Mount Border Gateway (Gen 2)

Learn how to mount a Gen 2 Silvanet Border Gateway to a pole or a tree.

After a successful Device Registration and Connectivity Test, the Border Gateway can be permanently mounted to the tree or pole. The Deployment app provided guidelines for mounting the Border Gateway.

Go ahead and mount the Border Gateway to a metal or wood pole or on a tree, as described in the following sections. Afterwards, mount the solar panel to provide a power supply. Alternately, use the PoE Injector to provide power from mains.

Mount Border Gateways to metal/wood poles

If a 60 mm (2.3 inch) wooden or metal pole is available, you can use the provided U-Clamps to attach the Border Gateway to the pole.

Loosely connect the U-Clamps to the Border Gateway, then slide the gateway onto the pole from the top (if possible).
Hand-tighten the nuts, then use the 17 mm wrench to tighten the nuts. Do not use excessive force to prevent damage to the Border Gateway.

Attach the antennas. The LoRa antenna is attached to the top connector, LTE antenna on the bottom connector and satellite antenna is on the side.
Attach the solar panel to the pole above the Border Gateway. And if used, connect the Ethernet cable to a router.
Run a connectivity test to ensure the Border Gateway is connected to the Silvanet Cloud.

Mount Border Gateways to trees

If the Border Gateway is to be attached to a tree, ensure the tree is stable and unlikely to be cut.

Once a tree has been selected, use a safety strap to hold the ladder to the tree. Then, with an assistant stabilizing the ladder at the bottom locate a position on the tree that is approximately 3 m above forest floor.
Remove any branches and other obstructions at the deployment height. This allows the solar panel to have good irradiation from the sun to charge the device. Carefully remove a small portion of the bark with an axe or chisel where the holes in the tree will be drilled. This allows the gateway to hang vertically on the tree.

With a distance between the holes at 70 mm, drill approximately 6-7 cm (2 1/5 inches) into the tree for the top loops. Ensure you do not split the tree or drill on an angle. Use the 10mm drill bit. When drilling into a tree, first drill a pilot hole using a small drill bit (1/4 inch / 6mm) then drill the final hole with the 10mm drill bit. Also, ensure you are using a drill bit for wood. This ensures the wood in the tree does not split.

Carefully hammer the treenails through the top loops of the Border Gateway into the holes.

Carefully drill the bottom two holes using the lower holes as templates. Be careful not to damage the Gateway case while doing so. Also, use a drill bit with a sufficient length to ensure the holes are at the correct depth.
Carefully hammer the treenails through the bottom loops into the tree. Check to ensure the Border Gateway is securely attached to the tree and can not move.
Attach the antennas. The LoRa antenna is attached to the top connector, the LTE antenna to the bottom connector and the satellite antenna to the connector on side of the device.
Attach the solar panel to the tree above the Border Gateway. And if used, connect an Ethernet cable from a router. See below.

Mount solar panel

After installing the Border Gateway, attach the solar panel to the same pole or tree to provide a backup power supply.

The cable from the Border Gateway to the solar panel is pre-connected and is 2 m long.

After attaching the Border Gateway to either a pole or a tree, the solar panel needs to be attached to the same location, preferably above the Border Gateway. Garden wire is used to secure the solar panel to the support structure (tree or pole).

Mount on same tree or pole as Border Gateway: Ensure the solar panel is attached to the same tree or pole used for the Border Gateway.
Oriented towarss sun at 12:00 noon (northern/southern hemisphere): Locate the deployment location towards where the sun would be at 12:00 noon. This allows the solar panel to have maximum sunlight irradiation during daylight hours.
Protect cable from accidental damage: Ensure the solar panel cable is placed in such a way that it cannot be damaged by human or animal incidents.
Mount above Border Gateway: If the deployment location is a public area, the minimum height for both the Border Gateway and the solar panel should be at least 3m above the forest floor with the solar panel mounted above the Border Gateway. A higher deployment allows for better connections to Mesh Gateways.
Securely mount the solar panel to pole or tree: Ensure the solar panel is tightly connected to the tree or pole so that it cannot slip or turn during strong winds or other environmental actions.

To mount solar panel to pole or tree:

Cut two equal lengths of provided garden wire, each being twice the circumference of the tree or pole.
While the solar panel is at ground level, insert the garden wire through the holes.
Climb the ladder with the panel and place the solar panel on the opposite side of the tree or pole and pull it tight against the tree or pole using the top wire, then twist the cable tight. Ensure the panel faces south towards where the sun would be at 12:00 noon.

Follow the same procedure with the lower cable.
Twist the two ends of the cables together and bring the twisted cable within the back of the panel.
Ensure the solar panel is tight against the tree and pole and cannot move.

The following shows a completed Border Gateway and solar panel deployment.

Connect Border Gateway to Ethernet (PoE)

If an Ethernet connection is available, use the PoE Injector to connect to a mains power supply. The Border Gateway provides a sealed RJ45 connector to attach an Ethernet cable to the device.

Open the Ethernet connector by unscrewing the cap.
Disassemble the Ethernet connector, including the end cap, sealing ring and housing.

Lead the Ethernet cable through the end cap, sealing ring and housing.
Connect the Ethernet cable with the Ethernet socket in the connector.

Reassemble the connector. Carefully seat the sealing rings in the housing without damaging the barbs, then screw the end cap on the housing and screw the housing to the connector.