Configuration

This page outlines all common configuration parameters of the firmware. Default settings are preconfigured to ensure a seamless initial operation experience. Gateways running add-on firmware use additional, add-on-specific configuration parameters alongside the configuration parameters listed below (see Addo-Ons).

Customer specific configuration

For larger orders, Lobaro can apply customer-specific configurations to all parameters prior to delivery.

Firmware Configuration Parameter

Product specific parameters possible

The configuration parameters described here are common to all products running this firmware. However, some products may include additional parameters or modify the parameters listed here, such as allowing additional values to be set. In all cases, the specific product's documentation takes precedence over this general description and should be reviewed carefully.

General Parameters

Description	Key	Type	Possible Values	Default
Uplink channel selection	WAN	String	lte or lorawan	lte
Listen Cron [UTC+0]	listenCron	String	Any CRON String	H H 10 * * *
Days without connectivity until device reset	LostReboot	Number	Any, e.g., 5	3
Hour when to send the status message	statusHour	Number	Any integer from 0 to 23 or H	0
Random TX Delay [s]	TxDelay	String	Random Delay before Uplinks to avoid collision. E.g. "10s", 10m-15m"	0s

Detailed Description

WAN Parameter

LPWAN technology is used for connection and data communication with the backend server. This can be either cellular LTE (NB-IoT, LTE-M) or LoRaWAN.

• lte: Utilizes cellular technologies, either NB-IoT or LTE-M.
• lorawan: Employs LoRaWAN with OTAA (Over-The-Air Activation).

Limitations in LoRaWAN

• LoRaWAN uplinks and downlinks are limited to 52–222 bytes, depending on the DataRate (connection quality):
• Uplinks containing longer wMBUS telegrams are split across multiple LoRaWAN messages.
• Uplinks with numerous wMBUS telegrams may take significant time due to LoRaWAN's duty-cycle limitations.
• Downlinks with large configuration values (e.g., long whitelists) must be split into multiple messages, which can be challenging to implement.
• Limited metadata:
• Status telegrams include less information due to reduced uplink channel capacity.
• No remote firmware update capabilities.

listenCron Parameter

The listen cron specifies when the device wakes up to receive data via enabled wireless M-Bus and other radio protocols. Each listening period is followed by data upload using the configured WAN technology. The ideal interval largely depends on the device's power supply (battery-powered vs. externally powered) and the application's need for new metering data. Typical intervals range from every 15 minutes to 14 days between consecutive readouts.

CRON parameter

Learn more about CRON configuration parameters.

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statusHour Parameter

Defines the hour of the day when the device sends its status message. The minutes and seconds (MM:SS) are initially generated pseudo-randomly and remain fixed for the device afterwards.

• Values from 0 to 23 define a fixed hour (UTC)
• H enables a pseudo-random hour selection

Hashed hour ("H")

When using H, the single device randomly selects a fixed hour (0–23), such that different devices are evenly distributed over time.

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TxDelay Parameter

Replaces the deprecated RndDelay parameter.
While RndDelay was previously only available for LoRaWAN, TxDelay can be used for both LTE and LoRaWAN.

TxDelay introduces a randomized delay before data transmission to reduce network collisions.

Timing Behavior

Each program cycle is divided into four phases:

• t0: Time from wake-up until the end of wM-Bus data collection
  (influenced by parameters such as cmodeDurSec, smodeDurSec, xmodeDurSec, umodeDurSec)

• TxDelay: Delay between the end of data collection and the start of transmission
  During this time, the device enters deep sleep

• t1: Time between the end of TxDelay and the actual data upload

• t2: Time after data upload until the device returns to deep sleep again

Maximum Cycle Duration Constraint

The total cycle duration is limited: t0 + TxDelay + t1 + t2 ≤ 15 minutes.

If this limit is exceeded, TxDelay is automatically reduced (down to 0s if necessary) to ensure the cycle stays within the allowed time window.

Randomization

TxDelay is calculated individually for each program cycle and varies randomly within the configured range. It supports fixed values as well as ranges:

• Fixed delay:

  • 10s → always 10 seconds
  • 5m → always 5 minutes

• Randomized range:

  • 10s-30s → random value between 10 and 30 seconds
  • 5m-15m → random value between 5 and 15 minutes

Supported suffixes:

• s = seconds
• m = minutes

Wireless M-Bus Meter Reading

Description	Key	Type	Possible Values	Default
WMBUS C1/T1 Listen Duration [s]	cmodeDurSec	Number	Number of seconds 0 = Do not collect C1/T1 Max Value=36000	300
WMBUS S1 Listen Duration [s]	smodeDurSec	Number	Number of seconds 0 = Do not collect S1 Max Value=36000	0
Sensus RF Listen Duration [s]	xmodeDurSec	Number	Number of seconds 0 = Do not collect X-Mode Max Value=36000	0
Müller-Funk Listen Duration [s]	umodeDurSec	Number	Number of seconds 0 = Do not collect U-Mode Max Value=36000	0
WMBUS ID Filter List	devFilter	String	List, e.g. 88009035,13456035	[not set]
WMBUS Type Filter List	typFilter	String	List, e.g. 08,07	[not set]
WMBUS M-Field Filter List	mFilter	String	List, e.g. DME,ITW,SEN,QDS	[not set]
WMBUS CI-Field Filter List	ciFilter	String	List, e.g. 8a,72	[not set]
WMBUS Telegram Upload Limit	maxTelegrams	Number	Any number of max. Telegrams 0 = no limit.	0
WMBUS Receive Tune Commands	rxTune	String	E.g. "axi" blank = no special command	[not set]

Detailed Description

*modeDurSec Parameters

Parameters: cmodeDurSec smodeDurSec xmodeDurSec umodeDurSec

The duration, specified in seconds (e.g., 300 for 5 minutes), defines how long the device collects metering data for each corresponding wireless protocol. Each listening period is executed sequentially based on the configured durations. Once all listening periods are complete, the collected meter telegrams are transmitted using the configured WAN technology.

warning

The maximum duration that can be specified is 10 hours, i.e. 36,000 seconds. Please note that such long listening periods will drain the battery very quickly. If in doubt, please consult Lobaro.

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*Filter Parameters

Parameters: devFilter ciFilter mFilter typFilter

Filters are applied to meters based on wireless M-Bus-related fields to determine which telegrams are collected and uploaded. These filters include:

• mFilter: Manufacturer filter – filters telegrams by the 3-letter manufacturer code included in every telegram ( e.g., LOB for Lobaro GmbH).
• typFilter: Device Type filter – filters telegrams by the 2-hex-digit code that defines the type of sending device (e.g., 07 for water meters).
• devFilter: Device filter – filters telegrams by the 8-digit ID that is mandatory for each sending device (e.g., 87654321).
• ciFilter: CI-Field filter – filters telegrams by the 2-hex-digit CI-Field included in every telegram. This field is a technical code that describes the purpose of the telegram (e.g., 8a).

These filters help refine data collection to target specific devices or device types.

More Details

For a detailed explanation, read more about telegram filter parameterization.

Blacklist

Each filter parameter can be preceded with an exclamation mark (!) to convert the whitelist into a blacklist.

This applies to the entire filter parameter, not to individual entries within the list. For example:

• mFilter=LOB will collect only telegrams from Lobaro GmbH (whitelist).
• mFilter=!LOB will exclude telegrams from Lobaro GmbH (blacklist).

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maxTelegrams Parameter

Set a hard limit on the number of telegrams to be collected and uploaded. The firmware will stop collecting once this limit is reached, regardless of the elapsed time. This can help conserve battery life and data volume, especially if the device is located in an area with a high density of meters.

tip

When filtering for a single telegram, the parameter can be set to 1, causing the device to stop listening immediately after the desired telegram is received.

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rxTune Parameter

Provides an additional compatibility readout mode for Qualcosonic E3 and E4 meters. This mode is executed in addition to the standard T1/C1 readout, resulting in an increased total readout duration (approximately doubled).

LTE Connection

Description	Key	Type	Possible Values	Default
LTE Lobaro Platform Host	Host	IP / URL	List of various Endpoints	coaps://platform.lobaro.com
LTE MCC+MNC Code	Operator	Number	e.g. 26201 (Dt. Telekom)	[not set]
LTE Band	Band	Number	3 or 8,20 or 3,8,20	3,8,20
LTE APN	APN	String	any APN	*
LTE SIM Pin	PIN	Number	4 digits pin, e.g. 1234	[not set]
LTE NB-IoT on/off	UseNbiot	Bool	true or false	true
LTE M1 on/off	UseLtem	Bool	true or false	true
LTE DNS Servers used	DNS	IP	List of DNS server IPs	9.9.9.9,1.1.1.1
Plain UDP Host	UdpHost	IP	any, e.g 94.130.20.37	[not set]
Plain UDP Port	UdpPort	Number	any, e.g 3333	[not set]

Detailed Description

Host Parameter

Lobaro Platform CoAP

Hostname or IP of the Lobaro Platform instance CoAP endpoint to which the gateway communicates using UDP.

• Using DTLS: coaps://platform.lobaro.com
• No DTLS: coap://platform.lobaro.com
• Plain IP: 94.130.20.37 (platform.lobaro.com)

Host with fallback

It's also possible to configure a list of URLs to implement a fallback mechanism. This is particulary helpful for combining DTLS and non DTLS connection attempts: coaps://platform.lobaro.com,coap://platform.lobaro.com

MQTT

The device can communicate directly via MQTT. See MQTT → Host Parameter.

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LTE Parameters

Parameters: APN Operator Band, PIN

Basic parameters are required to configure the NB-IoT or LTE-M connection. These settings must align with the SIM card and network provider used. Typically, the default parameters work well, as they enable the modem to automatically select and join the network using SIM card information. However, if the APN (Access Point Name) is known, it is recommended to configure it for optimal performance.

More Details

Read more about LTE network configuration parameters.

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UseNbiot UseLtem

The modem supports both NB-IoT and LTE-M technologies. By default, both are enabled, allowing the cellular modem to automatically select the most suitable network type based on the location. However, you can force the modem to use a specific technology by setting one parameter to false, ensuring the other remains enabled (set to true). At least one technology must always be active.

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UdpHost UdpPort

Deprecated

This feature is deprecated and not recommended for production use. Lobaro provides limited support for errors caused by using raw UDP upload.

Instead of sending metering data to the Lobaro IoT Platform, the data can alternatively be sent to an external UDP socket. This option is useful if you prefer to keep metering data off external servers while still using the Lobaro Platform to control your gateways.

• UdpHost: IP address to upload plain telegrams via UDP.
• [not set]: Defaults to uploading data to the Lobaro IoT Platform using the configured Host parameter.
• UdpPort: Port number to upload plain telegrams via UDP.
• Only used if UdpHost is set.

info

Even when metering data is sent to an external server, the firmware typically still requires a connection to a Lobaro Platform instance to send status information, perform remote configurations, or handle firmware updates.

For solutions that allow all communication without the Lobaro Platform, such as direct MQTT to an external broker, contact Lobaro for potential options.

LoRaWAN Connection

Description	Key	Type	Possible Values	Default
DevEUI	DevEUI	byte[8]	any	Device EUI64
AppEUI / JoinEUI (1.1)	AppEUI/JoinEUI	byte[8]	any	random
AppKey	AppKey	byte[16]	any	random
NwkKey (1.1)	NwkKey	byte[16]	any	00000000000000000000000000000000
Days between Timesync	TimeSync	Number	any	3
Payload Format	PayloadFormat	Number	0, 1, 2	0
Use OTAA	OTAA	Bool	true or false	true
Random TX Delay [s]	RndDelay	Number	any	10
Spreading Factor	SF	Number	7-12	12
Transmission Power	TxPower	Number	2-14	14
Adaptiv Data Rate	ADR	Bool	true or false	true
LoRaWAN max. Payload Length	loraPLMax	Number	10 to 241	100

Detailed Description

LoRaWAN 1.1

LoRaWAN 1.1 is experimental and not certified. For production environments, we recommend using LoRaWAN 1.0.2.

note

Depending on configuration some parameters are not available.

NwkKey Parameter

The Network Key (NwkKey) is used for LoRaWAN 1.1. If set to zeros (00000000000000000000000000000000) or to the same value as the AppKey, the device will stick to LoRaWAN 1.0.2 which is the recommended mode of operation.

PayloadFormat Parameter

Defines the encoding of the wM-Bus LoRaWAN uplink payload.

• 0 = Encoding in ports with static message length (max. 50 bytes per uplink)
• 1 = Prefix bytes and timestamp
• 2 = Prefix bytes, timestamp, and RSSI

For PayloadFormat 1 and 2, the gateway automatically utilizes the maximum available payload size depending on network conditions (e.g. spreading factor).

loraPLMax Parameter

Maximum payload size (in bytes) for LoRaWAN uplink packets.

This parameter is only relevant for Modbus-related functionality and is not used for Wireless M-Bus (wM-Bus) data transmission.

For wM-Bus communication, the payload size behavior is defined by the selected PayloadFormat.

Changing loraPLMax has no effect on LoRaWAN transmission in wM-Bus applications.

More Details

For a detailed specification of the payload formats, please refer to the LoRaWAN Communication page.

Special

Description	Key	Type	Possible Values	Default
Verbose UART Log	verbose	Bool	true or false	false
Addon RAM configuration	extRam	String	Lobaro Internal	[not set]
Live Mode	liveMode	String		[not set]
Operation Mode	opMode	Number	Lobaro Internal	1

Detailed Description

liveMode Parameter

An empty string disables the live mode. suppression=<seconds> enable live mode with suppression of duplicate telegrams for seconds