Field Tester not sending LoRaWAN packets automatically

[TransfDigital]

I am operating the equipment with the latest firmware version (1.1.2, updated via WisToolBox as explained in the manual). The device connects well to the LoRaWAN network server (a Chirpstack V4 in a WisGate Connect running under Docker), but once it has joined the network, the device doesn't do anything else; it doesn't send any more messages, even though I have configured it to send one every 30 seconds. I am conducting the tests inside our offices.

On the other hand, if I try double-clicking the button to force a transmission, it does start sending messages. It sends many, perhaps too many (a message every two seconds approximately, and for one/two minutes). However, the message it sends is a sequence of bytes that, when read in HEX, it's all zeros. I am attaching a screenshot of the Node-RED connected to Chirpstack, where I have developed a flow that follows the manual's instructions.

I am also attaching a JSON where you can see the Uplink received by Chirpstack. However, the Field-Tester-Service node is not sending any messages to debug 359.

field_tester.json

Why is the device not behaving as expected?

[carlrakwireless]

Hi @TransfDigital ,

If the field tester has no GPS signal, it will send automatic interval uplinks.

For indoor use, you have force it via double click of the button.

The idea is that you cannot calculate the distance from the gateway to device if you have GPS fix.

Regards,

Carl

[TransfDigital]

Hi @carlrakwireless,

Thanks for your quick reply, I understand. But I think it would be very interesting to make it work even if you don't have GPS signal, as in our case most of the deployments are indoors. I don't care if in this case I don't receive the distance between the tester and the gateway, but at least I would like to see in the screen the quality of signal (RSSI and SNR). But when you test it pressing the button, the payload has the "all-zeros" format, and I guess the field tester node in Node-RED doesn't know how to act to pass the signal levels to the tester as a downlink. Would there be a workaround to solve this so I can see at least the RSSI and SNR indoors?

Kind Regards

[xoseperez]

Hi, right now the code in the NodeRED node checks for valid GPS data and does not return anything if there is none.

https://github.com/RAKWireless/field-tester-server/blob/53ee76db0a44a851fd43e27dfc1fac729a74fe50/node-red-node/server/server.js#L76

Of course we can change it to return the data without distances. Let us a couple of days to do the changes and test them.

Thank you

[xoseperez]

@TransfDigital
Lates version of the Field Tester Server for NodeRED (versio 0.2.4) supports messages without GPS information and correctly returns all data (except distances).

[TransfDigital]

Hi @xoseperez, thanks for the update. Will try that in the following days.

Thank you.