AVX ethertronics ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 User manual

ETH-LORA-M-AX-01
Reference Manual

Table of Contents
Overview .............................................................................................................................................................................................1
Product Brief
Scope
Document Organization
Getting Started ...................................................................................................................................................................................2
Introducing LoRa Communication
Network Architecture..........................................................................................................................................................................................3
LoRaWAN Class .................................................................................................................................................................................................3
LoRaWAN Regional Summary.............................................................................................................................................................................4
ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 Overview
Passive Architecture...........................................................................................................................................................................................6
Active Architecture
Communication Interface ...................................................................................................................................................................................7
Communication Protocol
Basic Operation ..................................................................................................................................................................................8
Module Information
Serial Number
Calendar and TIme ............................................................................................................................................................................9
Self-Test .......................................................................................................................................................................................10
Lora Join Procedure ........................................................................................................................................................................11
ABP Mode
OTAA Mode..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Lora Send Message .........................................................................................................................................................................14
Advanced Operation ......................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Software Reset
Low Power Mode.............................................................................................................................................................................15
Algorithm Control............................................................................................................................................................................16
Closed Loop Impedance Matching algorithm ................................................................................................................................................... 17
Active Steering Algorithm ................................................................................................................................................................................ 18
Bypassing the Algorithms................................................................................................................................................................................ 19
Switching Firmware Version..............................................................................................................................................................21
Escaping AT Command ....................................................................................................................................................................22
LoRa Parameters
Store LoRa Parameters.................................................................................................................................................................................... 23
Reset LoRa Parameters

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OVERVIEW
This document describes user manual for the developers to design a nal product containing the module ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 (V1.2) acting as a LoRa
module.
PRODUCT BRIEF
Ethertronics’ LoRa Module ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 is an SMT mounted low cost and low power radio module that operates in the unlicensed 868/915 MHz
band. It integrates STM32L151 as the main MCU and Semtech SX1272 as the LoRa IC. ETH-LORA-M-AX-xx is principally built with complete rmware
to simplify its integration in the nal product. Interfacing with this module is easy with two lines UART via AT commands.
ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 is designed with a power saving technique so that the current consumption is low even when in communication. All these features
make ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 a perfect platform for a long range wireless communication with low throughput data. This module can be used in various
applications such as smart metering, smart grids, smart city, industrial control, etc.
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
1. This device may not cause harmful interference, and
2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
NOTE: The grantee is not responsible for any changes or modications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance. Such modications could void the user’s
authority to operate the equipment
SCOPE
This document focuses on helping the developers to integrate ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 in the nal product to fasten the time to market of their product.
This document is not intended to provide an overall description of all software solutions and all products that may be designed. This document
explains several AT commands in order to perform specic tasks. For a complete guide of AT commands supported by ETH-LORA-M-AX-01, please
refer AT Command Reference Guide available on AVX’s website. Developers are also highly advised to refer to all the necessary application notes
available on AVX’s website.
Link: http://www.avx.com/products/modules/lora-module/
DOCUMENT ORGANIZATION
This document contains the following sections:
Section Overview provides a product brief, scope for this manual and its organization.
Section Getting Started describes briey LoRa communication and the deployment architecture of ETH-LORA-M-AX-01.
Section Basic Operation explains the basic operation to send a message over LoRa Network using this module.
Section Advanced Operation provides in-depth information on more advanced operation and AT commands of the module.
Section Appendix contains lists of the abbreviation, gures and table of this document and also the useful reference link.

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GETTING STARTED
This section gives a general overview about LoRa communication and the module ETH-LORA-M-AX-01. LoRa part focuses more on the LoRa end
devices since it is the core subject of this document.
INTRODUCING LORA COMMUNICATION
The Internet of Things is a network of connected objects able to collect and exchange information with each other through wireless networks. These
objects embed electronics, rmware, sensors, and wireless connectivity protocols to execute its task. The Internet of Things (IoT) has been labeled
as "the next Industrial Revolution" because of the way it will impact the way people live, work, entertain, and travel, as well as the interaction between
governments and businesses with the world. Business Insider has predicted that there will be 24 billion IoT devices installed by 2020. The common
wireless protocols such as Wi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z-Wave etc, are well suited for short range application where and battery life is not a major issue.
Hence more suitable protocols are needed and LoRa is one of them. [1]
LoRa (Long Range) is an innovation of Semtech which offers an impressive mix of long range, low power consumption and secure data transmission.
Many legacy wireless systems use frequency shifting keying (FSK) modulation as the physical layer because it is a very ecient modulation for
achieving low power. LoRa is based on chirp spread spectrum (CSS) modulation, which maintains the same low power characteristics as FSK
modulation but signicantly increases the communication range. CSS has been used in military and space communication for decades due to the long
communication distances that can be achieved and robustness to interference, but LoRa is the rst low cost implementation for commercial usage.
INTRODUCING LORA COMMUNICATION (CONTINUED)
Its low consumption makes it the best solution for a battery powered IoT applications. LoRa offers also a secured network with embedded end-to-end
AES128 encryption. The MAC layer called LoRaWAN has been added to standardize and extend the LoRa physical layer onto internet networks. This
specication is open sourced and supported by LoRa Alliance. LoRaWAN can be mapped in the 2nd and 3rd layer of the OSI model. [2]
LPWAN COMPARE TO TRADITIONAL NETWORK
Figure 1
GLOBAL LORAWAN NETWORK
Figure 2
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NETWORK ARCHITECTURE
LORA NETWORK DIAGRAM EXAMPLE
Figure 3
LoRa End Nodes: End device which contains the sensors necessary to execute their role (examples: temperature, humidity, water level, presence,
etc). These devices embed also a LoRa RF transceiver (also known as radio) which will be used to send the information to the gateways using LoRa
protocol.
LoRa Gateways: All gateways receive data on all channels all the time. Gateways act as transparent bridges forward the data to the network server
or to the end devices without performing any data validation in both ways. Gateways forward message using LoRa RF to the end devices and using
IP to LoRa servers.
LoRa Server: The typical roles of the server are monitoring and managing the gateways and the security, removing the redundancy data and performing
the billing. The server also distributes the data to the application server (i.e. interface directly with AWS or directly with applications via web socket.
NwkSKey (Network Session Key) is shared between the end device and the network server. It’s used in the message integrity verication for the
communication and it also provides security for the end device towards the network server communication.
AppSkey (Application session Key) is shared between the end device and the application server. It guarantees the security of the application’s payload
as it is used to encrypt and decrypt the application data. This means that the network server cannot decipher the application data.
LORAWAN CLASS
LoRaWAN denes the communication protocol and system architecture for the network while the LoRa physical layer enables the long-range
communication link. LoRaWAN has several different classes of end-point devices to address the different needs reected in the wide range of
applications.
Figure 4

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CLASS A
End-devices of Class A allow for bi-directional communications whereby each end-device's uplink transmission is followed by two short downlink
receive windows. The transmission slot scheduled by the end-device is based on its own communication needs with a small variation based on a
random time basis (ALOHA-type of protocol). This Class A operation is the lowest power end-device system for applications that only require downlink
communication from the server shortly after the end-device has sent an uplink transmission. Downlink communications from the server at any other
time will have to wait until the next scheduled uplink.
Figure 5
If the server does not respond in either of these receive windows (situation 1 in the gure), the next opportunity will be after the next uplink transmission
from the device. The server can respond either in the rst receive window (situation 2 in the gure), or the second receive window (situation 3 in the
gure). Hence for every uplink, there are two possible downlink slots. It is always the end device which starts the communication rst.
CLASS B
In addition to the Class A random receive windows, Class B devices open extra receive windows at scheduled times. Using time-synchronized beacons
transmitted by the gateway, the devices periodically open receive windows. This allows the server to know when the end-device is listening. The
preprogrammed downlink slots allow control within certain latency limits.
Figure 6
CLASS C
End-devices of Class C have nearly continuously open receive windows, only closed when transmitting. Class C end-device use more power to operate
than Class A or Class B thus is suited for the mains powered application. There is almost no latency for downlink communication in this class. [3]
LORAWAN REGIONAL SUMMARY
LoRaWAN Specication diversies from region to region. This is due to the different regional frequency spectrum allocations and regulation directives.
The module ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 can be used in Europe and North America as it integrates Semtech SX1272 IC which covers the spectrum for
those regions. The specication for Europe and North America are well dened. ISM radio spectrum use in Europe is dened by the ETSI while FCC
regulations are imposed in US. The most signicant different between these two regions is that the ERP is limited in Europe to 14 dBM while in US a
maximum dwell time of 400ms is imposed.
In July 2016, LoRa Alliance Technical committee has provided a detailed document about LoRaWAN regional parameters. This document includes
the specication for other region as well such as Australia, China, Korea and South East Asian countries. Users are advised to read this document for
depth information about the LoRaWAN Regional Parameters. [4]
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*SPI and I2C are available on customer request or on updated rmware.
AT Command
Figure 8
LORAWAN REGIONAL PARAMETERS
Europe North America China Korea Japan India
Frequency Band 867-869MHz 902-928MHz 470-
510MHz
920-
925MHz
920-
925MHz
865-
867MHz
Channels 10 64 + 8 + 8
In denition by Techical Committee In denition by Techical Committee In denition by Techical Committee In denition by Techical Committee
Channel BW Up 125/250kHz 125/500kHz
Channel BW Dn 125kHz 500kHz
TX Power Up +14dBm +20dBm typ
(+30dBm allowed)
TX Power Dn +14dBm +27dBm
SF Up 7-12 7-10
Data rate 250bps-50kbps 980dps-21.9pbs
Link Budget Up 155dB 154dB
Link Budget Dn 155dB 157dB
Figure 7
ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 OVERVIEW
Even though LoRa is a system with a narrow band and high sensitivity, a trade off exists between the link budget, the data rate and the time over
the air. Besides that, any antennas, including the ones operating in LoRa unlicensed bands are sensitive to their environment and their performance
can be degraded. For example the urban area can have a great impact on the coverage of the LoRa communication due to constant changing in the
environment.
Compare to other available LoRa module in the market, ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 is embedded with proprietary impedance matching (IM) and active
steering (MCD) capabilities to optimize the RF performance on its own. ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 can overcome this challenge in order to achieve an
excellent ultra-long range spread spectrum communication.
Ethertronics’ LoRa Module ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 is a LoRa modem which can be easily integrated in the nal product. ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 is an SMT
mounted low cost and low power radio module that operates in the unlicensed 868/915 MHz band. It combines a LoRa™ transceiver SX1272 of
Semtech Corporation with Ethertronics chipset and technologies to maximize link budget and RF performances. With a sensitivity of up to -138 dBm
and a maximum output power of +19 dBm results in a link budget of more than 156 dB. The increase in link budget results in much longer range and
robustness without the need for any additional components. This module can be used with a passive or active antenna solution.
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PASSIVE ARCHITECTURE
BLOCK DIAGRAM OF THE MODULE USED WITH A PASSIVE ANTENNA
Figure 9
Figure 10
ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 can be used with a standalone antenna in a passive conguration. Ethertronics which are known in enabling innovative antenna
and RF system solutions for wireless devices can provide a high performance antenna to work with module. Embedded with a proprietary impedance
matching algorithm, this module is able to auto tune the impedance of the antenna to maximize the power transfer between the radio and the antenna.
Hence extra range can be achieved.
Ethertronics has designed an evaluation board to help developers to evaluate the ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 with Ethertronics PresttaTM Multi band ISM
antenna (P/N: 1002232) in passive conguration. This antenna itself has small form factor but high eciency. User can take advantage of this feature
to save space on the nal product’s PCB.
Link: LoRa_Module_Application_Note_ 1-Passive Evaluation Board from www.avx.com/products/modules/lora-module
ACTIVE ARCHITECTURE
BLOCK DIAGRAM OF THE MODULE USED WITH AN ETHERTRONICS ACTIVE STEERING ANTENNA
ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 can be used with active antenna solution to provide active steering capabilities. In this conguration both patented algorithms
can be used to maximize to the link budget and increase the sensitivity of the device. An active antenna has several radiation patterns and the MCD
algorithm helps steering to the best conguration regardless to the change of environment.
The evaluation board for the active conguration is also provided by Ethertronics to help designers of the nal product in reducing the time consuming
radio development process. This evaluation board can be used to test the features that ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 offers.
Link: LoRa_Module_Application_Note_4 Active Steering Evaluation Board from www.avx.com/products/modules/lora-module
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COMMUNICATION INTERFACE
ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 is designed to support three commonly used communication interfaces:
UART
SPI
I2C
With the current rmware version only UART interface is available. Both SPI and I2C are coming soon with the rmware update. The UART interface
consists of only two lines RXD (input) and TXD (output) thus simplify the connection with the host.
UART CONFIGURATION
Parameter Default Value
Baud rate 115200
Data length 8 bits
Parity None
Stop bit 1 bit
Flow control None
Table 2
These two lines RXD and TXD support a TTL level voltage. Please refer to the ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 Datasheet for detail on the electrical characteristics.
COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL
ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 is designed with a complete rmware version that contains a scheduler, RTC, LoRa stack and Ethertronics’ proprietary algorithms.
This rmware supports a well-dened AT commands set to facilitate user’s development process.
At commands denitions:
<CR> Carriage Return character, its value is 0x0D.
<LF> Linefeed character, its value is 0x0A.
<...> Name enclosed in angle brackets is a syntactical element or parameters. Brackets themselves do not appear in the command line.
[...] ptional sub-parameter of a command or a response is enclosed in square brackets. Brackets themselves do not appear in the
command line. When sub-parameter is not given in parameter type commands, new value equals to its previous value. In action type
commands, action should be done on the basis of the recommended default setting of the sub-parameter.
Please refer to Ethertronics’ AT Command Reference Guide from www.avx.com/products/modules/lora-module for detail on every supported AT
command.
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BASIC OPERATION
In this section the detail about the basic operations with ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 are explained. This also includes how to join a LoRa network and send
a message using LoRa communication. ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 is designed with a complete rmware that support AT command set. This accelerates
the integration process of the module in the user’s nal PCB. The developers need to congure the host to send the correct AT commands via the
supported interface.
MODULE INFORMATION
Once the module is powered up, the host can start sending at command to get the information of the module. With this information the host can verify
the rmware version. If there is a new rmware available, users are strongly advised to perform the update procedure. For upgrading the rmware
please refer to the document LoRa_Module_Application_Note_2 Firmware Upgrade from www.avx.com/products/modules/lora-module.
SERIAL NUMBER
Every module has its unique serial number. This number is pre-programmed by the manufacturer during the factory programming and it cannot be
changed by the user. Host can only read this value via AT Command.
AT Command ATI[<ag>] or AT+LORA#I[<ag>]
Description Command to read the information of the module
Parameter
<ag>
none Return the version and copyright of the module.
0Return the rmware version.
1Return the rmware release date.
Return Value
based on the
<ag>
none <CR><LF>Ethertronics LoRa Module 1.1.0 <EU868><CR><LF>
Copyright (c) 2016, 2017 Ethertronics Inc<CR><LF>
All rights reserved<CR><LF>
<CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>
0<CR><LF>MAJOR.MINOR.REV<CR><LF>
OK<CR><LF>
1<CR><LF> MM DD YYY – HH:MM:SS <CR><LF>
OK<CR><LF>
AT Command AT+LORA@SYS%SN?
Return Value <CR><LF>Serial Number: E-170809-01-00000006<CR><LF>
<CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
Description
The serial number format is: T-YYMMDD-B-<24bit of EUI>
TThe product type
YYMMDD <Year start from 2000>< Month >< Day >
BFlash Batch number
<24bit of EUI> 24bit of EUI
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