Dragino’s LoRa Gateways run OpenWrt on an Atheros AR9331 — and Arduino on an ATMega328P — and bridge LoRA wireless with IP using WiFi, Ethernet, or 3G/4G.

Shenzhen based Dragino Technology has launched a weatherproof Outdoor OLG01 LoRa Gateway to go along with its two indoor LG01-P and LG01-S LoRa Gateway models for LoRa wireless IoT applications. Here, we’ll cover all three models, as well as a relatively new Lora IoT Kit, which combines the LG01-P with LoRa and GPS shields, a pair of Arduino Uno boards, and sensors (see farther below).

Outdoor OLG01 LoRa Gateway
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Like Seeed’s Seeeduino Cloud SBC, all three LoRa Gateways incorporate Dragino’s own HE computer-on-module, which in turn supplies a MIPS 24Kc based, 400MHz Atheros AR9331 chipset with integrated 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/n WiFi.


LG01-P (left) and LG01-S LoRa Gateways
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Dragino’s HE module runs OpenWrt Linux with the help of 64MB of RAM, and has 16MB flash, dual Ethernet controllers, and a variety of interfaces. The LoRa radio is controlled by an Arduino IDE programmable Atmel ATMega328P AVR MCU with 32KB flash and 2KB SRAM. There’s also a Semtec SX1276/78 LoRa chip. (There’s a mention of a SX2176/78 chip, but this appears to be a typo.)


Outdoor OLG01 LoRa Gateway (left) and full kit with PoE Injector
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The gateways offer support for single-channel LoRa wireless, which offers “extremely long ranges at low data-rates,” and “provides ultra-long range spread spectrum communication and high interference immunity,” says Dragino. The company cites a 5-10km LoRa range.

The LoRa Gateway runs on 12V power and offers 2x 10/100 Ethernet ports, a USB 2.0 host port, and a second internal USB 2.0 interface. The USB port is said to enable sensor network connectivity, while the internal USB supports an optional 3G or 4G cellular modem. The gateway includes a 12dBi WiFi directional antenna, and supports LoRa at 433MHz, 868MHz, 915MHz, or 920MHz.

LG01-P angle view (left) and block diagram
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Three versions are available. The latest model is the new, weatherproof, Outdoor OLG01 version, which came to our attention from a CNXSoft post. The OLG01 lacks a LoRa antenna, but offers an SMA connector that supports a high-gain LoRa antenna. The OLG01 can be powered by PoE via a separate “Injector” box.

There’s also the previously released LG01-P LoRa Gateway version with an entirely different form factor equipped with a LoRa antenna. A similar LG01-S version also features a LoRa antenna, and adds a screw terminal that supports sensor input. The LG01 versions measure 120 x 85 x 30mm and weigh 150 grams. All three models can be ordered pre-optimized for different LoRA frequencies: 433MHz, 868MHz, or 915MHz.

The gateways are provided with an OpenWrt stack that includes a web server, auto-provisioning features, and software upgradability. There’s support for WiFi AP, Client, or Ad-Hoc (Mesh) modes. Dragino calls it an open source gateway, but this appears to apply only to the OpenWrt stack.

LoRa IoT Kit (left) and its LoRa GPS Shield mounted on Arduino Uno and equipped with a LoRa Bee module
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A failed, but flexible-funded Indiegogo campaign recently wrapped up for a LoRa IoT Kit starting at $99. Dragino now has a product page for it, and it appears to be available. The kit includes an LG01-P gateway along with two LoRa nodes and a variety of sensors, buzzers, and relays. The two nodes are the LoRa Shield and a LoRa GPS Shield, each accompanied with a matching Arduino Uno board. Various cables, wires, and antennas are also available.

Other LoRa-focused devices we’ve covered include SODAQ’s Arduino-compatible LoRaONE SBC. LoRa is increasingly being supported along with other wireless protocols on Linux-driven IoT gateways and boards such as Calao’s Delta P100 gateway.

 
Further information

Dragino Technology’s LoRa Gateways are available now at Tindie. The new Outdoor OLG01 version sells for $70. The LG01-P and LG01-S sell for $56 and $61 respectively. More information may be found on Dragino’s OLG01, LG01-P, and LG01-S product pages. There’s also a Dragino product page for the LoRa IoT Kit.