LoRaWAN BACnet gateway uses Raspberry Pi CM3+ for building automation

A few years about we wrote about BASpi I/O Raspberry Pi HAT compatible with BACNet, a data communication protocol for Building Automation and Control Networks, also known as the ISO 16484-6 standard, and used for HVACs, lightings, elevators, fire safety, and other systems found in buildings.

But if you’d like a turnkey BACnet solution based on Raspberry Pi, UK-based Innovelec‘s DINGO LoRaWAN BACnet Advanced Gateway/Server may be easier to integrate into your building’s electrical installation and also offers low-power long-range LoRaWAN communication.

DINGO-LORAWAN-GW_SVR-01 key features and specifications:

System-on-Module – Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3+ with Broadcom BCM2837B0 quad-c ore Arm Cortex-A53 processor @ 1.2GHz, 1GB LPDDR2 RAM, 8GB eMMC Flash (16GB or 32 GB as option), RTC
Info Display – 128×64 pixel OLED LCD
Video Output – HDMI
Networking
- 1x RJ45 10/100BaseT Ethernet
- 1x RJ45 10BaseT Ethernet
- LoRaWAN connectivity
  - Support for LoRaWAN V1.0.2 and V1.0.3
  - Tx Power – Up to 25dBm
  - Rx Sensitivity – Down to -139dBm @ SF12, BW 125KHz
  - Frequency bands – EU868, US915, EU433, CN470, IN865, AU915, KR920, AS920 & AS923
  - Data rates – SF7 – SF12 / 125kHz + 250/500kHz and FSK 50kbps
  - Adaptive data rate using the proprietary Go-IoT algorithm (LoRaWAN V1.0.3 Section 5.2)
  - Supports Class A and C
  - Max devices – >2000
  - Range – >10km in open areas (direct line of sight), ~2km in urban settings
  - External antenna – Rubber dipole SMA connector (external 2-meter antenna available on request)
USB – 1x USB 2.0 Type-A port
I/Os
- 8x Opto-Isolated
- 2x Relays (240VAC 1A max switching)
Optional expansion modules – Internal Mains PSU, IoT/M2M optimized LTE 4G modem, opto-Isolated RS485/Modbus, Isolated M-BUS or Wireless M-BUS
Misc – Real Time Clock with Battery back-up, Power LED, 16x LED’s
Power Supply – 12V/1A DC (Options available)
Dimensions & Weight – 105 x 90 x 58mm, 150 grams; DIN Rail or screw mounting
Temperature Range – Operating: -20 to +55°C; storage: -25 to +75°C
Humidity – Max. 80%
IP Level – IP20 (Others available on request)

The LoRaWAN BACnet gateway runs the DINGO stack that includes auto-configuration, alarms & events, file access, BACnet Object
Access, Remote Device Management, LoRaWAN Gateway, and LoRaWAN Network Server. The gateway can handle over 10,000 BACnet objects, but a 10 objects license is included by default.

Typical applications for the DINGO LoRaWAN BACnet gateway include BMS Building / Campus Management Systems, Smart Agriculture, large scale / metropolitan data logging and control, environmental monitoring, street lighting control, car parking systems, traffic monitoring & management, waste management, and more.

The building automation controller is available now, and Innovelec is taking orders starting at £742.75 (around $1023 US) for a system with a 1/4 wave antenna and 10 BACnet objects. The product page lets you select a different antenna, the number of BACnet objects, as well as the optional expansion modules listed in the specifications.

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.