Private Gateway ChirpStack Setup

A Private Gateway, in Vandyam's terminology, is a LoRaWAN gateway that hosts both the ChirpStack network server and its backend infrastructure locally on the Gateway device itself — all device management, packet processing, network routing, and application integration happen directly on the Gateway, without relying on any external cloud service. This is ideal for environments that need data privacy, low latency, offline operation, or full local control, such as industrial sites, secure campuses, or remote deployments.

Configuring the LoRa Concentrator

1. 1In the web interface, go to ChirpStack → Concentratord
2. 2In Global Configuration, enable ChirpStack Concentratord and select chipset SX1302 / SX1303, then Save
3. 3Go to the SX1302 / SX1303 tab, set Shield model to Seeed – WM1302 and Channel-plan to IN865 – Standard Channels, then Save & Apply
4. 4Once configured, the footer of the web interface should show a valid Gateway ID instead of "could not read gateway_id" — this can take a few seconds and a page refresh or two

Configuring the MQTT Forwarder

The MQTT Forwarder sends data received by the Concentratord on to an MQTT broker. Go to ChirpStack → MQTT Forwarder, confirm it's Enabled in Global Configuration, then in MQTT Configuration set the Topic prefix (auto-populated after Concentratord setup) and the Server address (e.g. tcp://example.com:1883 or ssl://example.com:8883 for TLS). Click Save & Apply.

Gateway Mesh — Border and Relay Gateways

ChirpStack Gateway Mesh (optional) turns a Vandyam Gateway into either a Border Gateway or a Relay Gateway. A Border Gateway is connected to the internet and forwards received data to ChirpStack; when mesh is enabled, the Concentratord and MQTT Forwarder route through the Gateway Mesh as a proxy for other gateways in the mesh that don't have their own direct internet access — those are Relay Gateways. This lets a site extend LoRaWAN coverage using gateways that aren't individually online, as long as at least one Border Gateway in the mesh is.

1. 1Go to ChirpStack → Gateway Mesh
2. 2In Global Configuration, enable ChirpStack Gateway Mesh and set the Region to IN865
3. 3Go to Mesh Configuration, set Region to IN865 and enter the Root Key (a shared 128-bit hex key, the same across all Border/Relay gateways in the mesh)
4. 4Check Border Gateway if this unit should act as the internet-connected proxy for the mesh
5. 5Click Save & Apply

Interconnecting Two Private Gateways

To connect two private Gateways together, the second Gateway must be added as a gateway on the ChirpStack instance running on the first. Both Gateways need to be on the same network (Wi-Fi or LAN) so they can reach each other over IP — this lets multiple Gateways operate under a single local ChirpStack server while keeping the deployment fully private and on-premise.

Accessing ChirpStack and Adding a Gateway

1. 1Access ChirpStack at the same IP/DNS as the web interface on port 8080 (e.g. 192.168.xx.xx:8080 or viot-gateway-xxxxxx.local:8080)
2. 2Log in with username admin and password admin, then click Submit
3. 3In the side panel, click Gateways, then Add gateway
4. 4Enter a Name and the Gateway ID (shown in the Gateway Setup footer once Concentratord is configured), then click Submit

Adding a Device Profile and a Device

1. 1Click Device Profiles → Add device profile; set Region to IN865, MAC version and Regional parameters revision as appropriate, and configure Join (OTAA/ABP), Class-B, and Class-C tabs as needed, then Submit
2. 2Click Applications → Add application, give it a name, and Submit
3. 3Within the application, click Add Device, enter a Name, and click the Reload buttons to auto-generate the DevEUI and JoinEUI
4. 4Select the device profile created above and Submit
5. 5On the device's OTAA keys tab, click Reload to generate the Application Key and Network Key, then Submit — the device is now added and ready to join

Maintenance & Troubleshooting

• Disable Access Point — once the Gateway is successfully on your network, you can turn off its own AP broadcast: find the Gateway's AP entry under Network → Wireless, click Disable, then Save & Apply
• Access via hostname — once configured, reach the Gateway any time at its hostname (e.g. http://viot-gateway-xxxxxx.local) as long as your device is on the same network
• Recovery from incorrect Wi-Fi credentials — power-cycle the Gateway, hold the reset button during boot if available, reconnect to the Gateway's own viot-gateway-xxxxx AP, and repeat the Wi-Fi configuration steps

ChirpStack Registration URLs

Support and Resources

• Official Repository — github.com/vandyam/lorawan-gateway
• ChirpStack Documentation — chirpstack.io/docs
• Raspberry Pi Resources — raspberrypi.org/documentation
• Technical Support — contact through official Vandyam channels
• Issue Reporting — via the GitHub issue tracker