Open Source LTE or LoRa to Bluetooth 5.2, Thread, Zigbee Industrial IoT Gateway

BLG840F is a low cost, open source, secure, industrial LTE or LoRa to BLE 5/5.1/5.2, Thread, Zigbee gateway. Its low cost and available long range (>4500 meters for BLG840XE; >100 Km estimated for LoRa; no obstruction) will enable mass deployment of IoT devices.

Gateway Summaries

BLE 5.2/802.15.4 to LTE Gateways

The integrated modem supports both LTE-M and NB-IoT and can operate globally removing any need for regional variants. A GPS receiver is integrated into the radio offering various modes of operation to suit a wide selection of applications that employ location-tracking functionality

A Bluetooth to LTE Gateway (BLG) relays messages from a cloud server to any node in a Bluetooth SIG mesh, other meshes, or in a point to multiple points application. 

BLG840F has 2 major components as shown in the photo below.

• A host board with an M.2 connector, B-key, or BLGM2 Gateway Base.

• An LN60G840F, Nordic nFR9160-nRF52840, LTE-BLE combo module

A block of BLG840F.

You can use a Gateway Base BLGM2F (with 16MB flash) to create a gateway with an LN60G40F Series LTE-BLE combo module.

BLG840F

• BLGM2 gateway base (no external flash) with 2 RGB LEDs, micro USB AC adapter.

• LN60G840F, nRF9160-BT840F combo module. Integrated GPS receiver, antenna.

• Panel-mounted SMA connector and an external LTE antenna.

• $63.98 each at 1K pcs.

BLG840X

• BLGM2 gateway base.

• LN60G840X, nRF9160-BT840X with PA module. Integrated GPS receiver antenna.

• Panel mounted SMA connector and an external LTE antenna.

• $73.53 each at 1K pcs.

BLG840XE

• BLGM2 gateway base.

• LN60G840XE, nRF9160-BT840XE with PA module. Integrated GPS receiver antenna.

• Two panel mounted SMA connectors, an LTE antenna and an BLE antenna.

• $79.55 each at 1K pcs.

BLG40F

• BLGM2F gateway base with 16MB flash memory

• LN60G40F, nRF9160-BT40F combo module. Integrated GPS receiver, antenna.

• nRF5340 with dual core Cortex M33 processor up to 128 MHz.

• 16 MB flash memory.

• Panel mounted SMA connector and an external LTE antenna

• $70.53 each at 1K pcs.

BLG-1F Gateway Base

• Size: 60x60x22 mm.

• An USB AC adapter.

• A host board with an M.2 connector, B-key. 2 RGB LEDs.

• 16 MB flash memory.

• An external LTE antenna, a cable with SMA mounting hardware.

• $14.54 each at 1K pcs.

BU840XE Remote USB Dongle

To maximize Bluetooth range, the followings are included.

• BT840XE BLE 5.2 module with an u.FL connector. FCC certified with +20.99 dBm max. TX power.

• ANT000, a 0 dBi external antenna.

• a 2-meter long USB cable and a wall mount bracket for remote wall mounting, minimizing obstruction and maximizing Bluetooth range.

BRX840XE, Bluetooth to LoRa Super Power Gateway

• BT840XE, BLE 5.2 module, +20.99 dBm TX power with ANT000, a 0 dBi antenna.

• LR62XE, SX1262 with PA, +29.2 dBm TX power, with ANT025, a 2 dBi antenna.

BRX840F, Bluetooth to LoRa Super Power Gateway

• BT840F, BLE 5.2 module, +8.5dBm integrated PCB antenna.

• LR62XE, SX1262 with PA, +29.2 dBm TX power, with ANT025, a 2 dBi antenna.

BR840F, Bluetooth to LoRa Gateway

• BT840F, BLE 5.2 module, +8.5 dBm TX power, integrated PCB antenna.

• LR62E, SX1262, +20.3 dBm TX power, with ANT025, a 2 dBi antenna.

Using LTE to Connect to a Cloud Server

Development Server

A set of demonstration codes for a BLE 5 sensor sending temperature and humidity data to a BLG840F connected to a Fanstel development server using MQTT protocols can be downloaded from Download OpenSource Document webpage. 

The purpose of development server is to assist developers in early stage of development to trouble-shoot WiFi connection. To avoid overloading, gateways should be connected to a production server as soon as possible.

An Android phone app displaying temperature and humidity as below can be downloaded from the same webpage.

Google IoT Core Cloud Server

Hex and source codes to connect to  Google IoT Core cloud server can be downloaded from Download Open Source Document webpage.

Relaying Messages between Cloud and Bluetooth Devices

A Nordic nRF52 module communicates with cloud server in the message layers. nRF52 development environment shall be used for code development. Source codes are available.

The 64 MHz Cortex M4F MCU in nRF52 relays messages between a cloud server and any node in the mesh network. A CryptoCell 310 co-processor is embedded in BT840 Series modules. Secured messages can be decrypted and authenticated when relayed between a cloud server and Bluetooth SIG mesh.

Bootloader is preloaded in Bluetooth module. SoftDevice and application can be loaded by Over-The-Air firmware update. The 10-pin cable included in PK-BLG840F can be used to connect to nRF52DK for programming.

Programming Kits

• PK-BLG840F is required for monitoring UART data. The 10-pins cable is required for connecting to nRF9160DK or nRF5340DK.

Certifications

• FCC: 2ANPO00NRF9160; X8WBT840F, X8WBT840X, X8WBT40F

• ISED: 24529-NRF9160; 4100A-BT840F, 4100A-BT840X, 4100A-BT40F

• CE: Compliant

• CE: EN 301 489-1&52; EN 303 413 V1.2.1 GNSS; EN 301 908-1 NB IoT; EN 301 908-1 Cat M1.

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