Prepare devices for multicast and FUOTA configuration - AWS IoT Wireless
GenAppKey and FPortsDevice profiles for multicast and FUOTAPrepare devices for multicast and FUOTA by using the consolePrepare devices for multicast and FUOTA by using the APINext steps

Prepare devices for multicast and FUOTA configuration

When you add your wireless device to AWS IoT Core for LoRaWAN, you can prepare your wireless device for multicast setup and FUOTA configuration by using the console or the CLI. If you're performing this configuration for the first time, we recommend that you use the console. To manage your multicast group and add or remove a number of devices from your group, we recommend using the CLI to manage a large number of resources.

GenAppKey and FPorts

When you add your wireless device, before you can add your devices to multicast groups or perform FUOTA, configure the following parameters. Before you configure these parameters, make sure that your devices support FUOTA and multicast and your wireless device specification is either OTAA v1.1 or OTAAv1.0.x.

  • GenAppKey: For devices that support the LoRaWAN version 1.0.x and to use multicast groups, the GenAppKey is the device-specific root key from which the session keys for your multicast group are derived.

    Note

    For LoRaWAN devices that use the wireless specification OTAA v1.1, the AppKey is used for the same purpose as the GenAppKey.

    To set up the parameters to initiate the data transfer, AWS IoT Core for LoRaWAN distributes session keys with the end devices. For more information about LoRaWAN versions, see LoRaWAN version.

    Note

    AWS IoT Core for LoRaWAN stores the GenAppKey information that you provide in an encrypted format.

  • FPorts: According to the LoRaWAN specifications for FUOTA and multicast groups, AWS IoT Core for LoRaWAN assigns the default values for the following fields of the FPorts parameter. If you have already assigned any of the following FPort values, then you can choose a different value that is available, from 1 to 223.

    • Multicast: 200

      This FPort value is used for multicast groups.

    • FUOTA: 201

      This FPort value is used for FUOTA.

    • ClockSync: 202

      This FPort value is used for the clock synchronization.

Device profiles for multicast and FUOTA

At the start of a multicast session, a class B or class C distribution window is used to send the downlink message to the devices in your group. The devices that you add for multicast and FUOTA must support class B or class C modes of operation. Depending on the device class that your device supports, choose a device profile for your device that has either or both class B or class C modes enabled.

For information about device profiles, see Add profiles to AWS IoT Core for LoRaWAN.

Prepare devices for multicast and FUOTA by using the console

To specify the FPorts and GenAppKey parameters for multicast setup and FUOTA by using the console:

  1. Navigate to the Devices hub of the AWS IoT console and choose Add wireless device.

  2. Choose the Wireless device specification. Your device must use OTAA for device activation. When you choose OTAA v1.0.x or OTAA v1.1, a FUOTA configuration-Optional section appears.

  3. Enter the EUI (Extended Unique Identifier) parameters for your wireless device.

  4. Expand the FUOTA configuration-Optional section and then choose This device supports firmware updates over the air (FUOTA). You can now enter the FPort values for multicast, FUOTA, and clock sync. If you chose OTAA v1.0.x for the wireless device specification, enter the GenAppKey.

  5. Add your device to AWS IoT Core for LoRaWAN by choosing your profiles and a destination for routing messages. For the device profile linked to the device, make sure you select one or both Supports Class B or Supports Class C modes.

Note

To specify the FUOTA configuration parameters, you must use the Devices hub of the AWS IoT console. These parameters don't appear if you onboard your devices by using the Intro page of the AWS IoT console.

For more information about the wireless device specification and onboarding your device, see Add your wireless device to AWS IoT Core for LoRaWAN.

Note

You can specify these parameters only when you create the wireless device. You can't change or specify parameters when you update an existing device.

Prepare devices for multicast and FUOTA by using the API

To use multicast groups or to perform FUOTA, configure these parameters by using the CreateWirelessDevice API operation or the create-wireless-device CLI command. In addition to specifying the application key and FPorts parameters, make sure that the device profile that's linked to the device supports one or both class B or class C modes.

You can provide an input.json file as input to the create-wireless-device command.

aws iotwireless create-wireless-device \
    --cli-input-json file://input.json

where:

Contents of input.json

{
    "Description": "My LoRaWAN wireless device"
    "DestinationName": "IoTWirelessDestination"
    "LoRaWAN": {
        "DeviceProfileId": "ab0c23d3-b001-45ef-6a01-2bc3de4f5333",
        "ServiceProfileId": "fe98dc76-cd12-001e-2d34-5550432da100",
        "FPorts": { 
            "ClockSync": 202,
            "Fuota": 201,
            "Multicast": 200
      },
        "OtaaV1_0_x": {
            "AppKey": "3f4ca100e2fc675ea123f4eb12c4a012",
            "AppEui": "b4c231a359bc2e3d",
            "GenAppKey": "01c3f004a2d6efffe32c4eda14bcd2b4"
        },
        "DevEui": "ac12efc654d23fc2"
    },
    "Name": "SampleIoTWirelessThing"
    "Type": LoRaWAN
}

For information about the CLI commands that you can use, see AWS CLI reference.

Note

After you specify the values of these parameters, you can't update them by using the UpdateWirelessDevice API operation. Instead, you can create a new device with the values for the parameters GenAppKey and FPorts.

To get information about the values specified for these parameters, you can use the GetWirelessDevice API operation or the get-wireless-device CLI command.

Next steps

After you've configured the parameters, you can create multicast groups and FUOTA tasks to send downlink payload or update the firmware of your LoRaWAN devices.