FAQ Strips LoRaWAN
General
Q: What do I need to be able to use Strips LoRa?
A: You would need an account on a LoRa Network Server (TTN, Chirpstack, Loriot, Actility etc.), as well as a gateway connected to the internet. In the LNS you need to add both the gateway and the Strips to establish a LoRa network.
Q: How long does the battery in Strips last?
A: With average/normal configuration settings in healthy network conditions, battery life will last up to 10 years. Environments with poor network conditions or aggressive configuration settings (very frequent reporting and/or high spreading factor / data rate) will have a negative impact on longevity and may decrease the lifespan to less than 10 years.
Q: Is it possible to change the battery in Strips?
A: Batteries are non-replaceable
Q: Does the +Switch accessory work for any variant of the LoRa Strips?
A: Yes
Q: How does Strips behave after I reset it with 3 magnet sweeps?
A: If the device is neither in Transport mode or in a joined state, then Strips is in Standby mode. In this state, Strips will send a join request once per day (this can be configured to occur both less and more frequently)
Q: Is there a way to turn off Strips?
A: No, the device will always be running
Q: What are the different ways to reset Strips?
A: There are 2 ways to reset the device:
- Reset with the manual reset pattern using a magnet: This will cause the device to unjoin the network and reboot the internal firmware. Keep in mind that this will not reset the Strips configuration settings.
- Reset with a configuration payload: By using this method, the configuration parameters will be reset to factory default, and not cause the device to unjoin or reboot. To reset the configuration settings, send '00' to port 11.
Joining and connections
Q: Can Strips connect to any LoRaWAN network?
A: Strips will be able to connect to any properly configured LoRa network with gateways installed. If you come across any compatibility issues, please contact Sensative.
Q: Is Strips LoRa compatible with all LoRa gateways?
A: Yes, if you have a gateway that you believe is not compatible with Strips, please contact us.
Q: Can I move Strips from one LoRa Network Server to another?
A: No, we advise you to delete the device from the current LoRa Network server, perform a manual reset with a magnet and join the Strips in the new LoRa Network Server. The settings the device is configured to will remain the same.
Q: What happens if my gateway is turned off for a month or longer, will Strips still work when I turn it back on?
A: On the next confirmed report from Strips, such as the daily heartbeat, the device will enter Resend mode when there is no connection to the gateway. By default, the device will reset and enter Standby after 7 days of no received ACK. Please view the Resend more section in the user guide for more information.
Q: How do I check if my Strips is joined or not?
A: Take a magnet and place it by the square end of the Strips. If the device is joined and door report/alarm is enabled, the device will flash orange quickly, the Strips is joined. If the door report/alarm is not enabled, there will be not LED flash at all, the Strips is joined. If the device is not joined, the Strips will flash once long red.
Q: What happens when critical messages such as alarms are triggered while the gateway is temporarily powered off or there's no internet connection?
A: Critical messages generated from Strips, such as alarms are always sent as confirmed messages. This means that the device requires an acknowledgement from the LoRa Network Server. If this does not happen due to gateway issues or getting lost in the air, Strips will resend the messages until it receives a response back. The resend interval is 1, 2, 4, 8... minutes up to once per day.
Q: How do I unjoin Strips?
A: By performing the manual reset pattern and holding the magnet on the round side for 10 seconds on the last swipe, for a visual guide, please view this video
Decoding and configuration
Q: How do I configure Strips?
A: Please use our online Strips Configuration Application
Q: If I perform the reset pattern, what will happen to my current configuration?
A: The manual reset pattern will only unjoin and reboot the device, the current configuration will remain unchanged.
Q: Why is Strips sending Door and Tamper Alarm shortly after joining the device in my network, and what are they?
A: When joined for the first time, Strips will send the current state of the default enabled reports. These are Door report and Tamper Alarm. For Presence sensors, Presence report is enabled as well.
Q: How do I decode the data from Strips?
A: We offer live decoding in the LoRa Strips configuration app. If you wish to implement a translator into your own app or system, please visit the following link
Q: How do I know if a configuration I set is successful?
A: Once Strips has received a configuration downlink, it will respond with a status code. The different codes are as follows:
- 0300: OK
- 0301: Bad settings
- 0302: Bad payload length
- 0303: Value not accepted
- 0304: Unknown command
Q: How do I factory reset Strips?
A: To reset all Strips configuration settings, send ‘00’ to port 11, or ‘0100’ to port 10. Keep in mind that the reset won’t be effective until the next communication with Strips.
Q: What is tamper report?
A: The tamper report is enabled by in the factory default settings and is triggered (true) if there are magnets on both ends of Strips.
Q: What are the factory default settings?
A: The Multi-sensors are configured with the door/window sensor activated as well as Tamper report and a daily heartbeat. Presence will have the same settings as the Multi-sensor, except for the Presence report, which will be active as well with the settings below:
- Presence Poll Interval: 2 minutes
- Presence Threshold: 50
- Presence Timeout: 60 minutes
Mounting and placement
Q: Can I use Strips outside?
A: Variants that are designed for outdoor usage can be used outside (+Drip, +Guard, +Oil), whereas indoor devices (Presence, +Comfort) can not
Q: Can I mount Strips on any surface or material?
A: Mounting Strips on a metal surface will have a negative effect on the radio signals and is therefore not recommended. If you still must mount it on metal, make sure there is padding between the device and the surface.
Q: Can I put Strips in my pool to measure the water temperature?
A: Strips is not designed to be submerged into water, and will most likely stop functioning after a period of time.
Q: Can I use Strips in my fridge or freezer?
A: Yes, as long as the temperature is within the limits of: -30°C to +60°C. Keep in mind that due to the metallic construction of fridges and freezers, radio communication will be negatively affected.
Q: Is Strips waterproof?
A: Strips +Drip, +Guard and +Oil are designed to handle liquid as long as they are not fully submerged in water during longer periods of time. +Comfort and +Presence are indoor units and should only be used inside and kept away from fluids.
Transportation and delivery
Q: Can I put Strips back into Transport mode?
A: Once magnets have been removed from Strips, it can only enter Transport mode again in the following scenarios.
- Strips has attempted a join request, but failed to join the network
- Magnets were removed, but not enough time passed for the device to send a join request
- The round edge has never been swiped 3 times with a magnet after exiting Transport mode
Q: Why is Strips delivered with two magnets attached to the device, what are they for?
A: Both magnets keep the device in Transport mode, once removed, Strips will exit Transport mode.
Q: How do you keep Strips from draining the battery during transportation or longer shelf times?
A: During delivery and shelf-time, the device is put into a deep sleep state also known as Transport mode. In this state battery use is negligible. You can find more information about Transport mode in the user guide.
Q: Are Strips turned off during delivery?
A: Strips is never switched off once produced. During delivery and shelf-time, the device is put into a deep sleep state also known as Transport mode. You can find more information about Transport mode in the user guide.