📖 Overview

This guide provides a comprehensive procedure for connecting the Robustel R1520LG Edge Gateway (running RobustOS Pro) to The Things Network (TTN) using the LoRa Basic Station protocol.

Unlike the legacy UDP Packet Forwarder, Basic Station is the recommended integration method for modern cloud deployments. It provides superior security through TLS encryption and simplified configuration via token-based authentication. This setup utilizes a one-way CA certificate and an authentication token file (containing the TTN API Key) uploaded via the gateway's certificate management interface.

🛠 What You'll Need

Hardware:

● Robustel R1520LG gateway.

● LoRaWAN antenna (must be connected before powering on).

Software/Firmware:

● RobustOS Pro (v2.3.0 or newer).

Other:

● A registered account on the TTN Console.

● A trusted CA certificate: For example, isrgrootx1.pem. You can refer to Root Certificates | The Things Stack for LoRaWAN to download the necessary root certificates.

● Internet Access: The gateway must have an active internet connection.

📝 Note: If your gateway is not yet connected to the internet, please refer to the relevant documentation on configuring cellular or Ethernet WAN connectivity.

● Log in to the Gateway's web interface. The default IP address is typically http://192.168.0.1.

📝 Note: Basic Station is the preferred method for TTN. The Packet Forwarder option is still available but is not recommended for new deployments due to security and management limitations.

🚀 Step-by-Step Configuration Guide

1️⃣ Verify LoRa Radio & Frequency Settings

To ensure successful communication, the gateway's internal radio settings must match your region and the frequency plan of your LoRa end-devices.

1.  Navigate to LoRaWAN > LoRa Settings.

2.  Click the RF Settings tab.

3.  Under the SX1302 Board Settings section, verify the Region.

📝 Note: When using regions with sub-bands (such as US915 or AU915), you must confirm that the gateway's frequency band covers the specific frequency range used by your LoRaWAN end-devices.

2️⃣ Register the Gateway on the TTN Console

1.  Access your TTN Console and click the Add button in the top right, then select Add new Gateway.

2.  Gateway EUI: Enter the unique EUI of your gateway.

📝 Note: You can find this in the Robustel WebUI under LoRaWAN > LoRa Settings > General Settings > Default Gateway ID.

3.  Click Confirm.

4.  Gateway ID: Input a name that follows TTN naming conventions.

5.  Frequency plan: Select the plan that matches your gateway's RF settings from Step 1.

6.  Keep other settings as default and click Register gateway.

3️⃣ Generate the API Key and Authentication Token File

Instead of a traditional certificate-based client-side handshake, Basic Station on TTN uses an API Key formatted as a token. This key will be uploaded to the gateway using the "Client Key" upload function.

1.  In the TTN Console, navigate to Gateways, find the gateway you just added, and click it.

2.  Click API Keys in the left sidebar.

3.  Click Add API key.

4.  Name: Enter a name (e.g., "Gateway-Auth").

5.  Expiry Date: Choose a suitable expiration time.

6.  Rights: Select "Link as Gateway to a Gateway Server for traffic exchange, i.e. write uplink and read downlink.".

7.  Click Create API key.

8.  In the popped-up small window, Click Copy icon .

⚠️ Warning: The API key is only displayed once. Save it to a secure location. Do not close the pop-up window or click "I have copied the key" until you are certain the key is successfully saved in your text file.

9.  Create a new text file and rename the extension to .key.

10.  Paste the API key into the file with the following exact prefix:

11.  Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY_HERE Save the file.

4️⃣ Configure RobustOS Pro for Basic Station

1.  In the Robustel WebUI, navigate to LoRaWAN > LoRa Settings > General Settings.

2.  Change LoRaWAN Network Server to External NS and Click Submit.

3.  Navigate to the Packet Forwarder tab and change Packet Forwarder to Basic Station.

4.  In the Basic Station section:

● TLS Enable: Set to True.

● Server Address: Enter your TTN Gateway Server Address (found in TTN Console > Gateway Overview).

● Server Port: Set to 8887.

5.  Click Submit.

6.  Click "Click here to manage certificates" next to the TLS Enable toggle.

7.  Upload the files:

● CA Cert: Click Choose File, select your trusted CA certificate (e.g., isrgrootx1.pem), and click Upload.

● Client Key: Click Choose File, select the .key file created in Step 3, and click Upload.

📝 Note: We use the "Client Key" field to upload the authentication token required by TTN.

8.  click Save & Apply icon at the top of the page.

✅ Verification & Testing

1️⃣ Gateway Connection Verification

1.  In the TTN Console, navigate to Gateways and select your gateway.

2.  Check the Gateway overview page.

✅ Success: A green dot next to the Gateway status indicates the gateway is successfully connected to the TTN cloud.

2️⃣ End Device Registration & Join Verification

1.  Application Creation:

● In the TTN Console, click the Add button in the top right and select Add Application.

● 

● Application ID: Enter a unique ID following TTN naming rules.

● Click Create application.

2.  End Device Registration:

● Click the Add button in the top right and select Register end device to application.

● 

●  In the pop-up search box, enter the Application ID created in the Application Creation step, and click it.

● 

● Select Input method: "Enter end device specifics manually".

● Select the correct Frequency plan, LoRaWAN version, and Regional Parameters Version.

● JoinEUI (AppEUI): Enter the end-device's JoinEUI and click Confirm.

● 

● DevEUI: Enter the end-device's DevEUI.

● AppKey: Enter the end-device's AppKey.

● End device ID: Enter a unique ID and click Register end device.

● 

3.  Join Verification:

● Navigate to the end-device's Live data tab.

● Trigger the end-device to send a Join Request.

✅ Success: You will see a message of type "Accept join-request". This confirms the end-device has successfully joined the network.

4.  Uplink Data Verification:

● Send the data string "hello world" from your end-device.

● In the Live data page, look for a "Successfully processed data message".

●  

✅ Success: Expand the "Forward uplink data message" to check the frm_payload. The

payload aGVsbG8gd29ybGQ= is the Base64 representation of "hello world". This means that TTN has successfully received the data sent by the end-device.

❓ Troubleshooting / FAQ

● Q: The Gateway status is "Disconnected" despite having internet.

● A: Verify the .key file format. It must strictly follow the Authorization: Bearer <key> format with a space after the colon and after "Bearer".

● Q: I don't see any "Join-request" in the Live Data tab.

● A: Ensure the end-device is within range and its antenna is properly connected. Also, verify that the Frequency Plan in TTN matches the RF Settings in the gateway.

📜 Revision History