next usage, YOU CANNOT SEE THE KEY AFTER!!! If you loose it you must delete ad recreate it!!!

Create the cups-boot.key file:

cd /etc/basicstation

create the cups-boot.key with this content:

Authorization: Bearer NNSXS.Your key from previus point

THE FILE MUST HAVE A DOS FORMATTED END OF LINE, IF THE FILE DON'T HAS IT THE BASIC STATION SERVER GIVE THE INFAMOUS INCORRECT END OF LINE ERROR!!!!!!!

Go on the TTN v3 console on your new gateway API keys section and add a new key, call it LNS and check the

Grant individual rights box

link as Gateway to a Gateway Server for traffic exchange, i.e. write uplink and read downlink box

Save changes

write down the key in a text file and save it for next usage, YOU CANNOT SEE THE KEY AFTER!!! If you loose it you must delete ad recreate it!!!

Go on the TTN v3 console on your new gateway general settings and paste the key created at previus ponit on the

LoRa Basic Station LNS Authentication Key box

Save changes

If you have both LNS and CUPS files in the config directory the LNS files has the precedence, I think...

see the program help, and if you want be shure don't mix config files.

Enable the server

Stop the Semtech UDP packet forwarder if you have install it:

Stop the ttn-gateway.service

systemctl stop ttn-gateway.service

Disable the ttn-gateway.service

systemctl disable ttn-gateway.service

Check the ttn-gateway.service status

systemctl status ttn-gateway.service

the comand should show this:

● ttn-gateway.service - The Things Network Gateway
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/ttn-gateway.service; disabled)
   Active: inactive (dead)

in this way we disable the old packet forwarder but don't uninstall it, if you have some problem with the Basic Tation you could quickly reenable the old.

Start the Semtech Basic Station:

Enable the basicstation.service

systemctl enable basicstation.service

Start the basicstation.service

systemctl start basicstation.service

Check the basicstation.service status

systemctl status basicstation.service

the comand should show something like this:

● basicstation.service - Basic Sation TTN V3 service
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/basicstation.service; enabled)
   Active: active (running) since gio 2021-07-22 05:17:08 CEST; 2 weeks 4 days ago
 Main PID: 332 (station)
   CGroup: /system.slice/basicstation.service
           └─332 /opt/basicstation/bin/station -h /etc/basicstation

In the TTN v3 console gateway live data you should view two lines like these:

bigjohnson/iC880A-SPI-basics-station

iC880A-SPI-basics-station

I wrote this doc for upgrading a working installation on a Raspberry Pi of a Semtech udp packet forwarder to the new Basics Station protocol. If you need to install the hardware go to the best howto and complete hardware install, stop before software install, and back here.

Radio Init

Choose which type of config you want LNS or CUPS, with CUPS you can control the gateway from remote and in future you could do more thing, LNS configure only the frequencies, this is what I understand after fast documentation reading, for best understand read this link.

You must choose one type of configuration LNS or CUPS, don't mix!

LNS configuration

CUPS configuration

If you have both LNS and CUPS files in the config directory the LNS files has the precedence, I think...

see the program help, and if you want be shure don't mix config files.

Enable the server

Stop the Semtech UDP packet forwarder if you have install it:

Start the Semtech Basic Station: