Recomputer Gateway - LoRaWAN Gateway Firmware

OpenWrt-based LoRaWAN gateway firmware for Seeed Studio's Recomputer Gateway device

Overview

Recomputer Gateway is a full-featured LoRaWAN gateway firmware built on OpenWrt 24.10 and deployed via LXC containers. The firmware integrates multiple LoRaWAN protocol stacks including ChirpStack, Semtech packet_forwarder, and Basic Station, along with 4G/LTE mobile network access, MQTT services, and serial communication (UART/RS485) capabilities.

Features

• Base System: OpenWrt 24.10 (ARMv8/aarch64)
• LoRaWAN Support:
  • ChirpStack Concentrator
  • Semtech Packet Forwarder
  • Basic Station
• Networking:
  • 4G/LTE dial-up networking
  • Multi-WAN support (load balancing/failover)
  • Routing configuration management
• Peripherals:
  • RS485 serial configuration
  • UPS power management
• Web Management:
  • LuCI interface (SenseCap theme)
  • Web terminal
  • LoRa status monitoring
  • LTE status display
  • OTA upgrade support

Screenshots

System Status Overview

System overview page displaying LoRa status, network connections, and packet statistics.

Device Information

Item	Value
Target Platform	ARMv8 (aarch64_generic)
OpenWrt Version	openwrt-24.10
Container	LXC
Default User	root (no password)

Directory Structure

recomputer-gateway/
├── .config                    # OpenWrt build configuration
├── .github/
│   └── workflows/
│       └── build.yml          # GitHub Actions build workflow
├── feeds.conf.default         # Feeds configuration
├── feeds/
│   ├── chirpstack/            # ChirpStack related packages
│   ├── lorawan-gateway/       # LoRaWAN Gateway backend services
│   └── luci-lorawan-gateway/  # LuCI Web interface extensions
│       ├── luci-app-gateway/      # Main gateway configuration app
│       ├── luci-app-lora/         # LoRa status display
│       ├── luci-app-lte/          # LTE configuration
│       ├── luci-app-ups/          # UPS power management
│       ├── luci-app-rs485/        # RS485 configuration
│       ├── luci-app-terminal/     # Web terminal
│       ├── luci-app-ota/          # OTA upgrade
│       ├── luci-app-multiwan/     # Multi WAN configuration
│       ├── luci-app-routing/      # Routing configuration
│       └── luci-theme-sensecap/   # SenseCap theme
├── openwrt/                   # OpenWrt source (downloaded during build)
└── README.md                  # This document

Building

System Requirements

• OS: Ubuntu/Debian Linux
• Disk Space: > 50GB recommended
• Memory: > 8GB recommended

Install Dependencies

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install build-essential clang flex bison g++ gawk \
    gcc-multilib g++-multilib gettext git libncurses5-dev \
    libssl-dev rsync unzip zlib1g-dev file wget

Build Steps

1. Initialize Submodules

git submodule update --init --recursive

2. Clone OpenWrt Source

git clone https://github.com/openwrt/openwrt.git -b openwrt-24.10
cd openwrt
rm -r feeds.conf.default
cp ../feeds.conf.default feeds.conf.default

3. Update and Install Feeds

./scripts/feeds update -a
./scripts/feeds install -a

4. Apply Configuration

cp ../.config .config
make defconfig

5. (Optional) Disable Rust LLVM CI Download for Faster Build

sed -i 's/--set=llvm.download-ci-llvm=true/--set=llvm.download-ci-llvm=false/' \
    feeds/packages/lang/rust/Makefile

6. Build

unset CI GITHUB_ACTIONS CONTINUOUS_INTEGRATION
make -j$(nproc)

7. Get Build Output

After completion, the firmware is located at:

openwrt/bin/targets/armsr/armv8/openwrt-armsr-armv8-generic-rootfs.tar.gz

Customization

To customize the firmware (e.g., add packages, modify kernel settings), run menuconfig in the openwrt directory:

cd openwrt
make menuconfig

Deployment

The firmware is deployed to the device via LXC container:

1. Stop Existing Container

sudo lxc-stop -n SenseCAP

2. Clean and Create New rootfs

sudo rm -rf /var/lib/lxc/SenseCAP/rootfs
sudo mkdir -p /var/lib/lxc/SenseCAP/rootfs

3. Extract New Firmware

sudo tar -xzf /path/to/openwrt-armsr-armv8-generic-rootfs.tar.gz \
    -C /var/lib/lxc/SenseCAP/rootfs

4. Start Container

sudo lxc-start -n SenseCAP

5. Enter Container for Debugging

sudo lxc-attach -n SenseCAP

Function Modules

LoRaWAN Gateway

• Config File: /etc/config/lora_pkt_fwd
• Service: lorawan_gateway
• UI: LuCI Gateway app

ChirpStack Concentrator

• Target: seeed-gateway
• Service: chirpstack-concentratord

LTE/WWAN Support

• Config: /etc/config/network
• Firewall: LTE and WWAN networks have firewall rules added

Multi-WAN Support

• Supports multiple WAN configurations including LTE and Ethernet
• Load balancing and failover capabilities

Development

SSH to LXC Container

From host machine:

sudo lxc-attach -n SenseCAP

View Logs

# LoRa packet forwarder logs
logread | grep lora

# System logs
logread

Web Interface

Access http://[IP_ADDRESS]/cgi-bin/luci for:

• Status Overview: LoRa status, network connections, packet statistics
• Services: LoRa, network and other configurations

Feeds Description

Feed	Description
packages	OpenWrt official packages (openwrt-24.10)
luci	OpenWrt LuCI Web interface (openwrt-24.10)
routing	Routing related packages (openwrt-24.10)
chirpstack	Local link - ChirpStack integration
lorawan_gateway	Local link - LoRaWAN gateway services
luci_lorawan_gateway	Local link - Gateway LuCI interface

FAQ

Build Fails

Problem: Errors during compilation Solution:

• Check disk space (recommend > 50GB)
• Ensure submodules are updated: git submodule update --init --recursive
• Rust compilation is slow, disable CI LLVM download to speed up

Cannot Access After Deployment

Problem: Cannot access web interface after container starts Solution:

• Check LXC container status: sudo lxc-ls -f
• View container logs: sudo lxc-info -n SenseCAP
• Verify network configuration is correct

LoRa Data Not Displaying

Problem: No data on LoRa status page Solution:

• Check concentrator service status
• View logs: logread | grep -i lora
• Verify gateway configuration is correct

Related Links

• OpenWrt
• ChirpStack
• LuCI
• Seeed Studio

License

This project follows the OpenWrt project license requirements.

Contributing

Issues and Pull Requests are welcome!