Commissioning of Multitech Conduit AP gateways

This guide explains how to commission the Multitech Conduit AP gateways with an external antenna provided by Skiply (LoRaWAN private network).

Your gateway should look like this:

The complete product documentation can be found here: https://www.multitech.com/documents/publications/user-guides/S000725.pdf

Before plugging the gateway

Mount the antenna

Attach the external antenna. If the gateway is positioned horizontally, ensure the antenna points upwards, as shown in the image above.

For vertical installations (e.g., on a wall with supplied support), angle the antenna at 45° from the wall, as illustrated below:

Insert SIM (cellular network)

If you are using a cellular data connection, make sure the SIM card is properly inserted:

Plug in Ethernet cable (LAN)

If you are using a LAN, plug in the Ethernet cable.

Firewall rules (LAN networks)

The gateway is doing periodical check-ins to the domain devicehq.com (TCP ports 443, 5799 and 5798).

We use MQTT on TLS to transmitt data to lorawan.skiply.eu (TCP/UDP port 8883, current IP 34.78.71.66).

Test connectivity (LAN networks)

If you are using the LAN, the gateway was configured by Skiply with the parameters you provided.

To test those parameter, plug in one gateway to your LAN to check if the configuration works. Wait 5 minutes (do not unplug the gateway during this time). After 5 min, ask to your Skiply contact to check if the gateway is connecting correctly (if you ordered a dedicated tenant, you will receive an alert as gateway manager).

Install the gateway

After testing the configuration, you can place the gateway at the final location. We recommend conducting a site survey to test the signal strength in different locations before you mount
the device.

Recommendations:

For optimal performance, place the device at a level higher than the end devices.

Select a location central to all devices to be connected to this device.

Avoid obstructions.

Important: Thick walls and reflective surfaces, such as metal, weaken the signal between the device and other devices.

During the installation, ensure with your Skiply contact (if you ordered a dedicated tenant, you will receive an alert as gateway manager) that the gateways connect correctly.

What you need to know before inserting batteries into the devices

All the gateways must be up and running before inserting batteries into devices.

Do not insert the battery in the devices until they have reach their final installation place.