1. Pre-Installation Considerations
Before you begin, consider the following for optimal performance:
Location: Install the equipment in a secure, central location with low foot traffic, such as a locked janitor's closet or IT room. It should be inaccessible to the general public.
Coverage: A single set of networking equipment provides wide coverage.
Horizontally: Covers an entire floor.
Vertically: Covers approximately 5 floors above and 5 floors below the installation point. For example, in a 10-story building, installing the equipment on the 5th floor is ideal.
Hardware Type: Identify which of the two types of networking equipment you have received:
Laird LoRa (a blue device paired with a separate black router)
WisGate LoRa (a single white or black device)
2. Installation Preparation
Gather your components and take note of important identifiers before you plug anything in.
Note: A guide with more photos is available at the attachment at the bottom of this KB Article
2.1. Laird LoRa & Router
Check Components: Ensure you have:
Laird LoRa device (blue) with 3 antennas and a power cord.
Teltonika or Cradlepoint router (black) with 3 antennas and a power cord.
An Ethernet cable.
Attach Antennas: Screw the antennas clockwise onto the correct ports.
Laird LoRa (Blue Device): The longest antenna attaches to the leftmost port. The two shorter antennas attach to the other two ports.
Teltonika Router: The cylindrical antenna attaches to the top-most port. The two non-cylindrical antennas attach to the other two ports.
Cradlepoint Router: The cylindrical antenna attaches to the side with a single port. The two non-cylindrical antennas attach to the ports on the other side.
Record IDs:
On the back of the blue Laird LoRa, find and write down the DevEUI.
On the back of the black router, find and write down the Serial Number.
2.2. WisGate LoRa
Check Components: Ensure you have the WisGate LoRa device (white) with its antenna and power cord.
Attach Antenna: Screw the antenna clockwise onto the device.
Record ID: On the back of the WisGate LoRa, find and write down the GWEUI.
3. Installation Steps
3.1. Installing the Laird LoRa & Router
Power On the Router: Plug in the router first. Wait for its status lights to turn on and stabilize.
Connect Devices: Plug one end of the Ethernet cable into a LAN port on the router and the other end into the port on the Laird LoRa.
Power On the LoRa: Plug in the Laird LoRa. Wait for the Power, Ethernet, and LoRa lights to turn solid.
Mount (Optional): Peel the backing from the VHB tape on the devices and mount them to a clean wall. Use cable ties to keep wires neat.
3.2. Installing the WisGate LoRa
Power On the Device: Plug in the WisGate LoRa.
Check Lights: Wait for the three green lights (Power, LoRa, LTE) and the blue light on top to turn on and stabilize.
4. Adding the Device to the Control Center
Navigate to Settings (gear icon) in the bottom-left of the Control Center.
Go to the Devices tab.
Click the orange Add Device button.
Fill out the form with the following information:
Sensor Type: Select Networking.
Building/Floor/Location: Select where the hardware is physically installed.
LoRa QR Code:
For Laird LoRa, enter the DevEUI you recorded.
For WisGate LoRa, enter the GWEUI you recorded.
Modem Barcode:
For Laird LoRa, enter the Serial Number from the router.
For WisGate LoRa, enter NA.
Nickname: Give the device a descriptive name (e.g., "Networking - 5th Floor Janitor's Room").
Select Photo: Upload a photo of the final installation to help locate it in the future.
Click Save.
5. Troubleshooting
If your networking equipment appears offline in the Control Center:
Check Connections: Double-check that all power cords, ethernet cables, and antennas are securely connected to the correct ports.
Perform a Restart:
Laird LoRa: Unplug both the router and the LoRa device. Wait 20 seconds. Plug the router in first and wait for its lights to stabilize. Then, plug in the LoRa and wait for its lights to turn on.
WisGate LoRa: Unplug the device. Wait 20 seconds, then plug it back in and wait for the lights to stabilize.
Wait: After a successful restart, allow up to one hour for the device status to update to "Online" in the Control Center.
Contact Support: If the equipment is still offline after following these steps, please contact Mero support for further assistance.