Engineering schools · universities

LoRaWAN labs for engineering schools, without a single radio board

A virtual LoRaWAN lab where every student deploys their own nodes, gateway and ChirpStack network server — in the browser, with real AT commands and real frames.

Create a teacher account See the demo

What your students do during the session

Each student gets an isolated lab: a map on which they place a gateway and virtual RAK3172 nodes, a serial terminal to drive them, and their own ChirpStack v4 instance.

  • Set the OTAA keys (DevEUI, AppEUI, AppKey), get an AT+JOIN through, then understand why it fails when a key is wrong.
  • Transmit with AT+SEND, pick the port, data rate and confirmation, then read downlinks in the RX1 and RX2 windows.
  • Measure the effect of distance: a node too far away cannot join, RSSI and SNR drop, ADR adjusts the spreading factor.
  • Decode every PHYPayload in the network inspector: MHDR, MACPayload, MIC.
  • Automate the node in Python with the swarm_AT library, from the built-in editor.

Why a LoRa simulator for students rather than hardware

A hardware LoRaWAN lab always hits the same walls: modules to buy and replace, a gateway to install and maintain, groups jamming each other in the same room, and distances you cannot reproduce between four walls.

In VirtIoT Lab, propagation is computed with a Log-Distance Path Loss model: range, attenuation and collisions between two nodes transmitting on the same channel and spreading factor become something to study, no longer a classroom accident.

What stays real: the industry software

The network server is not an imitation: it is a dedicated ChirpStack instance, where the student creates their Device Profiles, applications and keys. Nodes answer the RAK3172’s RUI3 AT command set. What is learnt here transfers directly to a physical deployment.

Running the lab as a teacher

You import your class from a CSV file, pick a blueprint that sets the session rules — number of gateways and nodes, area size, protocol — and open the session. Each student finds their own lab; you follow successful joins and errors live.

The session stays open until you close it, and configurations can be exported to resume the lab next time.

Frequently asked questions

Does anything need installing on the classroom machines?

No. Everything runs in the browser, with no administrator rights: the lab runs on our servers, not on the institution’s machines.

Do students work with a real LoRaWAN network server?

Yes. Each student has their own ChirpStack v4 instance with its full web interface: Device Profiles, applications, OTAA keys.

Which radio parameters are simulated?

The EU868 band, spreading factors SF7 to SF12, ADR, the RX1 and RX2 receive windows, and collisions between frames sent on the same channel and spreading factor.

Can we try it before equipping a whole class?

Yes. The Discovery plan is free for 30 days, with no card required, for 5 students: enough to run a first LoRaWAN lab with a small group.

Set up your first online LoRaWAN lab

Create a teacher account, open a session and hand the credentials to your students.

Create a teacher account