Introduction
In this document, we are going to see the full VeeaHub deployment in the context of a new LoRaWan installation. No specific knowledge about the Veea eco-system is required, but a VeeaHub and an account on Control Center will be necessary to perform the steps.
Use case
Let’s imagine a new building situation where all the network infrastructure is to be set up with VeeaHubs.
Not covered in this guide, as a preliminary step, a site analysis would have been performed to identify the number and the location of VeeaHubs to be deployed. Also, an internet access would have been created for this specific building, unless you are willing to use a VeeaHub 4G cellular backhaul.
In this topology, VeeaHubs handles the WAN and the LAN support.
VeeaHub WAN and LAN support
A VeeaHub gateway node (also called the MEN) provides the WAN connectivity. Typically, the link (the backhaul) is over an Ethernet cable, but it can alternatively be over a cellular network. A second connection can be used as a backup link in the case of failure of the primary connection. If the primary connection is a wired connection through an ISP’s router, the failover can be to the 4G cellular network. This is provided by Veea as a service that can be installed from Control Center.
This gateway node will also support the LAN network. A VeeaHub mesh can carry up to four logical LANs, which are independent of each other although sharing the same wired or wireless connections between nodes. When a mesh is created, a default LAN is created, with a default WAN interface and default wireless access point and Ethernet port settings. An additional LAN may be established by subscribing to a package application from Control Center, in which case all the configuration of this LAN is done for you.
Veea Edge solution provides multiple LAN configuration but in our case, the LAN will be configured as Routed. In this configuration the IP addresses on the LAN are determined by the DHCP server built into the gateway VeeaHub. IP addresses on the LAN undergo Network Address Translation (NAT) to the WAN. The default DHCP settings can be overridden in the event of IP conflicts with the external network. Specific IP addresses can be reserved for devices connected to the network.
All the steps to setup this topology are covered in the next Section.
All the details about the Veea Mesh configuration can the found here: https://support.veea.com/hc/en-us/article_attachments/17755798668563.
VeeaHub configuration
VeeaHubs are configured per default for this use case. No specific actions are required.
Extending the LoRaWAN coverage
A single LoRa VeeaHub has a limited coverage based on the local environment (outdoor/indoor, wall thickness, etc.). Based on the coverage target of a specific area, more than one LoRa VeeaHub might be necessary.
Using the VeeaHubs meshing capability (over Wifi or over Ethernet), one can add more LoRa Hubs to extend the local LoRa coverage.