.NET Core RAK3172 LoRaWAN library Part4

Starting again with Threads

After getting Activation By Personalisation(ABP) and Over The Air Activation(OTAA) working on my RAK3172 test rig I was looking at the code and SerialDataReceivedEventHandler was really ugly.

Raspberry Pi3 with Grove Base Hat and RAK3172 Breakout (using UART2)

After some experimentation in the BreakOutSerial project I decided to reimplement the RAK3172 command processing. In the new code a Thread reads lines of text from the SerialPort and processes them. I have replaced the Join and Send(Confirmed) methods with ones that block only while the command are sent to the RAK3172. Then, when completed the OnJoinCompletion or OnMessagesConfirmation event handlers are called.

private Result SendCommand(string command)
{
   if (command == null)
   {
      throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(command));
   }

   if (command == string.Empty)
   {
      throw new ArgumentException($"command invalid length cannot be empty", nameof(command));
    }

   serialDevice.ReadTimeout = (int)CommandTimeoutDefault.TotalMilliseconds;
   serialDevice.WriteLine(command);

   this.atExpectedEvent.Reset();

   if (!this.atExpectedEvent.WaitOne((int)CommandTimeoutDefault.TotalMilliseconds, false))
      return Result.Timeout;

   return result;
}

public void SerialPortProcessor()
{
   string line;

   while (true)
   {
      this.serialDevice.ReadTimeout = -1;

      Debug.WriteLine("ReadLine before");
      line = serialDevice.ReadLine();
      Debug.WriteLine($"ReadLine after:{line}");

            // check for +EVT:JOINED
      if (line.StartsWith("+EVT:JOINED"))
      {
            OnJoinCompletion?.Invoke(true);

            continue;
      }

      if (line.StartsWith("+EVT:JOIN FAILED"))
      {
	     OnJoinCompletion?.Invoke(false);

         continue;
      }

      if (line.StartsWith("+EVT:SEND CONFIRMED OK"))
      {
         OnMessageConfirmation?.Invoke();

         continue;
      }

      // Check for A/B/C downlink message
      if (line.StartsWith("+EVT:RX_1") || line.StartsWith("+EVT:RX_2") || line.StartsWith("+EVT:RX_3") || line.StartsWith("+EVT:RX_C"))
      {
         string[] fields1 = line.Split(' ', ',');

         int rssi = int.Parse(fields1[3]);
         int snr = int.Parse(fields1[6]);
 
         line = serialDevice.ReadLine();
         Console.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:HH:mm:ss} UNICAST :{line}");

         line = serialDevice.ReadLine();
         Console.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:HH:mm:ss} Payload:{line}");

         string[] fields2 = line.Split(':');

         int port = int.Parse(fields2[1]);
         string payload = fields2[2];

         OnReceiveMessage?.Invoke(port, rssi, snr, payload);

         continue;
      }

      try
      {
         this.serialDevice.ReadTimeout = 3000;

         Debug.WriteLine("ReadLine Result");
         line = serialDevice.ReadLine();
         Debug.WriteLine($"ReadLine Result after:{line}");

         switch (line)
         {
            case "OK":
               result = Result.Success;
               break;
         case "AT_ERROR":
               result = Result.Error;
               break;
         case "AT_PARAM_ERROR":
               result = Result.ParameterError;
               break;
         case "AT_BUSY_ERROR":
               result = Result.BusyError;
               break;
         case "AT_TEST_PARAM_OVERFLOW":
               result = Result.ParameterOverflow;
               break;
         case "AT_NO_NETWORK_JOINED":
               result = Result.NotJoined;
               break;
         case "AT_RX_ERROR":
               result = Result.ReceiveError;
               break;
         case "AT_DUTYCYLE_RESTRICTED":
               result = Result.DutyCycleRestricted;
               break;
         default:
               result = Result.Undefined;
               break;
         }
      }
      catch (TimeoutException) 
      {
         result = Result.Timeout;
      }
   atExpectedEvent.Set();
}

The code is not suitable for production but it confirmed my thread based approach works. I need to add code to shutdown the message processing thread in a controlled way, support for Class B & C devices, replace the OnJoinCompletionHandler timer magic numbers and soak test for 5-7 days.

Visual Studio Displaying RAK3172 device joining network then sending messages

In the Visual Studio 2019 debug output I could see messages getting sent and then after a short delay they were visible in the TTN console.

TTN Displaying RAK3172 device joining network then sending messages

.NET Core RAK3172 LoRaWAN library Part3

Nasty ABP connect

After getting basic connectivity for my RAK3172 test rig sorted I wanted to see if I could get the device connected to The Things Network(TTN) via the RAK7246G LPWAN Developer Gateway on my bookcase.

Raspberry Pi3 with Grove Base Hat and RAK3172 Breakout (using UART2)

My Activation By Personalisation (ABP) implementation is very “nasty” (just like the OTAA one) I have assumed that there would be no timeouts or failures and I only send one BCD message “48656c6c6f204c6f526157414e” which is “hello LoRaWAN”.

The code just sequentially steps through the necessary configuration to join the TTN network with a suitable delay after each command is sent.

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Copyright (c) September 2021, devMobile Software
//
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
// You may obtain a copy of the License at
//
//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
//
// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
// limitations under the License.
//
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
namespace devMobile.IoT.NetCore.RAK3172.NetworkJoinABP
{
	using System;
	using System.Diagnostics;
	using System.IO.Ports;
	using System.Threading;

	public class Program
	{
		private const string SerialPortId = "/dev/ttyS0";
		private const string DevAddress = "...";
		private const string NwksKey = "...";
		private const string AppsKey = "...";
		private const byte MessagePort = 1;
		private const string Payload = "A0EEE456D02AFF4AB8BAFD58101D2A2A"; // Hello LoRaWAN

		public static void Main()
		{
			string response;

			Debug.WriteLine("devMobile.IoT.NetCore.Rak3172.NetworkJoinOTAA starting");

			Debug.WriteLine(String.Join(",", SerialPort.GetPortNames()));

			try
			{
				using (SerialPort serialPort = new SerialPort(SerialPortId))
				{
					// set parameters
					serialPort.BaudRate = 9600;
					serialPort.DataBits = 8;
					serialPort.Parity = Parity.None;
					serialPort.StopBits = StopBits.One;
					serialPort.Handshake = Handshake.None;

					serialPort.ReadTimeout = 5000;

					serialPort.NewLine = "\r\n";

					serialPort.Open();

					// clear out the RX buffer
					response = serialPort.ReadExisting();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");
					Thread.Sleep(500);

					// Set the Working mode to LoRaWAN
					Console.WriteLine("Set Work mode");
					serialPort.WriteLine("AT+NWM=1");
					// Read the blank line
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					// Read the response
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Set the Region to AS923
					Console.WriteLine("Set Region");
					serialPort.WriteLine("AT+BAND=8-1");
					// Read the blank line
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					// Read the response
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Set the JoinMode
					Console.WriteLine("Set Join mode");
					serialPort.WriteLine("AT+NJM=0");
					// Read the blank line
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					// Read the response
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Set the device address
					Console.WriteLine("Set Device Address");
					serialPort.WriteLine($"AT+DEVADDR={DevAddress}");
					// Read the blank line
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					// Read the response
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Set the network session key
					Console.WriteLine("Set Network Session Key");
					serialPort.WriteLine($"AT+NWKSKEY={NwksKey}");
					// Read the blank line
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					// Read the response
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Set the application session key
					Console.WriteLine("Set application Session Key");
					serialPort.WriteLine($"AT+APPSKEY={AppsKey}");
					// Read the blank line
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					// Read the response
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Set the Confirm flag
					Console.WriteLine("Set Confirm off");
					serialPort.WriteLine("AT+CFM=0");
					// Read the blank line
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					// Read the response
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Join the network
					Console.WriteLine("Start Join");
					serialPort.WriteLine("AT+JOIN=1:0:10:2");

					// Read the blank line
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();

					// Read the Result
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					Thread.Sleep(10000);

					// Read the +EVT:JOINED
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					while (true)
					{
						Console.WriteLine("Sending");
						serialPort.WriteLine($"AT+SEND={MessagePort}:{Payload}");

						// Read the blank line
						response = serialPort.ReadLine();

						// Read the result
						Console.WriteLine("Send result");
						response = serialPort.ReadLine();
						Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

						Thread.Sleep(300000);
					}
				}
			}
			catch (Exception ex)
			{
				Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message);
			}
		}
	}
}

The code is not suitable for production but it confirmed my software and hardware configuration worked.

In the Visual Studio 2019 debug output I could see messages getting sent and then after a short delay they were visible in the TTN console.

The RAK3172 command format is quite different from other modules I have used e.g. Requesting the firmware version information

  • TX- AT+VER=?
  • RX- Blank Line
  • RX- V1.0.2
  • RX- OK

Requesting the APPEUI

  • TX- AT+DEVADDR=?
  • RX- 11223344
  • RX- Blank line
  • RX- OK

I think the RAK3172 module ships with a default DEVEUI so in this code and my library I have assumed it will be configured as part of a “provisioning” process.

.NET Core RAK3172 LoRaWAN library Part2

Nasty OTAA connect

After getting basic connectivity for my RAK3172 test rig sorted I wanted to see if I could get the device connected to The Things Network(TTN) via the RAK7246G LPWAN Developer Gateway on my bookcase.

Raspberry Pi3 with Grove Base Hat and RAK3172 Breakout (using UART2)

My Over the Air Activation (OTAA) implementation is very “nasty” I have assumed that there would be no timeouts or failures and I only send one BCD message “48656c6c6f204c6f526157414e” which is “hello LoRaWAN”.

The code just sequentially steps through the necessary configuration to join the TTN network with a suitable delay after each command is sent.

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Copyright (c) September 2021, devMobile Software
//
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
// You may obtain a copy of the License at
//
//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
//
// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
// limitations under the License.
//
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
namespace devMobile.IoT.NetCore.RAK3172.NetworkJoinOTAA
{
	using System;
	using System.Diagnostics;
	using System.IO.Ports;
	using System.Threading;

	public class Program
	{
		private const string SerialPortId = "/dev/ttyS0";
		private const string AppEui = "...";
		private const string AppKey = "...";
		private const byte MessagePort = 1;
		private const string Payload = "A0EEE456D02AFF4AB8BAFD58101D2A2A"; // Hello LoRaWAN

		public static void Main()
		{
			string response;

			Debug.WriteLine("devMobile.IoT.NetCore.Rak3172.NetworkJoinOTAA starting");

			Debug.WriteLine(String.Join(",", SerialPort.GetPortNames()));

			try
			{
				using (SerialPort serialPort = new SerialPort(SerialPortId))
				{
					// set parameters
					serialPort.BaudRate = 9600;
					serialPort.DataBits = 8;
					serialPort.Parity = Parity.None;
					serialPort.StopBits = StopBits.One;
					serialPort.Handshake = Handshake.None;

					serialPort.ReadTimeout = 5000;

					serialPort.NewLine = "\r\n";

					serialPort.Open();

					// clear out the RX buffer
					response = serialPort.ReadExisting();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");
					Thread.Sleep(500);


					// Set the Working mode to LoRaWAN
					Console.WriteLine("Set Work mode");
					serialPort.WriteLine("AT+NWM=1");
					// Read the blank line
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					// Read the response
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Set the Region to AS923
					Console.WriteLine("Set Region");
					serialPort.WriteLine("AT+BAND=8-1");
					// Read the blank line
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					// Read the response
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Set the JoinMode
					Console.WriteLine("Set Join mode");
					serialPort.WriteLine("AT+NJM=1");
					// Read the blank line
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					// Read the response
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Set the appEUI
					Console.WriteLine("Set App Eui");
					serialPort.WriteLine($"AT+APPEUI={AppEui}");
					// Read the blank line
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					// Read the response
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Set the appKey
					Console.WriteLine("Set App Key");
					serialPort.WriteLine($"AT+APPKEY={AppKey}");
					// Read the blank line
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					// Read the response
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Set the Confirm flag
					Console.WriteLine("Set Confirm off");
					serialPort.WriteLine("AT+CFM=0");
					// Read the blank line
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					// Read the response
					response = serialPort.ReadLine(); 
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Join the network
					Console.WriteLine("Start Join");
					serialPort.WriteLine("AT+JOIN=1:0:10:2");

					// Read the blank line
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();

					// Read the Result
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					Thread.Sleep(10000);

					// Read the +EVT:JOINED
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					while (true)
					{
						Console.WriteLine("Sending");
						serialPort.WriteLine($"AT+SEND={MessagePort}:{Payload}");

						// Read the blank line
						response = serialPort.ReadLine();

						// Read the result
						Console.WriteLine("Send result");
						response = serialPort.ReadLine();
						Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

						Thread.Sleep(300000);
					}
				}
			}
			catch (Exception ex)
			{
				Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message);
			}
		}
	}
}

The code is not suitable for production but it confirmed my software and hardware configuration worked.

In the Visual Studio 2019 debug output I could see messages getting sent and then after a short delay they were visible in the TTN console.

The RAK3172 command format is quite different from other modules I have used e.g. Requesting the firmware version information

  • TX- AT+VER=?
  • RX- Blank Line
  • RX- V1.0.2
  • RX- OK

Requesting the APPEUI

  • TX- AT+APPEUI=?
  • RX- 1122334455667788
  • RX- Blank line
  • RX- OK

I think the RAK3172 module ships with a default DEVEUI so in this code and my library I have assumed it will be configured as part of a “provisioning” process.

.NET Core RAK3172 LoRaWAN library Part1

Basic connectivity

Over the weekend I have been working on a .NET Core C# library for the RAKwireless RAK3172 module using a RAK3172S breakout board, Seeedstudio Grove Base Hat for Raspberry PI and a Seeedstudio Grove-4 pin Female Jumper to Grove 4 pin Conversion Cable.

Raspberry Pi3 with Grove Base Hat and RAK3172 Breakout (using UART2)

The RaspberryPI OS is a bit more strict than the other devices I use about port access. To allow my .Net Core application to access a serial port I connected to the device with ExtraPutty, then ran the RaspberyPI configuration tool, from the command prompt with “sudo raspi-config”

RaspberyPI OS Software Configuration tool mains screen
RaspberryPI OS IO Serial Port configuration
Raspberry PI OS disabling remote serial login shell
RaspberryPI OS enabling serial port access

Once serial port access was enabled I could enumerate them with SerialPort.GetPortNames() which is in the System.IO.Ports NuGet package. My sample code has compile time options for synchronous and asynchronous operation.

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Copyright (c) September 2021, devMobile Software
//
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
// You may obtain a copy of the License at
//
//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
//
// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
// limitations under the License.
//
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
namespace devMobile.IoT.NetCore.RAK3172.ShieldSerial
{
	using System;
	using System.Diagnostics;
	using System.IO.Ports;
	using System.Threading;

	public class Program
	{
		private const string SerialPortId = "/dev/ttyS0";

		public static void Main()
		{
			SerialPort serialPort;

			Debug.WriteLine("devMobile.IoT.NetCore.Rak3172.pHatSerial starting");

			Debug.WriteLine(String.Join(",", SerialPort.GetPortNames()));

			try
			{
				serialPort = new SerialPort(SerialPortId);

				// set parameters
				serialPort.BaudRate = 9600;
				serialPort.Parity = Parity.None;
				serialPort.DataBits = 8;
				serialPort.StopBits = StopBits.One;
				serialPort.Handshake = Handshake.None;

				serialPort.ReadTimeout = 1000;

				serialPort.NewLine = "\r\n";

				serialPort.Open();

#if SERIAL_ASYNC_READ
				serialPort.DataReceived += SerialDevice_DataReceived;
#endif

				while (true)
				{
					serialPort.WriteLine("AT+VER=?");

#if SERIAL_SYNC_READ
					// Read the response
					string response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX:{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Read the blank line
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX:{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Read the result
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX:{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");
#endif

					Thread.Sleep(20000);
				}
			}
			catch (Exception ex)
			{
				Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message);
			}
		}

#if SERIAL_ASYNC_READ
		private static void SerialDevice_DataReceived(object sender, SerialDataReceivedEventArgs e)
		{
			SerialPort serialPort = (SerialPort)sender;

			switch (e.EventType)
			{
				case SerialData.Chars:
					string response = serialPort.ReadExisting();

					Debug.WriteLine($"RX:{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");
					break;

				case SerialData.Eof:
					Debug.WriteLine("RX :EoF");
					break;
				default:
					Debug.Assert(false, $"e.EventType {e.EventType} unknown");
					break;
			}
		}
#endif
	}
}

When I requested the RAK3172 version information with the AT+VER? command the response was three lines, consisting of the version information, a blank line, then the result of the command. If I sent an invalid command the response was two lines, a blank line then “AT_ERROR”

AT+VER? response synchronous

The asynchronous version of the application displays character(s) as they arrive so a response could be split across multiple SerialDataReceived events

AT+VER? response asynchronous

Unlike the RAK811 module the RAK3172 defaults 9600 baud which means there is no need to change the baudrate before using the device. I use the excellent RaspberryDebugger to download application and debug them on my Raspberry PI 3.

SeeedLoRaE5-NetCore on Github

The source code of my .Net Core C# library for Seeed LoRa-E5 modules used in products like the LoRa-E5 Development Kit, LoRa-E5 mini and Grove-LoRa-E5 is now available on GitHub.

A sample application which shows how to connect using Over the Air Activation(OTAA) or Activation By Personalisation(ABP) then send and receive byte array/Binary Coded Decimal(BCD) messages .

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Copyright (c) September 2021, devMobile Software
//
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
// You may obtain a copy of the License at
//
//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
//
// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
// limitations under the License.
//
// Must have one of following options defined in the nfproj file
//    PAYLOAD_BCD or PAYLOAD_BYTES
//    OTAA or ABP
//
// Optional definitions
//    CONFIRMED For confirmed messages
//    RESET for return device to factory settings
//
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
namespace devMobile.IoT.NetCore.SeeedE5LoRa.LoRaWanDeviceClient
{
   using System;
   using System.Diagnostics;
   using System.Threading;

   using devMobile.IoT.LoRaWan;

   public class Program
   {
      private const string SerialPortId = "/dev/ttyS0";
      private const string Region = "AS923";
      private static readonly TimeSpan JoinTimeOut = new TimeSpan(0, 0, 20);
      private static readonly TimeSpan SendTimeout = new TimeSpan(0, 0, 15);

      private const byte MessagePort = 15;

#if PAYLOAD_BCD
      private const string PayloadBcd = "010203040506070809";
#endif
#if PAYLOAD_BYTES
      private static readonly byte[] PayloadBytes = { 0x09, 0x08, 0x07, 0x06, 0x05, 0x04, 0x03, 0x02, 0x01 };
#endif

      public static void Main()
      {
         Result result;

         Debug.WriteLine("devMobile.IoT.SeeedE5LoRaWANDeviceClient starting");

         try
         {
            using (SeeedE5LoRaWANDevice device = new SeeedE5LoRaWANDevice())
            {
               result = device.Initialise(SerialPortId, 9600);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"Initialise failed {result}");
                  return;
               }

#if CONFIRMED
               device.OnMessageConfirmation += OnMessageConfirmationHandler;
#endif
               device.OnReceiveMessage += OnReceiveMessageHandler;
#if RESET
               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Reset");
               result = device.Reset();
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"Reset failed {result}");
                  return;
               }
#endif

               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Region {Region}");
               result = device.Region(Region);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"Region failed {result}");
                  return;
               }

               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} ADR On");
               result = device.AdrOn();
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"ADR on failed {result}");
                  return;
               }

               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Port {MessagePort}");
               result = device.Port(MessagePort);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"Port on failed {result}");
                  return;
               }

#if OTAA
               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} OTAA");
               result = device.OtaaInitialise(Config.AppEui, Config.AppKey);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"OTAA Initialise failed {result}");
                  return;
               }
#endif

#if ABP
               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} ABP");
               result = device.AbpInitialise(Config.DevAddress, Config.NwksKey, Config.AppsKey);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"ABP Initialise failed {result}");
                  return;
               }
#endif

               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Join start Timeout:{JoinTimeOut.TotalSeconds} Seconds");
               result = device.Join(true, JoinTimeOut);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"Join failed {result}");
                  return;
               }
               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Join finish");

               while (true)
               {
#if PAYLOAD_BCD
                  Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Send Timeout:{SendTimeout.TotalSeconds} Seconds payload BCD:{PayloadBcd}");
#if CONFIRMED
                  result = device.Send(PayloadBcd, true, SendTimeout);
#else
                  result = device.Send(PayloadBcd, false, SendTimeout);
#endif
#endif

#if PAYLOAD_BYTES
                  Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Send Timeout:{SendTimeout.TotalSeconds} Seconds payload Bytes:{BitConverter.ToString(PayloadBytes)}");
#if CONFIRMED
                  result = device.Send(PayloadBytes, true, SendTimeout);
#else
                  result = device.Send(PayloadBytes, false, SendTimeout);
#endif
#endif
                  if (result != Result.Success)
                  {
                     Debug.WriteLine($"Send failed {result}");
                  }

#if LOW_POWER
                  Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Sleep");
                  result = device.Sleep();
                  if (result != Result.Success)
                  {
                     Debug.WriteLine($"Sleep failed {result}");
                     return;
                  }
#endif

                  Thread.Sleep(60000);

#if LOW_POWER
                  Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Wakeup");
                  result = device.Wakeup();
                  if (result != Result.Success)
                  {
                     Debug.WriteLine($"Wakeup failed {result}");
                     return;
                  }
#endif
               }
            }
         }
         catch (Exception ex)
         {
            Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message);
         }
      }

#if CONFIRMED
      static void OnMessageConfirmationHandler(int rssi, double snr)
      {
         Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Send Confirm RSSI:{rssi} SNR:{snr}");
      }
#endif

      static void OnReceiveMessageHandler(int port, int rssi, double snr, string payloadBcd)
      {
         byte[] payloadBytes = SeeedE5LoRaWANDevice.BcdToByes(payloadBcd);

         Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Receive Message RSSI:{rssi} SNR:{snr} Port:{port} Payload:{payloadBcd} PayLoadBytes:{BitConverter.ToString(payloadBytes)}");
      }
   }
}

.NET Core Seeed LoRaE5 LoRaWAN library Part2

Nasty OTAA connect

After getting basic connectivity for my Seeed LoRa-E5 test rig sorted I used RAK7246G LPWAN Developer Gateway on my bookcase to connect to The Things Network(TTN)

Seeed LoRa-E5 Development kit connected to Gove bas shield on a Raspberry PI3

My Over the Air Activation (OTAA) implementation is very “nasty” I have assumed that there would be no timeouts or failures and I only send one BCD message “48656c6c6f204c6f526157414e” which is “hello LoRaWAN”.

The code just sequentially steps through the necessary configuration to join the TTN network with a suitable delay after each command is sent. There also appeared to be quite a variation in response times, especially for joining the network(most probably network related) and the progress of sending a message.

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Copyright (c) September 2021, devMobile Software
//
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
// You may obtain a copy of the License at
//
//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
//
// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
// limitations under the License.
//
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
namespace devMobile.IoT.NetCore.SeeedLoRaE5.NetworkJoinOTAA
{
	using System;
	using System.Diagnostics;
	using System.IO.Ports;
	using System.Threading;

	class Program
	{
		private const string SerialPortId = "/dev/ttyS0";

		private const string AppKey = "................................";
		private const string AppEui = "................";

		private const byte MessagePort = 15;

		//private const string Payload = "48656c6c6f204c6f526157414e"; // Hello LoRaWAN
		private const string Payload = "01020304"; // AQIDBA==
		//private const string Payload = "04030201"; // BAMCAQ==

		public static void Main()
		{
			string response;

			Debug.WriteLine("devMobile.IoT.SeeedLoRaE5.NetworkJoinOTAA starting");

			Debug.WriteLine(String.Join(",", SerialPort.GetPortNames()));

			try
			{
				using (SerialPort serialDevice = new SerialPort(SerialPortId))
				{
					// set parameters
					serialDevice.BaudRate = 9600;
					serialDevice.Parity = Parity.None;
					serialDevice.StopBits = StopBits.One;
					serialDevice.Handshake = Handshake.None;
					serialDevice.DataBits = 8;

					serialDevice.ReadTimeout = 10000;

					serialDevice.NewLine = "\r\n";

					serialDevice.Open();

					// clear out the RX buffer
					serialDevice.ReadExisting();
					response = serialDevice.ReadExisting();
					Debug.WriteLine($"Response :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");
					Thread.Sleep(500);

					// Set the Region to AS923
					serialDevice.WriteLine("AT+DR=AS923\r\n");
					response = serialDevice.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"Response :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Set the Join mode
					serialDevice.WriteLine("AT +MODE=LWOTAA\r\n");
					response = serialDevice.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"Response :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Set the appEUI
					serialDevice.WriteLine($"AT+ID=AppEui,\"{AppEui}\"\r\n");
					response = serialDevice.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"Response :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Set the appKey
					serialDevice.WriteLine($"AT+KEY=APPKEY,{AppKey}\r\n");
					response = serialDevice.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"Response :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Set the port number
					serialDevice.WriteLine($"AT+PORT={MessagePort}\r\n");
					response = serialDevice.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"Response :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Join the network
					serialDevice.WriteLine("AT+JOIN\r\n");

					// Join start
					response = serialDevice.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"Response :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// JOIN normal
					response = serialDevice.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"Response :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					Thread.Sleep(5000);

					// network joined
					response = serialDevice.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"Response :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Net ID
					response = serialDevice.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"Response :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Join done
					response = serialDevice.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"Response :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					while (true)
					{
						Debug.WriteLine("Sending");

						serialDevice.WriteLine($"AT+MSGHEX=\"{Payload}\"\r\n");

						// Start
						response = serialDevice.ReadLine();
						Debug.WriteLine($"Response :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

						// Fpending
						response = serialDevice.ReadLine();
						Debug.WriteLine($"Response :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

						//Read metrics
						response = serialDevice.ReadLine();
						Debug.WriteLine($"Response :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

						//Done
						response = serialDevice.ReadLine();
						Debug.WriteLine($"Response :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

						Thread.Sleep(30000);
					}
				}
			}
			catch (Exception ex)
			{
				Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message);
			}
		}
	}
}

The code is not suitable for production but it confirmed my software and hardware configuration worked.

Visual Studio debugger output window showing network join and sensing a message

In the Visual Studio 2019 debug output I could see messages getting sent and then after a short delay they were visible in the TTN console.

The Things Industries Live Data view showing network join and sensing a message

Most of the LoRaWAN modems I have worked with reply “OK” when a command is successful. The SeeedLoRa-E5 often returns the payload of the request in the response which makes the code a little bit more complex.

AppEui command structure in AT Command documentation

For example the AppEui can be passed in as “00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00” or “0000000000000000” but in the response the format is always “00:00:00:00:00:00:00:00”

.NET Core Seeed LoRaE5 LoRaWAN library Part1

Basic connectivity

Over the weekend I started building a .Net Core C# library for a Seeedstudio LoRa-E5 Development Kit which was connected to a Raspberry PI 3 with a Grove Base Hat for Raspberry Pi

The RaspberryPI OS is a bit more strict than the other devices I use about port access. To allow my .Net Core application to access a serial port I connected to the device with ExtraPutty, then ran the RaspberyPI configuration tool, from the command prompt with “sudo raspi-config”

RaspberyPI OS Software Configuration tool mains screen
RaspberryPI OS IO Serial Port configuration
Raspberry PI OS disabling remote serial login shell
RaspberryPI OS enabling serial port access

Once serial port access was enabled I could enumerate them with SerialPort.GetPortNames() which is in the System.IO.Ports NuGet package. The code has compile time options for synchronous and asynchronous operation.

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Copyright (c) September 2021, devMobile Software
//
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
// You may obtain a copy of the License at
//
//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
//
// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
// limitations under the License.
//
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
namespace devMobile.IoT.NetCore.SeeedLoRaE5.ShieldSerial
{
	using System;
	using System.Diagnostics;
	using System.IO.Ports;
	using System.Threading;

	public class Program
	{
		private const string SerialPortId = "/dev/ttyS0";

		public static void Main()
		{
			SerialPort serialPort;

			Debug.WriteLine("devMobile.IoT.NetCore.SeeedLoRaE5.ShieldSerial starting");

			Debug.WriteLine(String.Join(",", SerialPort.GetPortNames()));

			try
			{
				serialPort = new SerialPort(SerialPortId);

				// set parameters
				serialPort.BaudRate = 9600;
				serialPort.Parity = Parity.None;
				serialPort.DataBits = 8;
				serialPort.StopBits = StopBits.One;
				serialPort.Handshake = Handshake.None;

				serialPort.ReadTimeout = 1000;

				serialPort.NewLine = "\r\n";

				serialPort.Open();

#if SERIAL_ASYNC_READ
				serialPort.DataReceived += SerialDevice_DataReceived;
#endif

				while (true)
				{
					serialPort.WriteLine("AT+VER");

#if SERIAL_SYNC_READ
					string response = serialPort.ReadLine();

					Debug.WriteLine($"RX:{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");
#endif

					Thread.Sleep(20000);
				}
			}
			catch (Exception ex)
			{
				Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message);
			}
		}

#if SERIAL_ASYNC_READ
		private static void SerialDevice_DataReceived(object sender, SerialDataReceivedEventArgs e)
		{
			SerialPort serialPort = (SerialPort)sender;

			switch (e.EventType)
			{
				case SerialData.Chars:
					string response = serialPort.ReadExisting();

					Debug.WriteLine($"RX:{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");
					break;

				case SerialData.Eof:
					Debug.WriteLine("RX :EoF");
					break;
				default:
					Debug.Assert(false, $"e.EventType {e.EventType} unknown");
					break;
			}
		}
#endif
	}
}

The synchronous version of the test client requests the Seeeduino LoRa-E5 version information with the AT+VER command.

Synchronously reading characters from the Seeeduino LoRa-E5

The asynchronous version of the application displays character(s) as they arrive so a response can be split across multiple SerialDataReceived events.

Asynchronous versions displaying partial responses

I use the excellent RaspberryDebugger to download the application and debug it on my Raspberry PI 3.

RAK811LoRaWAN-NetCore on Github

The source code of my .Net Core C# library for RAKWireless RAK811 modules used in products like the PiSupply IoT LoRa Node pHat for Raspberry PI is now available on GitHub.

A sample application which shows how to connect using Over the Air Activation(OTAA) or Activation By Personalisation(ABP) then send and receive byte array/Binary Coded Decimal(BCD) messages .

 //---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Copyright (c) Setpember 2021, devMobile Software
//
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
// You may obtain a copy of the License at
//
//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
//
// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
// limitations under the License.
//
//  PAYLOAD_BCD vs. PAYLOAD_BCD
//  OTAA vs. ABP
//  CONFIRMED
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
namespace devMobile.IoT.NetCore.Rak811.LoRaWanDeviceClient
{
   using System;
   using System.IO.Ports;
   using System.Threading;
   using System.Diagnostics;

	using devMobile.IoT.NetCore.Rak811.LoRaWan;

	public class Program
   {
      private const string SerialPortId = "/dev/ttyS0";
      private const string Region = "AS923";
      private static readonly TimeSpan JoinTimeOut = new TimeSpan(0, 0, 10);
      private static readonly TimeSpan SendTimeout = new TimeSpan(0, 0, 20);
      private const byte MessagePort = 1;
#if PAYLOAD_BCD
      private const string PayloadBcd = "48656c6c6f204c6f526157414e"; // Hello LoRaWAN in BCD
#endif
#if PAYLOAD_BYTES
      private static readonly byte[] PayloadBytes = { 0x48, 0x65, 0x6c, 0x6c, 0x6f, 0x20, 0x4c, 0x6f, 0x52, 0x61, 0x57, 0x41, 0x4e}; // Hello LoRaWAN in bytes
#endif

      public static void Main()
      {
         Result result;

         Debug.WriteLine("devMobile.IoT.NetCore.Rak811.Rak811LoRaWanDeviceClient starting");

         Debug.WriteLine($"Ports :{String.Join(",", SerialPort.GetPortNames())}");

         try
         {
            using (Rak811LoRaWanDevice device = new Rak811LoRaWanDevice())
            {
               result = device.Initialise(SerialPortId, 9600, Parity.None, 8, StopBits.One);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"Initialise failed {result}");
                  return;
               }

#if CONFIRMED
               device.OnMessageConfirmation += OnMessageConfirmationHandler;
#endif
               device.OnReceiveMessage += OnReceiveMessageHandler;

               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Region {Region}");
               result = device.Region(Region);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"Region failed {result}");
                  return;
               }

               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} ADR On");
               result = device.AdrOn();
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"ADR on failed {result}");
                  return;
               }

#if CONFIRMED
               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Confirmed");
               result = device.Confirm(LoRaConfirmType.Confirmed);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"Confirm on failed {result}");
                  return;
               }
#else
               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Unconfirmed");
               result = device.Confirm(LoRaConfirmType.Unconfirmed);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"Confirm off failed {result}");
                  return;
               }
#endif

#if OTAA
               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} OTAA");
               result = device.OtaaInitialise(Config.AppEui, Config.AppKey);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"OTAA Initialise failed {result}");
                  return;
               }
#endif

#if ABP
               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} ABP");
               result = device.AbpInitialise(DevAddress, NwksKey, AppsKey);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"ABP Initialise failed {result}");
                  return;
               }
#endif

               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Join start Timeout:{JoinTimeOut.TotalMilliseconds}mSec");
               result = device.Join(JoinTimeOut);
               if (result != Result.Success)
               {
                  Debug.WriteLine($"Join failed {result}");
                  return;
               }
               Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Join finish");

               while (true)
               {
#if PAYLOAD_BCD
                  Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Send Timeout:{JoinTimeOut.Seconds}s port:{MessagePort} payload BCD:{PayloadBcd}");
                  result = device.Send(MessagePort, PayloadBcd, SendTimeout);
#endif
#if PAYLOAD_BYTES
                  Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Send Timeout:{JoinTimeOut.Seconds}s port:{MessagePort} payload Bytes:{BitConverter.ToString(PayloadBytes)}");
                  result = device.Send(MessagePort, PayloadBytes, SendTimeout);
#endif
                  if (result != Result.Success)
                  {
                     Debug.WriteLine($"Send failed {result}");
                  }

                  // if we sleep module too soon response is missed
                  Thread.Sleep(new TimeSpan(0, 0, 5));

                  Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Sleep");
                  result = device.Sleep();
                  if (result != Result.Success)
                  {
                     Debug.WriteLine($"Sleep failed {result}");
                     return;
                  }

                  Thread.Sleep(new TimeSpan(0, 5, 0));

                  Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Wakeup");
                  result = device.Wakeup();
                  if (result != Result.Success)
                  {
                     Debug.WriteLine($"Wakeup failed {result}");
                     return;
                  }

                  // if we send too soon after wakeup failure
                  Thread.Sleep(new TimeSpan(0, 0, 5));
               }
            }
         }
         catch (Exception ex)
         {
            Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message);
         }
      }

#if CONFIRMED
      static void OnMessageConfirmationHandler(int rssi, int snr)
      {
         Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Send Confirm RSSI:{rssi} SNR:{snr}");
      }
#endif

      static void OnReceiveMessageHandler(int port, int rssi, int snr, string payloadBcd)
      {
         byte[] payloadBytes = Rak811LoRaWanDevice.BcdToByes(payloadBcd);

         Debug.WriteLine($"{DateTime.UtcNow:hh:mm:ss} Receive Message RSSI:{rssi} SNR:{snr} Port:{port} Payload:{payloadBcd} PayLoadBytes:{BitConverter.ToString(payloadBytes)}");
      }
   }
}

If you are using this library in an AS923 Region you will need to use AS923_HACK

.NET Core RAK811 LoRaWAN library Part2

Nasty OTAA connect

After getting basic connectivity for my IoT LoRa Node pHAT for Raspberry Pi test rig sorted I wanted to see if I could get the device connected to The Things Network(TTN) via the RAK7246G LPWAN Developer Gateway on my bookcase.

IoT LoRa Node pHAT for Raspberry Pi mounted on a Raspberry PI3

My Over the Air Activation (OTAA) implementation is very “nasty” I have assumed that there would be no timeouts or failures and I only send one BCD message “48656c6c6f204c6f526157414e” which is “hello LoRaWAN”.

The code just sequentially steps through the necessary configuration to join the TTN network with a suitable delay after each command is sent. I had some problems with re-opening the serial port if my application had previously failed with an uncaught exception. After some experimentation I added some code to ensure the port was closed when an exception occurred.

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Copyright (c) September 2021, devMobile Software
//
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
// You may obtain a copy of the License at
//
//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
//
// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
// limitations under the License.
//
//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
namespace devMobile.IoT.NetCore.Rak811.NetworkJoinOTAA
{
	using System;
	using System.Diagnostics;
	using System.IO.Ports;
	using System.Threading;

	public class Program
	{
		private const string SerialPortId = "/dev/ttyS0";
		private const string AppEui = "...";
		private const string AppKey = "...";
		private const byte MessagePort = 1;
		private const string Payload = "A0EEE456D02AFF4AB8BAFD58101D2A2A"; // Hello LoRaWAN

		public static void Main()
		{
			string response;

			Debug.WriteLine("devMobile.IoT.NetCore.Rak811.NetworkJoinOTAA starting");

			Debug.WriteLine(String.Join(",", SerialPort.GetPortNames()));

			try
			{
				using (SerialPort serialPort = new SerialPort(SerialPortId))
				{
					// set parameters
					serialPort.BaudRate = 9600;
					serialPort.DataBits = 8;
					serialPort.Parity = Parity.None;
					serialPort.StopBits = StopBits.One;
					serialPort.Handshake = Handshake.None;

					serialPort.ReadTimeout = 5000;

					serialPort.NewLine = "\r\n";

					serialPort.Open();

					// clear out the RX buffer
					response = serialPort.ReadExisting();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");
					Thread.Sleep(500);

					// Set the Working mode to LoRaWAN
					Console.WriteLine("Set Work mode");
					serialPort.WriteLine("at+set_config=lora:work_mode:0");
					Thread.Sleep(5000);
					response = serialPort.ReadExisting();
					response = response.Trim('\0');
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Set the Region to AS923
					Console.WriteLine("Set Region");
					serialPort.WriteLine("at+set_config=lora:region:AS923");
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Set the JoinMode
					Console.WriteLine("Set Join mode");
					serialPort.WriteLine("at+set_config=lora:join_mode:0");
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Set the appEUI
					Console.WriteLine("Set App Eui");
					serialPort.WriteLine($"at+set_config=lora:app_eui:{AppEui}");
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Set the appKey
					Console.WriteLine("Set App Key");
					serialPort.WriteLine($"at+set_config=lora:app_key:{AppKey}");
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					// Set the Confirm flag
					Console.WriteLine("Set Confirm off");
					serialPort.WriteLine("at+set_config=lora:confirm:0");
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");
					
					// Join the network
					Console.WriteLine("Start Join");
					serialPort.WriteLine("at+join");
					Thread.Sleep(10000);
					response = serialPort.ReadLine();
					Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

					while (true)
					{
						Console.WriteLine("Sending");
						serialPort.WriteLine($"at+send=lora:{MessagePort}:{Payload}");
						Thread.Sleep(1000);

						// The OK
						Console.WriteLine("Send result");
						response = serialPort.ReadLine();
						Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

						// The Signal strength information etc.
						Console.WriteLine("Network confirmation");
						response = serialPort.ReadLine();
						Debug.WriteLine($"RX :{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");

						Thread.Sleep(20000);
					}
				}
			}
			catch (Exception ex)
			{
				Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message);
			}
		}
	}
}

The code is not suitable for production but it confirmed my software and hardware configuration worked.

In the Visual Studio 2019 debug output I could see messages getting sent and then after a short delay they were visible in the TTN console.

The Things Industries Live Data Tab showing my device connecting and sending messages

The RAK811 doesn’t fully implement the AS923 specification but I have a work around detailed in another post.

.NET Core RAK811 LoRaWAN library Part1

Basic connectivity

In my spare time over the last couple of days I have been working on a .Net Core C# library for a RAKWireless RAK811 based PiSupply IoT LoRa Node pHat for Raspberry PI.

Raspberry Pi3 with PI Supply RAK811 based IoT node LoRaWAN pHat

The RaspberryPI OS is a bit more strict than the other devices I use about port access. To allow my .Net Core application to access a serial port I connected to the device with ExtraPutty, then ran the RaspberyPI configuration tool, from the command prompt with “sudo raspi-config”

RaspberyPI OS Software Configuration tool mains screen
RaspberryPI OS IO Serial Port configuration
Raspberry PI OS disabling remote serial login shell
RaspberryPI OS enabling serial port access

Once serial port access was enabled I could enumerate them with SerialPort.GetPortNames() which is in the System.IO.Ports NuGet package. The code has compile time options for synchronous and asynchronous operation.

//---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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namespace devMobile.IoT.NetCore.Rak811.pHatSerial
{
	using System;
	using System.Diagnostics;

	using System.IO.Ports;
	using System.Threading;

	public class Program
	{
		private const string SerialPortId = "/dev/ttyS0";

		public static void Main()
		{
			SerialPort serialPort;

			Debug.WriteLine("devMobile.IoT.NetCore.Rak811.pHatSerial starting");

			Debug.WriteLine(String.Join(",", SerialPort.GetPortNames()));

			try
			{
				serialPort = new SerialPort(SerialPortId);

				// set parameters
#if DEFAULT_BAUDRATE
				serialDevice.BaudRate = 115200;
#else
            serialPort.BaudRate = 9600;
#endif
				serialPort.Parity = Parity.None;
				serialPort.DataBits = 8;
				serialPort.StopBits = StopBits.One;
				serialPort.Handshake = Handshake.None;

				serialPort.ReadTimeout = 1000;

				serialPort.NewLine = "\r\n";

				serialPort.Open();

#if DEFAULT_BAUDRATE
				Debug.WriteLine("RAK811 baud rate set to 9600");
				serialDevice.Write("at+set_config=device:uart:1:9600");
#endif

#if SERIAL_ASYNC_READ
				serialPort.DataReceived += SerialDevice_DataReceived;
#endif

				while (true)
				{
					serialPort.WriteLine("at+version");

#if SERIAL_SYNC_READ
					string response = serialPort.ReadLine();

					Debug.WriteLine($"RX:{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");
#endif

					Thread.Sleep(20000);
				}
			}
			catch (Exception ex)
			{
				Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message);
			}
		}

#if SERIAL_ASYNC_READ
		private static void SerialDevice_DataReceived(object sender, SerialDataReceivedEventArgs e)
		{
			SerialPort serialPort = (SerialPort)sender;

			switch (e.EventType)
			{
				case SerialData.Chars:
					string response = serialPort.ReadExisting();

					Debug.WriteLine($"RX:{response.Trim()} bytes:{response.Length}");
					break;

				case SerialData.Eof:
					Debug.WriteLine("RX :EoF");
					break;
				default:
					Debug.Assert(false, $"e.EventType {e.EventType} unknown");
					break;
			}
		}
#endif
	}
}

The first step was to change the RAK811 serial port speed from 115200 to 9600 baud.

Changing RAK811 serial port from 115200 to 9600 baud

Then I requested the RAK811 version information with the at+version command.

Synchronously reading characters from the RAK811 partial response

I had to add a short delay between sending the command and reading the response.

Synchronously reading characters from the RAK811 complete command responses

The asynchronous version of the application displays character(s) as they arrive so a response could be split across multiple SerialDataReceived events

Asynchronous versions displaying partial responses

I use the excellent RaspberryDebugger to download the application and debug it on my Raspberry PI 3.