LoRa Extension

Overview

The RAK WisGate Edge Lite 2 complements your Ewattch solution by acting as a packet forwarder to extend the LoRaWAN coverage of an Ewattch Multitech gateway.

Prerequisites

Requirements for extending a LoRaWAN network
  • Ewattch gateway: static IP or DHCP with reserved IP and known address. Ethernet network
  • RAK Edge Lite 2 connected to the same Ethernet network as the Ewattch gateway
  • Open ports 80, 123, 443, 1780 and 1782 on the network for the RAK
  • NTP server available on the local network

Communication Diagram

Configuration Procedure

Network Identification

After powering on the RAK Edge Lite 2, a Wi-Fi hotspot network is automatically created. The network name follows this format:

Name format: EWATTCH_RAK_ABAB

  • ABAB represents the last four characters of the device MAC address
  • Example: EWATTCH_RAK_1A2B

Connecting to the Hotspot

  1. Search for the corresponding Wi-Fi network in the list of available networks
  2. Connect to the network (no password required by default)
  3. Wait until the connection is established

2. Initial Configuration

Accessing the Web Interface

  1. Open a web browser
  2. Enter the address: http://192.168.230.1
  3. Press Enter to access the interface

Administrator Password Configuration

During the first login, the system requires the creation of a secure administrator password.

Required criteria:

  • Minimum length: 12 characters
  • Uppercase letter: At least one uppercase letter (A-Z)
  • Special character: At least one symbol (!@#$%^&*)
  • Number: At least one digit (0-9)

Example of a valid password: MyPassword123!

3. User Interface

Home Page

The home page provides an overview of the system:

Displayed information:

  • Service status: Real-time status (active/inactive) of each system service
  • MAC addresses:
    • Wi-Fi interface MAC address
    • Ethernet interface MAC address

Wi-Fi Page – Wireless Connection Management

Connecting to an Existing Wi-Fi Network

WARNING: Only 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi networks are supported by the RAK.

Configuration process:

  1. Activation: Enable Wi-Fi client mode, click Enable, then SEND CONFIGURATION
  2. The RAK automatically restarts
  3. Network scan: After reboot, scan for available networks
  4. Connection: Select the desired network and enter the password
  5. IP configuration: Choose between automatic DHCP or static IP

Wi-Fi Hotspot Configuration

Security recommendations:

  • Option 1: Completely disable the hotspot if not used
  • Option 2: Enable WPA2 encryption with a strong password
  • Option 3: Hide the SSID (non-visible network) + password

Configurable parameters:

  • Network name (SSID)
  • Security password
  • Network visibility

LoRaWAN Page – Long-range Network Configuration

Server Configuration

Main parameters:

  • LoRaWAN server address: LoRa Network Server (LNS) IP
  • Default configuration: Address of a SynapseCore integrated in a SynapseCore Box

Status Indicators

Color codes:

  • 🟢 Green: Communication established with the server
  • 🔴 Red: Connection failure or server unreachable

⚠️ Important limitation: The RAK can establish a TCP connection with the configured IP address but cannot verify whether the remote service is actually a valid LoRaWAN server (LNS).

Ethernet Page – Wired Interface Configuration

Interface Management

Available options:

  • Enable/Disable: Enable or disable the Ethernet interface
  • IP configuration mode:
    • Automatic DHCP: Automatically obtain an IP address
    • Static IP: Manual network configuration

Reset

To reset the device, press and hold the button on the back for more than 10 seconds.