Introduction to LoRa
LoRa (Long Range) is a low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) protocol, designed to wirelessly connect battery operated ‘things’ to the internet. The LoRa connectivity for Cumulocity provides an end-to-end solution that enables effective management of LoRa devices. The repository considerably reduces the difficulty of managing LoRa-enabled devices by providing an automated mechanism to add and manage devices, gateways, and network servers.
Integrated Components: LNS Connectors and Codecs
It integrates LoRa Network Server (LNS) connectors and codecs. These allow the user to connect Cumulocity with different types of LNS and to handle various data formats, respectively.
Feature Highlight: Automatic Device Import
The solution also includes an automatic device import feature. With this, any existing devices in the LNS are automatically created in Cumulocity once they send data, which is then pushed to Cumulocity through a configured HTTP route. However, these devices will be created without a codec associated with them. To resolve this, you simply need to select the right codec from the device’s detailed view. Any payload provided to Cumulocity before to the codec selection will not be lost, but will be saved for future use.
Process: Provisioning of New Devices and Gateways
The provisioning of new LoRa devices and gateways is also straightforward. You can easily select the LNS connector associated with the LNS into which you want to provision the device. Depending on the type of LNS connector chosen, different fields will appear to finalize the device provisioning in that specific LNS.
Device Management and Command Support
The repository also supports effective device management by allowing you to configure device codec, process unprocessed payloads, switch LNS, and send commands. What’s more, it provides support for various commands, enabling devices to retrieve their current configuration.
Codec IDE
With the Codec IDE, you can quickly build a codec directly from the Cumulocity User Interface. The IDE is based on the Monaco Editor and is divided into three parts: Uplink processing (decoder), Downlink processing (encoder), and Operations definition.
Feedback and Ideas
- If you find any bug, please raise an issue directly in the GitHub repository.
- If you have any ideas, feedback or comments post them as a reply here.
- Contributions are welcome, but first check out our GitHub contributing guides.