# How to Connect Kerlink LoRaWAN Gateways to TagoIO

> Complete guide to connecting Kerlink LoRaWAN gateways (iStation, iFemtoCell, Wirnet) to TagoIO. Covers Wanesy Management Center, ChirpStack LNS forwarding, payload parsing, and deployment use cases for smart cities and industrial environments.

![How to Connect Kerlink LoRaWAN Gateways to TagoIO](https://tago.io/og/blog/how-to-connect-kerlink-lorawan-gateways-to-tagoio.png)

Kerlink is a French LoRaWAN infrastructure vendor with a strong presence in smart city, utility, and industrial deployments. Their Wirnet iStation (industrial outdoor), Wirnet iFemtoCell (indoor), and Wirnet Station devices are known for build quality and carrier-grade reliability. Kerlink also operates the Wanesy Management Center, a cloud-based LoRaWAN network server.

TagoIO sits at the application layer: it receives device data, stores it, and lets you build dashboards, alerts, and automations. Connecting Kerlink to TagoIO means wiring the Kerlink network server output to TagoIO's data ingest endpoint.

This guide covers two paths: Kerlink Wanesy Management Center forwarding to TagoIO, and a private ChirpStack LNS running alongside Kerlink gateways.

## What you need before you start

- A TagoIO account ([free plan available](https://tago.io/pricing))
- A Kerlink gateway (iStation, iFemtoCell, Wirnet Station, or compatible)
- A LoRaWAN network server: Kerlink Wanesy Management Center or self-hosted ChirpStack
- Registered end devices on your network server

## Architecture overview

Kerlink gateways act as radio packet forwarders. They do not run application logic: that sits on the LNS. The LNS decodes LoRaWAN frames, identifies devices, and routes application payloads to your chosen endpoint.

Your integration point with TagoIO is always the LNS, not the gateway directly.

```
[LoRaWAN sensors] → [Kerlink gateway] → [LNS (Wanesy or ChirpStack)] → [TagoIO via HTTPS]
```

## Path 1: Kerlink Wanesy Management Center → TagoIO

Wanesy MC supports push notifications (also called "push connectors") that POST device uplinks to any HTTPS endpoint.

### Step 1: Create a device in TagoIO

1. Log in to [admin.tago.io](https://admin.tago.io).
2. Go to **Devices → Add Device**.
3. Select **HTTPS** as the connector type.
4. Name the device (e.g., `kerlink-end-device-01`).
5. Click **Create Device** and copy the **Device Token** from the General tab.

Device documentation: [docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/devices](https://docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/devices/)

### Step 2: Create a Push Connector in Wanesy MC

1. Log in to your Wanesy Management Center account.
2. Navigate to **Applications** and open or create an application.
3. Go to **Push connectors** and click **Add**.
4. Choose **HTTP** as the connector type.
5. Set the URL to:

   ```
   https://api.tago.io/data
   ```

6. Add the HTTP header:

   ```
   Device-Token: YOUR_TAGOIO_DEVICE_TOKEN
   ```

7. Set the push format to **JSON** (default).
8. Save and enable the connector.

Wanesy will now POST every uplink from devices in this application to TagoIO.

### Step 3: Parse the Wanesy payload in TagoIO

Wanesy sends a JSON object with device information and the base64-encoded payload. Add a Payload Parser to your TagoIO device to extract the sensor readings.

Open **Devices → [your device] → Payload Parser** and write:

```javascript
// Wanesy payload structure
const decodedBytes = Buffer.from(payload.payloadHex, "hex");

// Example for a temperature/humidity sensor with 2-byte temperature, 1-byte humidity
const temperature = decodedBytes.readInt16BE(0) / 100;
const humidity = decodedBytes.readUInt8(2);

payload = [
  { variable: "temperature", value: temperature, unit: "C" },
  { variable: "humidity", value: humidity, unit: "%" },
  { variable: "rssi", value: payload.gwInfo?.[0]?.rssi || null },
  { variable: "snr", value: payload.gwInfo?.[0]?.snr || null }
];
```

Adjust the decoding logic to match your sensor's payload format.

Payload Parser docs: [docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/devices/payload-parser](https://docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/devices/payload-parser/)

## Path 2: Kerlink gateway + ChirpStack → TagoIO

Many Kerlink operators run ChirpStack alongside their gateways, either on-premise or in the cloud. ChirpStack's HTTP integration can push data directly to TagoIO.

### Step 1: Configure the Kerlink gateway as a packet forwarder

Most Kerlink gateways run the Semtech UDP Packet Forwarder or the Kerlink Common Packet Forwarder. Point the gateway at your ChirpStack Network Server's address and port (default: UDP 1700).

Access the gateway CLI via SSH or the Kerlink WMC to update `global_conf.json` with your ChirpStack server address.

### Step 2: Register the gateway and device in ChirpStack

1. In ChirpStack, go to **Gateways → Add gateway** and register your Kerlink device.
2. Create a **Device Profile** matching your end device's LoRaWAN version and region.
3. Register your end devices under an **Application**.

### Step 3: Add a TagoIO HTTPS integration in ChirpStack

1. In your ChirpStack Application, go to **Integrations → HTTP**.
2. Set the **Uplink URL** to:

   ```
   https://api.tago.io/data
   ```

3. Add the custom header:

   ```
   Device-Token: YOUR_TAGOIO_DEVICE_TOKEN
   ```

4. Save.

### Step 4: Parse ChirpStack payload in TagoIO

ChirpStack sends uplinks as JSON. If you configure a codec in ChirpStack, the decoded object arrives in `payload.object`. Otherwise decode the raw bytes from `payload.data` (base64).

```javascript
// ChirpStack with codec configured
if (payload.object) {
  payload = Object.entries(payload.object).map(([key, val]) => ({
    variable: key,
    value: val
  }));
} else {
  // raw decode from base64
  const raw = Buffer.from(payload.data, "base64");
  // add your sensor-specific decoding here
  payload = [];
}
```

## Step 5: Verify in the Live Inspector

After completing either path, open the **Live Inspector** on your TagoIO device and confirm data arrives on the next uplink cycle.

Live Inspector docs: [docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/devices/live-inspector](https://docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/devices/live-inspector)

## Step 6: Build dashboards and alerts

Create a dashboard from **Dashboards → +**. Typical widgets for a Kerlink-based smart city or industrial deployment:

- **Map widget** for device locations
- **Time-series charts** for sensor readings over time
- **Signal quality cards** showing RSSI and SNR per gateway
- **Heatmap** if you have many nodes reporting to a coverage area

Set up [Actions](https://docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/actions/) for:

- Threshold alerts (temperature, vibration, flood detection)
- Device offline detection (no data received in X minutes)
- Automated reporting via email or webhook to a ticketing system

Actions docs: [docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/actions](https://docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/actions/)

## Use case examples

### Smart city utilities

Kerlink Wirnet iStation gateways mounted on lamp posts. Sensors monitor water pressure, waste bin fill levels, and air quality nodes across a municipality. TagoIO aggregates all readings, shows a city-wide map, and triggers alerts to city operations when bins reach 80% capacity.

### Industrial vibration monitoring

Kerlink iFemtoCell gateways in a factory. LoRaWAN vibration sensors on rotating machinery report to TagoIO. Analysis scripts compute FFT-based anomaly scores and flag early-stage bearing wear before failure.

Analysis docs: [docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/analysis](https://docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/analysis/)

### Building energy management

Multiple LoRaWAN energy meters connected through Kerlink gateways to TagoIO. TagoIO stores metering data, computes daily and monthly consumption per circuit, and generates cost reports. Blueprint Dashboards give floor managers their own view.

## Taking it further with AI

TagoIO's MCP server enables natural-language queries over your Kerlink sensor data. Ask Claude: "Which devices have the worst signal quality?" or "Show me all anomalies in the vibration data from the past week."

MCP docs: [docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/tago-ai/tagoio-mcp-ai-powered-iot-data-integration](https://docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/tago-ai/tagoio-mcp-ai-powered-iot-data-integration)

## Summary

Kerlink gateways forward LoRaWAN packets to a network server. The network server, whether Kerlink's own Wanesy MC or a self-hosted ChirpStack, pushes device payloads to TagoIO via HTTPS. A Payload Parser in TagoIO decodes the binary data into clean variables for storage and visualization.

- TagoIO Devices: [docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/devices](https://docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/devices/)
- Payload Parser: [docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/devices/payload-parser](https://docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/devices/payload-parser/)
- Actions: [docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/actions](https://docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/actions/)
- Dashboards: [docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/dashboards](https://docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/dashboards/)
- MCP Integration: [docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/tago-ai/tagoio-mcp-ai-powered-iot-data-integration](https://docs.tago.io/docs/tagoio/tago-ai/tagoio-mcp-ai-powered-iot-data-integration)

[llms.txt](https://tago.io/llms.txt)