This guide explains how to connect a RAK WisNode RAK2560 Sensor Hub through WisGate RAK7268V2 to the Actility LoRaWAN server. Going beyond the connection, it also covers how to debug the end device connection in Actility, forward the retrieved sensor data to visualization, and simulate network coverage.
This tutorial is part of a three-part series:
- Part 1: Connect WisGate RAK7268V2 to Actility
- Part 2: Connect WisNode RAK2560 Sensor Hub to Actility (this guide)
- Part 3: Use Actility's Connections to Forward Data for Storage and Visualization
Before you proceed, make sure your RAK gateway is connected to the Actility LoRaWAN server. If you haven’t completed the setup, refer to the Connect WisGate RAK7268V2 to Actility guide for step-by-step instructions. Once the connection is complete, move on to setting up the Sensor Hub.
Connect the WisNode RAK2560 Sensor Hub to Actility
After connecting the gateway to the LoRaWAN server, register the end device on the Actility platform.
Set up the Sensor Hub and integrate two sensors into it:
- Sensor Probe Temperature + Barometric Pressure + Acceleration Sensor
- Sensor Probe IO with a third-party soil sensor connected through RS485/Modbus
Each sensor has its own setup section and sends an interval setup. For simplification, keep the sensors' default settings.
Key Topics Covered:
- Set Up the Sensor Hub
- Register Sensor Hub on the Actility LoRaWAN Server
- Connect Sensor Hub with the Actility LoRaWAN Server
- Troubleshoot Sensor Hub Join Issues
Set Up the Sensor Hub
1. Ensure the Sensor Hub is set to the same LoRaWAN region as the gateway. This guide uses AS923-3.
2. Use the WisToolBox mobile app to configure the Sensor Hub, as communication is done via BLE. For installation steps and requirements, refer to the WisToolBox manual.
3. Connect WisToolBox to the Sensor Hub via BLE and NFC Wake-up. Refer to the Sensor Hub Quick Start Guide for details.
4. Once connected, navigate to the LORA & LORAWAN PARAMETERS and open Global settings. Configure the Sensor Hub and set the following:
- Join Mode: OTAA
- Active Region: Match the gateway’s configured frequency region
Sensor Hub and gateway must match the LoRaWAN region set on the Actility server. Verify and correct it before proceeding to avoid device join failure.
Figure 1: Configure Sensor Hub LoRaWAN Parameters
5. After configuring the Global settings, open the LoRaWAN keys, ID, and EUI section. You will see the following parameters:
- Application EUI
- Application key
- Device EUI
Take note of or capture a screenshot of the Application EUI, Application key, and Device EUI. These three are required when registering the Sensor Hub on the Actility LoRaWAN server.
Figure 2: Sensor Hub LoRaWAN Keys
Register Sensor Hub on the Actility LoRaWAN Server
1. Open the Actility ThingPark Admin console.
2. On the Admin Console Dashboard, under the Devices tab, click the “+” button to add a new device.
Figure 3: Actility Dashboard
3. In the ADDING A DEVICE prompt, select View More Manufacturers to expand the list and find additional device options.
Figure 4: Add a device by selecting a manufacturer
4. In the Select Your Device Manufacturer window, locate and select RAKwireless. You can either scroll through the list manually or type RAK in the search field to find it quickly.
Figure 5: Select RAKwireless as the device manufacturer
You will be redirected to the ADDING A DEVICE page.
Figure 6: Add device information
5. In the Model selector, choose the specific device model and class. For this guide, select RAK2560 WisNode Sensor Hub - class A as an example.
Figure 7: Select Sensor Hub device class
6. In the ISM Band selector, choose the band configured on your Sensor Hub. This guide uses AS923-3 as an example.
Figure 8: Select ISM Band
- If you are using a different LoRaWAN region, update the ISM Band to match. All devices in the network must use the same region to ensure proper communication and compatibility.
- For a successful network join, enter the DevEUI, JoinEUI (AppEUI), and AppKey exactly as retrieved in Step 5 of the Set Up Sensor Hub section. Ensure the device is set to OTAA join mode.
- Unlike other LoRaWAN servers, no further details about the LoRaWAN region are required.
- Fields like Name, Motion Indicator, and Additional Information are not required for network joining, but you can fill them out if you wish.
Figure 9: Fill out the device information
- Other settings on this page, such as Set Your Device Location and Configure Roaming are not required for the initial network join.
The Associate Your Device With Your Connections settings will be used later in this guide.
7. To add the device, click on the ADD button.
Figure 10: Add device connections
A new window will open, showing the device settings. The device status will initially display as INITIALIZATION. This means the Sensor Hub has not yet joined the LoRa network.
Figure 11: Device initialization
Connect Sensor Hub with the Actility LoRaWAN Server
1. Open the WisToolBox app and connect it to the Sensor Hub via BLE and NFC Wake-up. For the connection details, refer to the Sensor Hub Quick Start Guide.
2. Navigate to the LORA & LORAWAN PARAMETERS and open Data on LoRa® network section.
3. Open the Join Network menu and enable Automatic Access to ensure the Sensor Hub connects to the LoRaWAN server automatically after a power cycle. Then, click the JOIN NETWORK button.
Figure 12: Sensor Hub Join Network
Confirm Successful Join Procedure
After initiating the join, verify success using the following methods:
1. WisToolBox
- Check the Network status box.
- If the box is ticked, the Sensor Hub has successfully joined the network.
Figure 13: Successful Join
2. WisGateOS 2
- Open the web UI.
- Navigate to Overview and click the Packet capture arrow button. Use the packet capture tool to view the Gateway Packet Capture log.
Figure 14: WisGateOS 2 Packet Capture
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Look for the following entries in the packet capture log:
- 🟡 Yellow: Join Request packet sent from the Sensor Hub to the LoRaWAN server.
- 🟢 Green: Join Accept packet sent from the LoRaWAN server back to the Sensor Hub.
Figure 15: Gateway Packet Capture
3. Actility Network Server
- Check the device status on the server.
- The upper right corner of the platform should display Active once the device has joined.
Figure 16: Actility Server Device Active
- Scroll down in the device window to view the Join procedure and the received data packets.
Figure 17: Actility Last Packets
Troubleshoot Sensor Hub Join Issues
If the join procedure is unsuccessful, check the following potential problems:
- The gateway is out of range of the Sensor Hub.
- The device is set up for a different LoRaWAN region than registered in Actility.
- The device credentials do not match the credentials registered in Actility.
- The gateway is not connected to Actility.
Next Steps:
Now that the Sensor Hub is successfully communicating with the Actility LoRaWAN server through the RAK7268 gateway, you can start exploring the different features that Actility offers:
- Wireless Logger
- Data packet parsing
- Cloud integrations, such as MQTT, The ThingsBoard, or Datacake.
Check Sensor Hub Data Packets in Actility's Wireless Logger
The Actility ThingPark Console provides more than just LoRaWAN gateway and device connectivity. After connecting the device, your first steps should be to:
- Verify received data packets
- Check transmission frequencies
- Evaluate signal quality
- Identify potential communication issues.
To perform these checks, Actility integrates the Wireless Logger tool into the console, accessible through the Network Tools menu.
Figure 18: Actility Wireless Logger
When clicked, the Wireless Logger opens a new window.
- The Upper section contains filters and settings.
- The Lower section displays the received and sent packets from all registered devices connected through the gateways.
Figure 19: Actility Wireless Logger View
The Wireless Logger can be used to verify the following key details:
- The cfList for additional channels sent to the device (available for certain LoRaWAN regions, such as EU868 and AS923)
- Signal quality (RSSI and SNR)
- MAC commands sent from the server to the end device
- Whether the end device is using all defined channels (frequencies) for uplinks
Example Data the Wireless Logger Can Display
1. Join request/accept information
View successful or failed join attempts between the Sensor Hub and the LoRaWAN server.
Figure 20: Actility Join request/accept information
2. cfList transmission, dwell time settings as MAC command downlink
Figure 21: Cflist, dwell, and MAC Information
A full description of the options available in the Wireless Logger can be found in Actility's documentation.
In addition to viewing raw packet details, the Wireless Logger can also display parsed uplink payloads for easier data interpretation.
Adding a payload parser simplifies forwarding and visualizing the sensor data.
1. To parse the incoming data, a Driver must be created. Open the Actility Console, and select Drivers to create a new driver.
Figure 22: Actility drivers
2. A new window will open with a large selection of existing drivers. There is no existing driver for the Sensor Hub payload, but you can add additional drivers by clicking the ADD DRIVER button.
Figure 23: Drivers page view
The Information and Code tabs are required to add a driver. The drivers created manually are only visible within your current Actility account and are not publicly shared.
Figure 23: Drivers information window
3. In the Information tab, enter the Actility Driver Name and ID.
Figure 24: Drivers added information
4. Switch to the Code tab, and add a JavaScript payload decoder for the Sensor Hub. Below the code is an option to check the payload decoder's functionality by entering the raw payload.
Figure 25: Drivers code windows with payload decoder
The payload decoder for the RAK2560 Sensor Hub (and other RAKwireless devices) can be downloaded from the RAKwireless GitHub account.
5. Once the driver is saved, it must be linked to the device. To do this, edit the Driver Metadata in the device overview by clicking the Show Driver metadata icon next to the model entry.
6. The Protocol Identifier initially displays None. Click on the pen icon to update it.
Figure 26: Show Driver Metadata
7. A new pop-up window will show the driver that was created. Select the driver and confirm its usage with the device.
Figure 27: Driver protocol identifier
8. Close the Driver Metadata window and reopen the Wireless Logger.
9. Click the Decoder selector and choose Automatic from the drop-down list.
Figure 28: Automatic Decoder
Once configured, the Wireless Logger will display decoded payloads directly within the packet logs.
Figure 29: Decoded Payloads
Assess Gateway Coverage with Actility's Network Coverage Tool
Another very helpful tool in the Actility Console is the Network Coverage Tool, which simulates the potential coverage area of a gateway.
1. To start, open Network Coverage under the Network Tools section of the console.
Figure 30: Actility Network Tools
2. In the new window, open Simulations and click ADD SIMULATION.
Figure 31: Network Coverage Add Simulation
3. Start with the general configuration, and choose between Safe and Optimistic prediction models. Enter your preferred settings, and click Next.
Figure 32: Simulation prediction type
4. Configure the simulation settings, including the expected end Device Settings like TX power, antenna gain, and location. Be sure to select the correct regulatory settings. Once you've entered the information, click Next.
Figure 33: Configure the Device and Regulatory Settings
5. In the Advanced Settings, adjust additional parameters, then click Next.
Figure 34: Link Budget Advanced Settings
6. Once done with the Advanced Settings, prepare the gateways (base stations) for the simulation. Download the list of registered base stations by clicking Export BS List, then click Next.
Figure 35: Export base stations list
7. In the next window, click Browse to select the previously saved Base Stations List. Check the area below for any reported issues.
If problems are reported (e.g., missing antenna data, incomplete location/altitude), correct the CSV file and re-import it.
8. When all errors are cleared, click Next to proceed.
Figure 36: Upload your CSV file
9. In the final window, click the START SIMULATION button to launch the simulation.
Free accounts are limited to 5 simulations. Additional simulations will incur a fee.
Figure 37: Start the RF simulation
10. After the simulation run is finished, open the Simulations section and click the simulation name to view results.
Figure 38: Check the RF simulation results
Simulation results are theoretical and depend on the accuracy of input parameters. Here is the result of this test simulation.
Figure 39: Map of the RF simulation
Figure 40: Details of the RF Simulation
You can also download the simulation results. The archive contains the simulation parameters and the results of the simulation as a KMZ file.
The KMZ file can be opened using Google Earth for detailed geographic visualization.
Figure 41: KMZ file uploaded to Google Earth
Up Next: Actility's Connections Feature
This guide covered:
- Connecting a Sensor Hub to an Actility LoRaWAN server.
- Debugging data communication between the Sensor Hub and Actility
- Parsing Sensor Hub payload in Actility
With the Sensor Hub now successfully communication with the Actility LoRaWAN server via the RAK7268V2 gateway, the next step is cloud integration.
In the final part of this tutorial series, you'll learn how to use Actility's Connections feature to forward Sensor Hub data to external platforms and services, including MQTT brokers, ThingsBoard, and Datacake.
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Bernd Giesecke Bernd is an Electronics Engineer and Product Manager at RAKwireless with 23 years of experience in industrial and automotive hardware and software R&D. He has been supporting the Arduino open-source community since 2014.  |
Changelog
- Version 1
- Author: Berrnd Giesecke
- Reviewer: Harold Duarte, Karla Michelle Jimenez
- Date Published: 04/26/2025
Updated