On Thursday (24 Oct 2019) we started running the first session of a new IoT workshop, being held at the local libray (Enfield Branch of the Port Adelaide Enfield Council). This workshop aims to be an introduction to creating sensors and nodes for the LoRaWAN IoT network, using The Things Network website.
This first sesssion (of four) was a whirlwind dump of details which we will unpack and work on through the remainder of the sessions, with hands on electroncs and programming.
We went though the architecture of the system and got everyone to create an account on The Things Network, and set them up so that they could see the IoT data that was being transmitted over the network.
Technolgy discussed..
A quick summary of the various bits-n-pieces that are being used follows.
LoRa
The radio technology that is used by sensors for ‘Long Range’, low bandwidth communication. These radios may be programmed to be used in either point-to-point or point-to-gateway (LoRaWAN) mode, configurable with software. They use the unlicensed ISM radio bands, 911MHz in Australia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LoRa
LoRaWAN
The radio network and infrastructure used to collect sensor data, via publically accessible gateways.
Arduino
A microprocessor board and programming tools, which use the Atmel (and other) microprocessor. The original aim was to create a programming system which was easy to use for hobbyists and members of the maker community. Arduino microprocessor boards can be used with a LoRa radio to create sensors which can transmit data via LoRAWAN and the internet to be collected and used by other applications. https://www.arduino.cc/
Arduino Shield
This is additional hardware that has been designed to plug directly into an Arduino board and allow it to be easy to use.
Arduino IDE
The Interactive Development Environment (IDE) used to program an Arduino microprocessor board. It is available as a downloadable Java program, and as a web based application. The software is available from the Arduino website.
Arduino Libraries
Additional software packages which can be installed to extend Arduino programs. For example, the LMIC library is used to allow our Arduino programs to use the LoRaWAN radio shield.
Libraries can be downloaded from within the Arduino IDE, or downloaded and installed manually.
LoRaWAN Sensor Node
A device which collects data and transmits to the LoRaWAN network. It uses a LoRa radio. They need to be registered and authenticated with the LoRaWAN network to transmit correctly.
LoRaWAN Gateway
A device which listens for LoRaWAN radio transmissions from nodes in its area and forwards them to the servers on the LoRaWAN network. They need to be connected to the internet and be registered to operate.
The Things Network
A free website (registration required) which allows access to data collected by LoRaWAN sensors. It is used to register LoRaWAN gateways on the network, and create LoRaWAN applications.
https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/
MQTT
MQ Telemetry Transport. This is the communication software and protocol used to allow sensor data to be distributed and used once it has been collected by The Things Network.
NodeRed
A web server program, which can be installed on a home computer or server (or Raspberry Pi) which can collect and use sensor data collected. It uses MQTT to access sensor data.
NodeRed is an automation environment and is useful for a lot more than collecting and displaying our IoT data. See the website for more details.
TTNmapper
Mobile application which can be used to map LoRaWAN coverage. https://ttnmapper.org/
Sensor/Node Example
The following are some example of the sensors that will be built in the workshop.
Moisture Sensor
The data is displayed in a web browser as the following.
Next Post: IoT Workshop (Part 2)