In development: Local mode and LoRaWAN relays are not available yet. This page tells you what you may see of them today, so you are not surprised. Do not plan a deployment that depends on them.
Local mode
Local mode means a licensed router runs a LoRaWAN network server on the router itself, instead of using Hermetry’s cloud network server. It is in development.
What you may see today:
- A gateway’s Network server field can show Cloud or Local (on the gateway). Every gateway you add is Cloud, and a Basics Station gateway always stays in cloud mode.
- A gateway record in local mode is information only. The cloud network server does not accept its connection and never sends downlinks through it.
- A device whose join is handled by a local network server is refused by the cloud network server.
Until local mode is released, run all your LoRaWAN devices on the cloud network server, as described in this section.
LoRaWAN relays
A LoRaWAN relay is a device that forwards frames of end devices out of a gateway’s range. Relay support is in development.
What you may see today:
- A gateway status Pending exists for relay gateways seen but not yet accepted. Gateways you add are never pending.
- Frames that arrive through a relay are not accepted by the network server yet.
What to use instead
| Need | Today |
|---|---|
| Coverage in a remote area | Add another gateway nearer the devices. A licensed router with a LoRa radio can serve as a gateway; see Licensed routers as LoRaWAN gateways. |
| Short internet outages at a gateway | A licensed router keeps the frames it hears in an offline buffer and forwards them when its link is back. These frames are processed but never answered, because their receive windows have passed. A Basics Station gateway needs its internet link. |