Loko · Setup Guide

Connecting Loko to the LoRaWAN Network

Pair your Loko Air trackers with The Things Network (TTN) and start receiving live positions in the app — in four short steps.

~10 min · Beginner friendly

Loko receives your tracker positions over LoRaWAN, a long-range, low-power radio network. To bridge those radio messages to your phone, the app connects to The Things Network (TTN) — a free, global LoRaWAN community network.

Setup happens in two places: first you create an application on the TTN console and register your devices, then you paste two credentials into the Loko app. Here's everything you need.

What you'll need

  • A free TTN accountSign up at thethingsnetwork.org if you don't have one.
  • Your Loko Air device detailsThe DevEUI / JoinEUI / keys — you set these yourself when registering the device.
  • The Loko app installedOn the phone you'll use to track your devices.
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By the end you'll have two values — an Application ID and an API Key — which are the only things the app needs to go live.
1

Create an application on TTN

Log in to the TTN console, open the Applications section and click + Add application. Give it an ID and a name, then click Create application.

TTN Create application page 1 2
① Choose your Application ID · ② Click Create application
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Write down your Application ID. You'll need it for the app. In the example above it's demolokoappid. The ID must be lowercase and can't be changed later.
2

Register your Loko Air devices

In the left sidebar open End devices, then click Register end device.

TTN End devices page 1 2
① Open End devices · ② Register end device

On the registration screen, choose “Enter end device specifics manually”, then fill in the device details from your Loko Air (frequency plan, LoRaWAN version and the provisioning info such as JoinEUI / DevEUI).

TTN Register end device page 1 2
① Enter end device specifics manually · ② Fill in your device's provisioning info
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Pick the frequency plan for your region (e.g. Europe 863–870 MHz) and match the LoRaWAN version to your Loko Air. Repeat this step for every tracker you own.
3

Create an API key

Back in the sidebar, open API keys and click + Add API key. Grant it the rights to read application traffic, then save.

TTN API keys page 1 2
① Open API keys · ② Add API key
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Copy the API key immediately. TTN shows the full key only once, right after you create it. Save it somewhere safe — if you lose it you'll have to generate a new one.

Optional — test with MQTT Explorer

Before putting the credentials into Loko, you can verify they work with any open-source MQTT client — for example MQTT Explorer. It connects straight to TTN's MQTT server and shows the raw uplink messages, which is a quick way to confirm everything is set up correctly.

MQTT Explorer connection settings for TTN 1 2 3 4
① Protocol mqtt:// · Host · Port 1883 · ② Username = App ID @ttn · ③ Password = API key · ④ Connect
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Use these settings: Protocol mqtt://, Host eu1.cloud.thethings.network (match your region), Port 1883. The Username is your Application ID with @ttn appended (same rule as the app!), and the Password is your API key. Hit Connect — if it connects and you see topics appear, your credentials are good to go.
4

Connect from the Loko app

Open the Loko app, go to the LoRaWAN (TTN) sheet, and enter your credentials. Pick your region with the Quick select buttons (EU1 / NAM1 / AU1), then paste the Application ID and API key.

Loko app LoRaWAN settings sheet 1 @ttn 2 3
① Application ID (add @ttn!) · ② API key · ③ Save
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Important — add @ttn to your Application ID. In the app's Application ID field, append @ttn to the end of the ID you noted in Step 1. Without this suffix the connection will fail.
So your Application ID becomes
demolokoappid@ttn

Tap Save. When the status indicator at the top of the sheet turns to ● Connected, the app is live on the network and your tracker positions will start arriving on the map.

🎉 You're connected!

Your Loko Air devices are now streaming their positions through TTN into the app. From here you can set up geofences, view archived tracks, and download offline maps for the field.

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Need help? If you hit any issues during setup, check our FAQ section or contact our support team — we're here to help you get connected.