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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020620
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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CALENDAR AND TIME
The module has an RTC engine running. But the RTC calendar and time is not updated with the real calendar. The host can set and read the calendar
and time using the AT command.
Set the date:
Read the date:
Set the time:
Read the time:
AT Command
Syntax
AT+LORA@SYS%DATE=<dd>,<mm>,<yyyy>
Parameter
<dd> Days eld must be between 1 and 31
<mm> Month eld must be between 1 and 12
<yyyy> Year eld must be between 2000 and 2099
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Parameters is expected.
Example AT+LORA@SYS%DATE =18,05,2017
Example
description
Set the date to 18 May 2017
AT Command
Syntax
AT+LORA@SYS%DATE?
Return Value <CR><LF>Thur 18/05/2017
<CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
Description The module current date is 18/05/2017 (Thursday)
AT Command
Syntax
AT+LORA@SYS%TIME=<hh>,<mn>,<ss>
Parameter
<hh> Hour eld must be between 0 and 23 (24 hour format)
<mn> Minute eld must be between 0 and 59
<ss> Second eld must be between 0 and 59
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Parameters is expected.
Example AT+LORA@SYS%TIME=17,30,15
Example
description
Set the time to 17:30:15 (in 24 hour format)
AT Command
Syntax
AT+LORA@SYS%TIME?
Return Value <CR><LF>17:31:15
<CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
Description The module current time is 17:31 (24 hour format) which is 5:31pm (12 hour format)
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SELF-TEST
The self-test AT command can be used to check the sub modules’ availability. For the current rmware, there are 5 sub modules:
SUB MODULES FOR THE SELF-TEST COMMAND
SELF-TEST COMMAND EXAMPLE IN PASSIVE CONFIGURATION
In the example above, all sub modules are activated except for the MCD as in the passive conguration the external EC686 is not available. However,
users can control the activation of both IM and MCD algorithms. See 4.3 Algorithm Control
Sub Module Description
Core MCU State of the core MCU on the module
Internal IM The activation of the IM Algorithm and the presence of its
hardware (internal EC686)
MCD The activation of the MCD Algorithm and the presence of its
hardware (external EC686, only in active conguration)
LoRa MAC State of the LoRa MAC stacks
LoRa PHY State of the LoRa PHY stacks and its hardware (SX127x)
Table 3
Table 4
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LORA JOIN PROCEDURE
Before an end device can communicate on the LoRaWAN network, it must rst be activated (join). The join procedure depends on the network join
mode. There are two modes available which are Activation By Personalization (ABP) and Over The Air Activation (OTAA). The main difference between
these modes is that user needs to generate the network keys used to authenticate the device when it joins the application in ABP mode while in OTAA
these values are automatically derived.
ABP MODE
In this mode, the host is required to provide the following information:
1. LoRa Data Session Encryption Key (16 bytes). Also known as Application Session Key (AppSKey)
2. Network Session Key (16 bytes)
This means that users must know this information prior to join the network. Since the keys are congured manually, there is no need for a “handshake”
procedure with the gateway.
The steps to join the network are as follow:
1. Set the network join mode to ABP:
2. Set LoRa public network mode:
3. Set LoRa Network EUI/Name:
4. Set LoRa Network Key/passphrase:
AT Command AT+LORA@MAC%NJM=0
Description
This command is a write command to set the network join mode
0: Manual conguration mode, known as “Activation By Personalization” (ABP)
in LoRaWAN specication document.
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Parameter is expected.
AT Command AT+LORA@MAC%PN=1
Description
This command is a write command to set the public network mode
0: set to private Network mode.
1: set to public Network mode.
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Parameter is expected.
AT Command AT+LORA@MAC%NI=0, 1122334455667788
AT+LORA@MAC%NI=1,LoRaNetworkID
Description
This command is a write command to set the network EUI/Name which is also
known as AppEUI in LoRaWAN specication document
0: Use digits as NETwork ID
1: Use string as NETwork ID
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Parameters are expected.
AT Command AT+LORA@MAC%NK=0,112233445566778899aabbccddeeff
AT+LORA@MAC%NK=1,LoRaPassphrase
Description
This command is a write command to set the LoRa Network Key also known as
AppKey in LoRaWAN specication document
0,1122334455..ccddeeff: Use digits as Network Key
1,LoRaPassphrase: Use string as Network Key
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Parameters are expected.
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5. Set LoRa Network Session Key:
6. Set LoRa Data Session Encryption Key:
Once all these steps are done successfully, the ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 is ready to send the data to the gateway.
Please refer to section 3.6 LoRa Send Message for sending a message.
OTAA MODE
In this conguration the module ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 need to perform the handshake with the gateway to derive the network keys. During the handshake,
a dynamic device address is assigned and security keys (Network Session Key and Application Session Key) are negotiated.
The steps to join the network are as follow:
1. Set the network join mode to OTAA:
2. Set LoRa public network mode:
3. Set LoRa Network EUI/Name:
4. Set LoRa Network Key/passphrase:
AT Command AT+LORA@MAC%NSK=112233445566778899aabbccddeeff
Description This command is a write command to set the Network Session Key
1122334455..ccddeeff: 16 bytes of the Network Session Key
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Parameter is expected.
AT Command AT+LORA@MAC%DSK=112233445566778899aabbccddeeff
Description
This command is a write command to set the LoRa Data Session Encryption
Key also known as Application Session Key in LoRaWAN specication
document
1122334455..ccddeeff: 16 bytes of the Network Session Key
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Parameter is expected.
AT Command AT+LORA@MAC%NJM=1
Description This command is a write command to set the network join mode
1:” Over The Air Activation” (OTAA) in LoRaWAN specication document.
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Parameter is expected
AT Command AT+LORA@MAC%PN=1
Description
This command is a write command to set the public network mode
0: set to private Network mode.
1: set to public Network mode.
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Parameter is expected.
AT Command AT+LOR A@MAC%NI=0, 1122334 455667788
AT+LORA@MAC%NI=1,LoRaNetworkID
Description
This command is a write command to set the network EUI/Name which is also
known as AppEUI in LoRaWAN specication document
0: Use digits as NETwork ID
1: Use string as NETwork ID
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Parameters are expected.
AT Command AT+LORA@MAC%NK=0,112233445566778899aabbccddeeff
AT+LORA@MAC%NK=1,LoRaPassphrase
Description
This command is a write command to set the LoRa Network Key also known as
AppKey in LoRaWAN specication document
0,1122334455..ccddeeff: Use digits as Network Key
1,LoRaPassphrase: Use string as Network Key
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Parameters are expected.
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5. Join the network:
6. Verify the join status. Normally after sending the message in step 5, once OK is received, user will receive the status below after ~5s
AT Command AT+LORA@MAC%NK=0,112233445566778899aabbccddeeff
AT+LORA@MAC%NK=1,LoRaPassphrase
Description
This command is a write command to set the LoRa Network Key also known as
AppKey in LoRaWAN specication document
0,1122334455..ccddeeff: Use digits as Network Key
1,LoRaPassphrase: Use string as Network Key
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Parameters are expected.
Status (after ~5s)
AT+LORA@MAC%NK=0,112233445566778899aabbccddeeff
AT+LORA@MAC%NK=1,LoRaPassphrase
This command is a write command to set the LoRa Network Key also known as
AppKey in LoRaWAN specication document
0,1122334455..ccddeeff: Use digits as Network Key
1,LoRaPassphrase: Use string as Network Key
<CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Parameters are expected.
AT Command AT+LORA@MAC#JOIN?
Description This command is a read command of join LoRa network status
Return Value <CR><LF>0<CR><LF>: Device has not joined the network.
<CR><LF>1<CR><LF>: Device has joined the network.
The read command below can be used to verify the join status if there is no status message above received after about ~5s the join command is issued.
Once all these steps are done successfully, user can start sending the message. Please refer to section 3.6 LoRa Send Message for sending a message.
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LORA SEND MESSAGE
After successfully join the network whether using ABP or OTAA mode, the host can send the message to the gateway. This is also done using the AT
command. Here are the steps:
1. Choose the port to send the message (Optional):
2. Send the message:
If user sends a message in several iterations, user can always stop the sending using the escape command. See section 4.5 Escaping AT Command for the
escaping sequence.
ADVANCED OPERATION
SOFTWARE RESET
In rare case where the user needs to reset only the module, software reset can be used.
After this command is issued, the host needs to wait about ~1.5s so that the module can initialize its system before sending any AT commands. After
perform the software reset and wait for ~1.5s, it is advised to send the basic at command “AT” to check whether the module is ready or not.
AT Command syntax AT+LORA@MAC%AP=<port>
Description This command is a write command to set the port used for application data (1 -
223). The default value for the port is 1.
Return Value <CR><LF>0<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>1<CR><LF>: Parameters is expected.
AT Command AT+LORA@SYS#SOFTRESET
Description This command is an execution command to perform a software reset of this
module. Use this command with caution.
Return Value No return value
AT Command AT
Description Command to check if the module is ready
Return Value
<CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: The module is ready
No return value:
The module is not ready yet. Wait for some more delay before retry.
AT Command syntax AT+LORA@MAC#SEND=[<data>,[<ack>,<iter>,<interval>]]
Description
data Data to send to the gateway
ack Acknowledgement request
0: no ack
1: ack
iter Iteration number (-1: indenite loop)
interval Interval duration in ms (must be higher than 15000 ms)
NOTE: issue the SEND command without parameters to stop the previous SEND loop.
Return Value <CR><LF>0<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>1<CR><LF>: Parameters is expected.
Example AT+LORA@MAC#SEND=Hello,1,-1,20000
Example description Sending in innite loop, a message “Hello” with acknowledgment required and within the interval of 20 seconds
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LOW POWER MODE
ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 has been designed with low power mode feature to save the consumption which is vital in battery powered device. There are four
low power modes available. The module enters the low power mode after congurable delay (LPDelay) when the module is in idle state. The most
ecient mode to save the consumption is STOP Mode. However, in this mode the UART cannot be used to wake up the module. A GPIO’s P11 should
be set high by the user before sending any AT commands.
Please refer to the Module Integration Guide document for detail of the external P11 pin location
Link: www.avx.com/products/modules/lora-module
NOTE: The most ecient way to avoid any communication error is systematically send a CARRIER RETURN (0x0d) and wait the module answers with
a string “OK” before sending any AT command.
In passive architecture there is one EC686 which is used for IM algorithm, while in active conguration one more EC686 is used for MCD algorithm.
The state of both EC686 can be controlled in low power mode.
Set the Low Power Mode:
Read the Low Power Mode:
LPM Mode Entry Wake-up Effect on Vcore
domain clocks
Effect on VDD domain
clocks
Voltage
regulator
Normal Mode
(0) - -
None
None
ON
LP Run (1)
After
parameter
LPDelay
expired
UART,
GPIO’sP11,
RTC Alarm
DEEPSLEEP
(2)
(Factory
default)
CPU CLK OFF no
effect on other
clocks or analog
clock sources, Flash
CLK OFF
In Low-Power
Mode
STOP Mode
(3)
GPIO’sP11,
RTC Alarm
All Vcore domain clock
OFF
HSI and HSE and MSI
oscillators OFF
In Low-Power
Mode
AT Command
Syntax
AT+LORA@SYS%LPMODE=<mode>[,<EC686LPState>]
Parameter
<mode >
Low Power mode
0Disable Low Power mode.
1Enable Low Power Run mode.
2Enable Low Power DEEPSLEEP mode. (Factory Default mode)
3Enable Low Power STOP mode.
[<EC686LPState >]
EC686 State in low power mode (if available)
(optional parameter)
0Both EC686 are ON (IM and MCD)
1Internal EC686 OFF (IM), External EC686 ON(MCD)
2Internal EC686 ON (IM), External EC686 OFF(MCD)
3Both EC686 are OFF (IM and MCD)
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Parameters is expected or wrong parameter
Example AT+LORA@SYS%LPMODE=3,3
Example
description
Set the low power mode to STOP mode
Both EC686 (if available) will be turn off when the device enter the STOP mode
AT Command
Syntax
AT+LORA@SYS%LPMODE?
Return Value <CR><LF>3, 3<CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
Description The module is using STOP mode as low power mode and the both EC686 (if available) will turn off
when device enter the low power mode
Table 5
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As mention in the previous table, the module enters certain low power modes after the parameter LPDelay expired. This LPDelay can be congurable,
but the minimum value for this parameter is 30000ms.
Set the Low Power Mode Delay:
Read the Low Power Mode Delay:
ALGORITHM CONTROL
The uniques features of ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 compare to other available modules on the markets are the two proprietary algorithms designed by
Ethertronics to improve the RF performance. A metric (RSSI or SNR) are needed to feed the algorithms. Hence to take advantage of the technologies,
the DOWNLINK from the gateway to ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 is necessary. The closed loop impedance matching algorithm is available in both passive and
active congurations of this module while the active steering algorithm is only available in the active conguration.
1. Set the metric input:
2. Set the number of average of metric input of the IM:
AT Command
Syntax
AT+LORA@SYS%LPDELAY=<delay>
Parameter < delay > Delay in millisecond. Must be greater than 30000
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Parameters is expected or Wrong parameter (<30000)
Example AT+LORA@SYS%LPDELAY=45000
Example
description
Set the delay to 45s
AT Command
Syntax
AT+LORA@SYS%ALGOMETRIC=<metric>
Parameter <metric>
Metric values
0: SINR
2: RSSI(default)
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Input value is expected or invalid value
Example AT+LORA@SYS%ALGOMETRIC=2
Example
description
Set the metric to RSSI
AT Command
Syntax
AT+LORA@SYS%ALGOAVG=<avg>
Parameter <avg> The average number must be between 5 and 20.
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Input value is expected or invalid value
Example AT+LORA@SYS%ALGOAVG=10
Example
description
Set the average number to 10
AT Command
Syntax
AT+LORA@SYS% LPDELAY?
Return Value <CR><LF>45000<CR><LF>
<CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
Description The current low power mode delay is 45s
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CLOSED LOOP IMPEDANCE MATCHING ALGORITHM
The goal of the impedance matching (IM) algorithm is to maximize the power transferred to the antenna when the antenna is detuned by its
environment. By activating this algorithm, the adjustment of the antenna’s matching will be done automatically regardless its installation place
(concrete wall, wood, plastic, etc.). For more information about this algorithm, please refer to Closed Loop Impedance Matching application note.
Link: www.avx.com/products/modules/lora-module
Steps to activate IM algorithm:
1. Activate the IM
2. Initialize the IM
3. Start the IM control ag:
Once the IM is started, developer can pause or stop the IM by changing the IM control ag value.
AT Command AT+LORA@IM%ACTIVATE=<Activation>
Parameter <Activation > 1: To enable the IM
0: To disable the IM
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Unknown parameter.
Example AT+LORA@IM% ACTIVATE =1
Example
description
Activate the IM
AT Command AT+LORA@IM#INIT
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
Example AT+LORA@IM#INIT
Example
description
Initialize the IM algorithm
AT Command AT+LORA@IM%CTRLFLAG=<ag>
Parameter <ag > Set this ag to IM_CTRL_REG_START
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Unknown parameter.
Example AT+LORA@IM%CTRLFLAG=1
Example
description
Start the IM algorithm
Control Flag Value
IM_CTRL_REG_RESET 0
IM_CTRL_REG_START 1
IM_CTRL_REG_PAUSE 2
IM_CTRL_REG_RESUME 3
Table 6
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ACTIVE STEERING ALGORITHM
Modal Cognitive Diversity (MCD) is a proprietary predictive algorithm developed by Ethertronics to perform active steering capabilities of the multi
radiation patterns antenna in order to improve the link budget and sensitivity. Any antennas are sensitive to the change in their environment and their
performance can be degraded. Hence the goal of the MCD algorithm is to overcome this problem by determining the best radiation pattern for the
current position of the module. To be able to use this algorithm, the developer must integrate ETH-LORA-M-AX-01 using the active architecture (see
section 2.2.2). Ethertronics provide an active evaluation board which can be used to test this algorithm. Steps to activate MCD algorithm:Steps to
activate IM algorithm:
1. Activate the MCD
2. Initialize the MCD
3. Start the MCD via MCD control ag:
Once the MCD is started, developer can pause or stop the MCD by changing the MCD control ag value.
AT Command AT+LORA@MCD%ACTIVATE=<Activation>
Parameter <Activation > 1: To enable the MCD
0: To disable the MCD
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Unknown parameter.
Example AT+LORA@MCD# ACTIVATE =1
Description Activate the MCD
AT Command AT+LORA@MCD#INIT=[<mode>]
Parameter [<mode>] Mode/Radiation pattern number (max is 3)
Please consult with Ethertronics for this parameter
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Unknown parameter.
Example AT+LORA@MCD#INIT=2
Description Set the available modes to two and initialize the MCD algorithm
AT Command AT+LORA@MCD%CTRLFLAG=<ag>
Parameter <ag > Set this ag to MCD_CTRL_REG_START
Return Value <CR><LF>OK<CR><LF>: Operation successful.
<CR><LF>ERROR<CR><LF>: Unknown parameter.
Example AT+LORA@MCD%CTRLFLAG=1
Description Start the MCD algorithm
Control Flag Value
MCD_CTRL_REG_RESET 0
MCD_CTRL_REG_START 1
MCD_CTRL_REG_PAUSE 2
MCD_CTRL_REG_RESUME 3
Table 7
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