WisDM Quick Start – Add Your First Gateway

  • Updated

This guide walks you through the basic steps required to add your first RAK gateway to WisDM and confirm that it is online.

Before You Start

Make sure you have:

  • A RAK ID account
  • The gateway Serial Number
  • The Gateway EUI
  • A RAK gateway running WisGateOS 1.2.2 or later
  • WisDM integration enabled on the gateway
  • Internet connectivity on the gateway

Using the latest available gateway firmware is recommended:

For RAK Gateways running WisGateOS, the latest version is 1.3.9 - Download here.

For RAK Gateways running WisGateOS2, the latest version is 2.3.x - Download here.

1. Sign In to WisDM

Open the WisDM platform and select Sign in with RAK ID.

Sign in using your existing RAK ID credentials. If you do not have a RAK ID, create one and complete the email verification and Terms and Conditions acceptance process.

After signing in, you will be directed to the Organizations page.

WisDM Login and Organization

2. Create an Organization

An Organization is the top-level workspace in WisDM. It contains your Locations, gateways, users, subscriptions, and organization-level settings.

  1. Click New organization.
  2. Enter the required organization information.
  3. Select the appropriate subscription plan.
  4. Complete the Organization creation process.
Create an Organization

For testing, proof-of-concept, or small deployments, the Community plan supports up to three gateways.

3. Create a Location

A Location groups gateways that share the same LoRaWAN network configuration.

To create one:

  1. Go to Locations.
  2. Click New location.
  3. Enter a Location name.
  4. Configure the Location address if required.
  5. Continue to the LoRaWAN network configuration.
Add Location
Add Location Details

4. Select the LoRaWAN Network Mode

Choose the work mode according to how the gateways will connect to the LoRaWAN Network Server.

Packet Forwarder

Use Packet Forwarder when connecting to an external LoRaWAN Network Server using Semtech UDP Packet Forwarder or LoRa Gateway MQTT Bridge.

Basics Station

Use Basics Station when connecting to an external LoRaWAN Network Server using the LoRa Basics Station protocol, including CUPS/LNS and certificate- or token-based authentication.

Built-in Network Server

Use Built-in Network Server when the LoRaWAN Network Server will run locally on a gateway.

One gateway acts as the Central Gateway, while additional gateways can operate as Extender Gateways.

Configure the required frequency plan and network parameters, then save the Location.

Configure the Location Work Mode

5. Add Your Gateway

Go to:

Locations > Select your Location > Gateways > Add Gateway

Enter:

  • Serial Number
  • Gateway EUI
  • Gateway Name – optional

Click Add.

WisDM validates the gateway against the selected Location.

The gateway will appear as either:

  • Available – the gateway passed validation and can be added.
  • Unavailable – one or more validation checks failed. Check the Status column for the reason.

If the gateway is Available, select it and click Add gateways.

Note: In Built-in Network Server mode, the first gateway becomes the Central Gateway and must be online before it can be added successfully.

Adding gateway/gateways

6. Confirm That the Gateway Is Online

After adding the gateway:

  1. Open Locations.
  2. Select the Location.
  3. Open Gateways.
  4. Check the gateway status.

A successfully connected gateway should appear as Online.

You can then open the gateway details page to view its firmware version, network status, traffic statistics, system performance, and other available information.

Next Steps

Once your first gateway is online, you can continue with:

  • Adding more gateways
  • Configuring network interfaces
  • Managing the LoRaWAN network
  • Monitoring gateway health and statistics
  • Updating gateway firmware
  • Using logs, SSH, and packet capture for diagnostics

For detailed descriptions of all available settings and parameters, refer to the WisDM User Manual.