The RAK7268CV2 WisGate Edge Lite 2+ is our best-selling LoRaWAN gateway – for a simple reason: it brings everything you need to start a sensor network without first building a server landscape. Eight channels receive the sensors, the built-in network server processes them right in the device, and for the connection outwards you can choose Ethernet, WiFi or mobile. It is set up through a web interface in a browser, not on a command line. If the connection drops, it buffers the received data and delivers it afterwards. For a building, a business or a pilot project, this is the shortest route from nothing to a working LoRaWAN network.
- 8 channelsreceived simultaneously
- −139 dBmreceive sensitivity
- 3 Wtypical power draw
- LTE Cat 4mobile as the backhaul
- PoEpower over the network cable
Why this gateway is chosen so often
- Network server already built in: you can register sensors directly on the gateway and collect the data over MQTT – without an external network server, without a subscription, without a cloud account. For one site that is often all it takes. Anyone wanting to move to The Things Stack or ChirpStack later simply switches over.
- Three routes to the internet: Ethernet, WiFi or mobile. The LTE route in particular opens up sites with no network connection – substation, warehouse, construction site.
- Power over the network cable: with PoE you need no socket at the mounting position. That sounds trivial, but it often decides whether the gateway ends up at the best spot for radio or the next best one with a power outlet.
- Data protection when the connection drops: if the link fails, the gateway buffers the received packets and delivers them afterwards instead of discarding them. The logs additionally land on the memory card – worth a great deal when someone asks afterwards why a sensor reading is missing.
- Setup through the browser: for configuration the gateway opens its own WiFi. Connect, open the interface, configure – no cable, no console, no prior knowledge of OpenWRT.
- Frugal in continuous operation: around three watts. A gateway runs around the clock; over a year that is a noticeable difference to hungrier devices.
- Remote management built in: configuration, firmware updates and monitoring can be handled centrally – important as soon as more than a handful of gateways are in the field.
Where it is used
- First network in a building: in normal construction one gateway covers several floors – for indoor climate, meters or door sensors that is usually enough for the whole property.
- Businesses and production: machine and plant monitoring without pulling a cable for every sensor.
- Agriculture: soil moisture, weather, silo levels – with LTE as the backhaul, also where there is no wired network.
- Municipalities and utilities: water meters, levels, environmental data on your own network rather than via someone else’s infrastructure.
- Pilot projects and development: quickly set up, fully configurable – ideal for testing a concept before larger sums are committed.
- Supplementing public networks: where coverage from Swisscom or The Things Network ends, a gateway of your own closes the gap.
That settles the selection. What follows is the depth for planning and operation.
What a built-in network server means – and where its limit lies
In a LoRaWAN network the gateway at first does only one thing: it receives radio packets and passes them on. It is the network server that decrypts them, manages the device keys and decides what happens to the data. Usually it runs elsewhere – at The Things Stack, ChirpStack or a provider. This gateway brings it along, which shortens the start dramatically: create sensors, collect data over MQTT, done.
The limit shows as soon as a second gateway is added. If two gateways receive the same sensor packet – which is normal and desirable – a shared network server would have to discard the duplicates. With one server per gateway that does not work cleanly. So as soon as you cover more than one site or plan overlap, you sensibly move to a central network server and run the gateways purely as receivers. The built-in server is the ideal start, not the end goal – and switching over is a matter of minutes.
Antenna and placement
The LoRa antenna is screwed on externally and therefore replaceable – that matters more than most datasheet figures. A gateway in the basement with the standard antenna achieves less than one on the top floor, and a higher-gain antenna brings extra range across a plane but less above and below. For a multi-storey building the supplied antenna is usually the better choice, for flat sites one with higher gain. Practical advice: place the gateway as high and as clear as possible, keep distance from metal surfaces and concrete floors, and run a test at the least favourable point before mounting a hundred sensors.
On transmission rights: a legal duty-cycle limit applies in the 868 MHz band. For the sensors that hardly matters; for the gateway it does – it answers joins and confirmations. Anyone registering many devices at once or using confirmed transmissions will eventually hit this limit. In practice that means: use confirmed messages sparingly, and do not have all devices join at once during a rollout.
Technical data
The general product data – protection rating, dimensions, connections, memory, certifications, supported bands – is in the detail table further down this page.
| LoRaWAN | |
|---|---|
| Channels | 8, Semtech SX1302 concentrator |
| Transmit power | max. 27 dBm |
| Receive sensitivity | −139 dBm |
| LoRaWAN version | 1.0.3, device classes A and C |
| Network server | built in, with MQTT bridge and TLS; can also run against an external server |
| Data protection | buffer for received packets, logs on memory card |
| Connectivity | |
| Ethernet | 100 Mbit/s with PoE per 802.3af |
| WiFi | 2.4 GHz (802.11b/g/n), also as an access point for setup |
| Mobile | LTE Cat 4, internal antenna, nano SIM |
| Operation | |
| Power supply | 12 V DC or PoE |
| Power draw | around 3 W typical |
| Storage temperature | −40 … +85 °C |
| Humidity | 0 … 95 % RH, non-condensing |
| Mounting | free-standing, wall mount or DIN rail |
| Antennas | LoRa external via RP-SMA (replaceable), WiFi and LTE internal |
Which variant suits you?
The WisGate family differs mainly in how the gateway reaches the internet and how it is powered. We stock all the models listed here ourselves – availability is shown on each product page.
| Model | Mobile | What it is made for |
|---|---|---|
| RAK7268CV2 Edge Lite 2+ (this page) | yes, internal antenna | The all-rounder: Ethernet, WiFi and LTE on board, PoE capable. The right choice for most installations. |
| RAK7268 Edge Lite 2 with external LTE antennas | yes, external antennas | When mobile reception is weak at the installation point – the antennas can be moved to a better spot. |
| RAK7268 Edge Lite 2 | no | When a network connection is available. Same LoRaWAN performance, cheaper. |
| WisGate Edge Lite 2 non-LTE, 9–24 V | no | For cabinet, vehicle or solar supply – takes any DC voltage between 9 and 24 volts. |
| RAK7266 Soho Lite | yes | The compact variant for a small network or for getting started. |
| RAK7267 Soho Pro | yes | More equipment in the same form factor, if you need additional interfaces. |
| WisGate Edge Prime RAK7240CV2 | yes | The outdoor model with a weatherproof housing – when the gateway itself has to go outside. |
Frequency variants
From us you get the European version for 868 MHz – the only one that may be operated in Switzerland and the EU. We source variants for other regions on request.
| Band | Region | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| EU868 | Europe, Switzerland | This is the version you order here |
| US915, AU915, AS923, KR920, IN865, RU864, EU433, CN470 | other regions | on request |
Help with the build
The datasheet and instructions are under the Documents tab at the top of this page. Building your first LoRaWAN network and unsure about antenna choice, location, or whether the built-in network server is enough for your plans? Talk to us – these questions are settled in a ten-minute conversation, whereas a wrong decision can cost weeks. And if it turns into a project — sizing, pre-configuration or commissioning — we will gladly put together a quote.
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