TCR FAQ

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The LoRaWAN® specification is a Low Power, Wide Area (LPWAN) networking protocol designed to wirelessly connect low energy devices to the internet in regional, national or global networks, and targets key Internet of Things (IoT) requirements such as bi-directional communication, end-to-end security, mobility and localization services. Read more...

TCR and PCR2 are connected devices used for live data applications. The LoRaWAN® connection is used to transmit data to a server at regular intervals having a real time coverage of the traffic situation.

No.

There are professional LoRaWAN® Networks Providers with fully managed offerings including support. Ask Google to find such a provider in your area.

It is possible to run private LoRaWAN® networks including own LNS and Gateways. Although we really do not recommend it and won't be able to support it. If there is no professional provider in your area this might be the only option to operate TCR traffic counters.

Take following advice based on our experiences:

• Use only quality LoRaWAN Gateways from famous manufacturers such as Tektelic or Kerlink.
• Use Loriot Free Community Public Server to get started. Later you can switch to Professional Offering. Loriot.io is good software. We did not see major issues so far.

We do not recommend using community operated LoRaWAN® networks for professional applications. (Would you like to fly to mars with a RaspberryPI controlled rocket!?)

Why we do not recommed it?

• There is nobody you can contact except "the community".
• Coverage of community networks is not guaranteed. Gateways can be switched on or off at any time changing the whole coverage map.
• Usually these networks are based on very limited hardware.
• Limited knowledge on building wireless networks including the selection of suitable locations and antenna optimization.

Technically yes, but we do not recommended it.

The Things Network (TTN) is the free community network, that’s mainly operated by TTI on best effort.

There is a Fair Use Policy which limits the uplink airtime to 30 seconds per day (24 hours) per node and the downlink messages to 10 messages per day (24 hours) per node.

You may get support from volunteers, at the TTN forum but they cannot access the network servers to analyze or fix anything.

Due to TTN is very limited we do not recommend using it together with our products because it restricts the functional potential.

We have a public repository where you can download a payload decoder code examples as a starting point to write your own decoder.

TCR devices transfer counter data in regular intervals.

Depending on the LoRaWAN region, it may not be possible to transmit as often as desired. A reasonable value is 10min. This means that 6 messages are sent per hour. You can use this Airtime Calculator to find the limitations in your region. Use payload size=10.

TTN is very limited due to the fair use policy. Max. 20msg/24hour (Payload size = 10) in the EUR868 region.

For the initial configuration we recommend using the PPX Setup Tool.

Alternatively, the command line interface CLI can also be used. For large deployments, it would even be worthwhile to write a few Python scripts using the CLI to configure the devices automatically.

When the devices are rolled out, the settings can be changed remotely via LoRaWAN® Downlinks.

You find the LoRaWAN® Keys Slip on the inside of the box. This slip is printed out during the production of the device and contains device-specific data.

Starting with TCR Firmware V2.2 you can lock the settings with a PIN code. See the CLI Documentation for details.

TCRs are bidirectional traffic counters that must be placed to the side of the object movement.

• RTL means from right-to-left
• LTR means from left-to-right

The directional indications are meant from the viewer's perspective towards the LEDs located under the service lid. Never the "view of the device" towards the road.

Step 1: Check the device type first

If the device type is just TCR-xx without a LoRaWAN® region, you should set the LoRaWAN® region using the command line interface (CLI)

• Always use the save command to store changes permanently into device's ROM.

• Check device type with get typestr at the end.

Step 2: Check Keys

Check if you entered the right keys.

You can always read out LoRaWAN® keys from the device by using PPX or the CLI. Or you overwrite the AppEUI and AppKey with your own.

Step 3: Check Connectivity Settings

TCR uses following network parameters per default:

• LoRaWAN® 1.0.3
• OTAA
• ADR On

See Device Datasheet for more detailed information.