Knowledge Hub
LoRaWAN Sensor Installation Guide
Install LoRaWAN industrial sensors correctly: leak ropes, spot probes, level, flow, pressure, soil, weather, and food-temperature kits with decoder-ready commissioning tips.
Survey before you mount
A clean decode does not mean a correct install. Walk the site with the question written down: wet floor, tank inventory, pipe flow, soil moisture, or product temperature. Place the gateway where the survey says the rooms can hear it. Confirm EU868 or US915 on the quote before you open cartons.
Name every device in the asset register with the room or tank label your operators already use. Without that name, a perfect Celsius or wet flag is an orphan on the dashboard.
Leak, level, and access
Leak ropes belong on the lowest expected water path, not across doorways. Spot probes sit in drip trays, bunds, and pump skids where water pools. Submersible level kits need confirmed cable length and media compatibility before the tank is opened. Door contacts explain warm spikes; they do not measure temperature.
Keep radio nodes above the water line. Only the sensing element should get wet. Paste the matching decoder profile for each model — rope, spot, and level payloads are not interchangeable.
Pipe, soil, weather, and food
Pipe flow and pressure: isolate the line, use the specified fittings, and zero after fill. Soil moisture and EC probes go at root depth with firm soil contact; keep the node above splash and mower height. Wind and rain kits need a clear boom and a clean funnel. Food-grade needle probes follow the site hygiene SOP between checks — do not leave probes unattended in ovens.
Commissioning pack: DevEUI, room name, decoder version, and the first functional-test uplink from the factory record. A 100-unit stock trial is enough to prove one profile on a real gateway before branding at 500 units.
After the first uplink
Watch the frame counter for a full reporting interval before you declare the room done. A single join proves radio path; a night of counters proves the uplink schedule and battery budget you quoted.
Document who owns replacements. Ceiling mounts and tank roofs need a ladder plan. Stock a spare of each model used on the site so a failed node does not wait on international freight.
When you add the next hall, clone only identical device profiles. Mixing rope and spot on one codec is the most common commissioning mistake after gateway placement.
- Leak ropes: lowest water path; map zones in the commissioning pack
- Spot probes: trays and bunds; clean deposits during maintenance
- Level: radio above high water; record zero and span
- Flow/pressure: isolate, fit, bleed, then zero
- Soil/PAR/wind/rain: depth, diffuser, boom height, funnel clearance
- Needle probes: hygiene SOP; store Celsius with probe-health
FAQ
- Can one decoder cover every kit?
- No. Each model has its own profile in the decoder library. Cloning the wrong codec stores the wrong fields.
- What belongs in the commissioning pack?
- Gateway location, DevEUIs, room or tank names, decoder version, and the first factory functional-test uplink.
- Which bands are standard?
- EU868 and US915. Confirm any other regional plan on the quote before install.