Introduction

Running a LoRa transport node require connecting a Heltec v4 device (see below) via USB-C cable to a server, laptop or Raspberry Pi. Similarly to the backbone install, it is assumed that the device and server will maintain reliable uptime for generall connectivity.

Hardware

We are using WiFi LoRa 32 v4.

Firmware

We use the RTNode Firmware web flasher.

Connect your device

See the serial ports documentation for how to connect your device in a stable way.

Web flasher

• Go to the web flasher.
• Click Detect and select your LoRa device.
• Choose the Full Install option with a version which matches our dependency table.
• Flash the firmware.

Transport node configuration

Once the LoRa device is flashed, it will expose a WiFI access point which you can connect. It should be called something like RTNode-Setup. Then visit http://10.0.0.1 in your browser and configure the transport node. It is also possible to force the device into this mode later by holding the on/off button.

• Set the Node Name
• Enable the WiFi Network. Please note, this should be the SSID and Password of your local WiFi access point. This allows the LoRa device to connect to the internet and provide a bridge over LoRa and TCP.
• Configure a TCP backbone from our list of backbones.
• Enable the Local TCP Server.
• Enable Bluetooth.
• Enable Diagnostics (rnprobe).
• Configure the LoRa Radio settings to match our presets.
• Enable Discovery if you want your node to show up on rmap.world.