LoRaWAN Traffic Scanner

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Scan—

Mode—

Listening—

Next sub-band—

Packets0

Spectrum baseline

A Spectral Scan measures the radio energy across the whole US915 band, 902–928 MHz. Unlike the LoRaWAN scan, it also sees transmitters that aren't LoRaWAN, such as RFID readers, wireless microphones or meter networks.

Baseline

Noise floor · dB above the quietest channels

Other signals · share of samples at least 8 dB above the channel's own floor

Sub-band	Frequencies	Noise floor	Signals (avg / busiest)	Busiest channel	Verdict

Levels are relative: the gateway's spectral readings are about 4 dB per step and not calibrated to dBm, so the noise floor is shown against this gateway's quietest channels. A floor 8 dB or more above the quietest means devices at the edge of range may not be heard there. Hover over a bar for its frequency.

LoRaWAN Traffic Scanner

3. The settings the scanner needs

Checking the gateway's LoRaWAN settings…

Setting	Now	Needed

Firewall: the app has automatically created a firewall rule so your browser can reach this page (TCP 8080 on the gateway's LAN). It isn't listed with mPower's firewall rules, and it is removed automatically when the app is stopped or deleted from Apps › Custom Apps.

4. Choose the type of LoRaWAN scan

Use Current Gateway Settings

Dwell on an FSB

Survey - Rotate FSBs

How long to scan

When the time is up, the scan stops by itself and the results stay on the gateway. Stop Scan, at the top of the page, ends it sooner.

Gateway Readiness Check

Checking the gateway's LoRaWAN settings…

Step by step: sign in, backup, settings, scan.

Commissioned this gateway with the Site Survey Tool app on a tablet? It sets all of this up automatically when you start a traffic scan, so there is nothing to change here.

1. Save a backup first

In mPower choose Administration › Save/Restore and save the configuration to your computer. This is strongly recommended before changing any LoRaWAN setting.

2. The settings the scanner needs

Setting	Now	Needed
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Change them in mPower under LoRaWAN › Network Settings: Mode Packet Forwarder; in the packet forwarder's network settings, Server Address 127.0.0.1, Upstream Port 1700 and Downstream Port 1700. Then Save and Apply. This page updates by itself.

Firewall: the app opens TCP 8080 itself on the gateway's LAN interfaces (the LAN bridge and any LAN port outside it) and re-opens it within a minute after any Save and Apply, so no rule is needed in mPower for a computer on the LAN. If the gateway reaches your network through its WAN port (common on installed gateways), add a rule in mPower under Firewall › Input Filter Rules that accepts TCP 8080 on WAN, ideally only from your computer's address, and remove it after the scan.

3. What switching modes keeps

Switching from Network Server or Basic Station mode to Packet Forwarder keeps that mode's settings (devices, whitelist, keys, the Basic Station server). Only the packet forwarder's server address and ports change for the scan, so note them and put them back afterwards.

User defined settings (to restore after the scan)

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Live analysis · the sub-bands heard in this scan

Waiting for the scan's first figures…

· last 60 s utilization per channel

902.3 MHz → 914.9 MHz (125 kHz ch 0–63) · 500 kHz ch 64–71 at right · the FSB being scanned now is in colour, FSBs scanned earlier in light grey · waterfall: newest at top, scroll down for earlier FSBs, colour = RSSI · hover over (or tap) a bar for its details

FSB	Listened	Pkts/min	Util avg	Util max	500k	Devices	CRC err	Last listened

· per FSB, 125 kHz-equivalent

bars = packets · line = airtime share

CRC ok vs. CRC error

by DevAddr NetID

Network	Packets	DevAddrs	Airtime

Time	Ch	MHz	DR	RSSI	SNR	Len	Air ms	CRC	Type	DevAddr

Packet forwarder

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Uplink datagrams	—
Keep-alives (downstream port)	—
Frames received by the scanner	—
Frames the forwarder says it sent	—
Frames the radio received (CRC ok)	—
Forwarder restarts	—
Gaps of a minute or more	—

Keep-alives arrive only when mPower's packet forwarder downstream port is 1700 (mPower's default is 1782). Settings › Gateway Readiness Check shows the gateway's settings and can change them for you. Frames and statistics use the upstream port. The forwarder reports its statistics every 20 seconds, so its counts trail the scanner's by up to one report. Restarts the scanner causes by changing sub-band are not counted as restarts.

Gateway info

Model	—
Serial number	—
Gateway EUI	—
Ethernet IP address	—
mPower version	—
Max TX power EIRP	—
Antenna gain	—
Spreading factors	—
Gateway date and time	—
Gateway up for	—
Scanner app running for	—
Scanner data	—
Gateway free space	—
Written today	—

LoRaWAN Traffic Scanner

Spectrum baseline

Noise floor · dB above the quietest channels

Other signals · share of samples at least 8 dB above the channel's own floor

LoRaWAN Traffic Scanner

1. Sign in to the gateway

2. Back up the gateway (recommended)

3. The settings the scanner needs

This gateway is serving a LoRaWAN network

4. Choose a scan

4. Choose the type of LoRaWAN scan

5. Start the scan

All set

Scan settings

What would you like to record?

Record a LoRaWAN traffic scan

Consolidated scan and report

How it works

What the report tells you

How long it takes

While it runs

Consolidated scan settings

Ready to scan

See the data live?

Configure scanning

Type of LoRaWAN scan

Gateway Readiness Check

This gateway is serving a LoRaWAN network

1. Save a backup first

2. The settings the scanner needs

3. What switching modes keeps

User defined settings (to restore after the scan)

Choose a Task

Scanning

Consolidated scan

Live spectral scan

Other signals · share of samples at least 8 dB above each channel's own noise floor

Noise floor · dB above the quietest channel measured so far

Live analysis i · the sub-bands heard in this scan

Live spectrum · last 60 s utilization per channel

Sub-band comparison

Busy time over time · per FSB, 125 kHz-equivalent

Data rates

Signal strength

Networks heard

Recent packets

Live analysis · the sub-bands heard in this scan

· last 60 s utilization per channel

· per FSB, 125 kHz-equivalent