Milesight LoRaWAN Gateways: A Complete Guide to Your IoT Deployment

In a rapidly expanding IoT ecosystem, LoRaWAN gateways play a strategic role in ensuring the reliable and secure connection of thousands of sensors to your monitoring platforms. For over a decade, Milesight has established itself as an innovative leader by offering a complete range of gateways covering all use cases: from smart cities to precision agriculture, including Industry 4.0. This guide aims to detail all the features, models, and best practices to get the most out of Milesight gateways and optimize your LoRaWAN network.

1. Presentation of Milesight and its IoT ecosystem

Founded in 2013, Milesight quickly specialized in professional IoT solutions, combining robust hardware and scalable firmware. The company offers:

• LoRaWAN sensors (temperature, humidity, air quality, etc.).
• Multi-technology gateways (LoRaWAN, 4G/5G, Ethernet, Wi-Fi).
• Cloud and On-Premise platforms for device and data management.
• Protocol integrations (Modbus, BACnet, MQTT, HTTP, Node-RED, etc.).

The Milesight offering stands out for the industrial quality of its products (IP67, PoE, extreme temperatures) and the richness of its embedded OS, regularly updated and open to developers.

2. Overview of Milesight gateway models

Here is an overview of the main LoRaWAN gateway models offered by Milesight:

Each model is designed for a specific scenario: UG65/WIFI for indoor use, UG67/4G for isolated outdoor deployment, UG85/5G for maximum speeds, etc.

3. Software architecture: a powerful embedded OS

All Milesight gateways integrate a Linux-based operating system, specially optimized for IoT:

• Upgradable firmware : secure OTA (Over-The-Air) updates and GPG signature.
• Package manager : installation of additional modules (OPKG).
• REST API and Web GUI : local or remote configuration via Milesight IoT Cloud.
• Open ecosystem : SSH access, Python scripts, Docker containers in preview.

This embedded OS allows you to add features in just a few clicks, while guaranteeing robustness and reliability even in a constrained environment.

3.1 On-board LoRaWAN network server

Unlike most semi-passive gateways, Milesight models include a full LoRaWAN Network Server . You can:

• Provision your sensors via Web GUI or API.
• Manage AppKey, NwkKey and AppEUI keys locally.
• Track device activity in real time (join, uplink, downlink).

4. Advanced Features

Beyond simple LoRaWAN passthrough, Milesight gateways offer numerous protocol integrations:

4.1 Modbus Integration (RTU and TCP)

Milesight gateways can act as Modbus RTU or Modbus TCP servers, facilitating integration with:

• Programmable logic controllers (PLCs).
• Centralized technical management systems (BMS).
• Classic SCADA interfaces.

The process relies on a bridge where the gateway receives Modbus TCP commands, converts them to RTU, transmits via LoRaWAN to the controller, and then returns the response to the TCP client.

4.2 BACnet Server for BMS

For smart buildings, Milesight offers a BACnet MS/TP server on the UC300/UG67/UG85 models, allowing you to:

• Map LoRaWAN objects to BACnet points.
• Exchange via BACnet/IP or MS/TP with Schneider, Honeywell, Niagara, etc. controllers.
• Synchronize sensor data (temperature, CO₂, pressure) to the existing BMS.

4.3 MQTT and HTTP(s) protocols

Milesight gateways have an embedded MQTT client, compatible with TLS 1.3, and can also send HTTP(s) POST/GET requests:

• To AWS IoT Core, Azure IoT Hub, Google Cloud IoT.
• Towards proprietary APIs via JSON/XML.
• CUPS (Configuration & Update Server) support for centralized configuration management.

4.4 Integrated Node-RED

On equipped models, an onboard Node-RED environment allows:

• Orchestrate LoRaWAN data flows to MQTT, SQL, WebSocket.
• Trigger local actions (relays, alarms) without a remote gateway.
• Prototype workflows in just a few clicks.

This functionality offers unparalleled agility for developing edge business logic.

5. Multi-gateway management and extended coverage

The Gateway Fleet feature allows you to administer a group of gateways as a single entity:

• Automatic failover: if a gateway falls, the sensors join the next one:contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}.
• Logical mesh network to extend coverage without holes.
• Device roaming: the same sensor can change gateway depending on the signal quality.

Ideal for large industrial sites or smart cities where coverage density is critical.

6. Safety and reliability

Security is at the heart of Milesight design:

• Secure Boot : Cryptographic verification of the image at startup.
• TLS 1.3 encryption for MQTT, HTTP(s) and CUPS.
• Secure storage of LoRaWAN keys and certificates.
• Mutual authentication between gateway and management server.

The hardware robustness (IP67, extreme temperatures -40 to +75°C) guarantees 24/7 availability even in harsh environments.

7. Deployment and Initial Configuration

To commission your Milesight gateway, follow these steps:

1. Connect the power supply (PoE or adapter).
2. Connect an Ethernet cable or insert a SIM card for 4G/5G.
3. Access the Web GUI via the default IP address (192.168.12.254).
4. Change the administrator password and configure network settings.
5. Activate the LoRaWAN Network Server and add your sensors via DevEUI/AppEUI/AppKey.

A quick guide is available in each box, and online documentation details each advanced option.

7.1 Example configuration: UG85 5G

For a UG85 in 5G:

• Enable the LTE Cat 20 modem in the Cellular section.
• Choose your operator's APN profile.
• Set LoRa frequency (EU868, US915, CN470, etc.).
• Configure the MQTT broker (endpoint, port, certificates).

8. Supervision, telemetry and maintenance

Milesight offers a Cloud platform and a Remote Management System (RMS):

• Real-time dashboards: CPU, RAM, traffic, temperature.
• Push and email alerts in case of anomaly.
• Scheduling OTA updates outside of production hours.
• Automatic rollback in case of firmware failure.

Data is also exposed via MQTT for integration into Grafana, Datadog or other SIEMs.

9. Integration with IoT platforms

Whether you use ChirpStack, The Things Network (TTN), Loriot, Actility or public Clouds (AWS, Azure, GCP), integration is done by:

• Configuring the Basic Station forwarder or Semtech Packet Forwarder.
• Specifying the Network Server endpoint in the Web GUI.
• Using OPKG modules to add custom codecs.

A practical case: integration with ThingsBoard in less than 10 minutes via the official guide.

10. Emblematic use cases

Hundreds of projects around the world leverage Milesight gateways:

• Smart City : air quality monitoring, smart parking management, infrastructure monitoring.
• Connected agriculture : controlled irrigation, plot monitoring, greenhouse control.
• Industry 4.0 : predictive maintenance, inventory monitoring and traceability.
• Smart building : BMS/GTB, energy management and occupant comfort.

These deployments demonstrate the flexibility and maturity of the Milesight solution for demanding environments.

11. Best deployment practices

• Antenna positioning : favor a high point, without obstruction.
• Frequency plan : avoid local interference (Wi-Fi, radar).
• Network sizing : mesh multiple gateways for redundancy.
• Physical security : lockable box, protection against vandalism.
• Active monitoring : configure threshold alerts (temperature, traffic).

These principles guarantee the sustainability and performance of your LoRaWAN network.

12. Roadmap and future developments

Milesight continues to enrich its ecosystem:

• Native support for Docker containers to host third-party edge services.
• Integration of artificial intelligence modules for real-time data processing.
• Extension of the range to 6G gateways and LoRaWAN satellites (TT&C).
• Rich administration interfaces and automation via Ansible or Terraform.

These developments promise to further push the boundaries of edge IoT.

13. Conclusion

Milesight LoRaWAN gateways stand out for their robust hardware, rich and modular operating system, and wide range of protocol integrations. Whether you're deploying a network in a commercial building, on a farm, or at the heart of a factory, Milesight offers a proven, secure, and scalable solution. With its comprehensive ecosystem (sensors, cloud platforms, integrations), Milesight supports you at every stage of your IoT project.