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EMBER Quick Start Guide

Welcome! This page helps you power up your HARDWARIO EMBER and choose what to do next:

  • Run a managed LoRaWAN backend via EMBER Cloud Service (ChirpStack + Node-RED)
  • Connect EMBER to your own ChirpStack
  • Connect EMBER to The Things Stack (TTS)

Official documentation:

Before you start​

What EMBER is​

EMBER is an industrial LoRaWAN gateway (IoT Hotspot) based on MikroTik RBM33G, designed for outdoor deployments (IP67 enclosure).
Hardware description: https://docs.hardwario.com/ember/hardware-description/

You will need​

  • EMBER gateway (Hotspot)
  • LoRaWAN antenna (required)
  • Power source:
    • 24 V DC adapter / 24 V DC power supply, or
    • 24 V DC passive PoE via the WAN port
  • Internet connectivity (WAN and/or LTE, depending on your setup)
  • A LoRaWAN backend (EMBER Cloud Service / ChirpStack / TTS / other)

1) Set up your EMBER​

1.1 Attach antennas (important)​

  • Attach the LoRaWAN antenna before powering on.
  • If your unit includes LTE, it may use two LTE antennas (internal/external depending on configuration).

More details: https://docs.hardwario.com/ember/hardware-description/#antennas

1.2 Power the gateway​

EMBER can be powered by:

  • 24 V DC power adapter
  • 24 V DC power supply
  • 24 V DC passive PoE through the WAN Ethernet port

More details: https://docs.hardwario.com/ember/hardware-description/#power-supply-options

1.3 Outdoor mounting safety note​

danger

For outdoor installations, EMBER Hotspot has to be mounted with connectors facing down.

2) Connect for local access​

EMBER runs MikroTik RouterOS.
For initial access and management, use the WAN interface (leftmost RJ-45 port) and standard RouterOS tools.

If you don't already have Winbox 4 installed, follow the Winbox 4 Installation guide.

2.1 Connect to Ember using Winbox 4​

After opening the application, look at the list where you should see your EMBER.

  • If there is more than one device, look at the EMBER board — on its left side there are two ethernet connectors with a sticker on them. On the sticker, find the MAC address — a combination of numbers and letters after the text E01 (for example: E01: 48:A5:8A:4F:17:A6).
  • Go back to Winbox and find the device with the matching MAC address. Click on the device in the list to select it.
  • Make sure the jumper on the board is removed. The location of the jumper is shown in the picture below. Ember jumper, ethernet ports and reset

Main documentation (recommended start):

3) Initial RouterOS Configuration Script​

3.1 Set Password​

Open a New Terminal window (or connect via SSH to your EMBER at 172.31.255.254):

Winbox 4 Open new Terminal

Set a secure admin password

In the left panel, open System→ Password.

Winbox 4 Open new Terminal

Fill the box:

  • Old Password: ember (default password)
  • New Password: <YOUR_PASSWORD>
  • Confirm Password: <YOUR_PASSWORD>
  • Click Change

Winbox 4 Open new Terminal

3.2 Run Base Configuration​

Then paste the following script, or you can do it manually.

/system identity set name=ember
/interface bridge add name=bridge0
/interface bridge port add bridge=bridge0 interface=ether2
/interface bridge port add bridge=bridge0 interface=ether3
/ip address add address=172.31.255.1/24 interface=bridge0 network=172.31.255.0
/ip dhcp-client add interface=ether1 disabled=no
/system note set show-at-login=no

Press Enter to execute the script. Now you need to update RouterOS. Go to Checks for RouterOS updates and installs if available..

Manual Setup:​

Sets the system identity to "ember".

  • System → Identity change your identity to ember and click OK. Ember change identity

Creates a bridge interface (bridge0) and adds ether2 and ether3 to it.

  • Bridge → New change name to bridge0 and click OK. Ember create bridge0

Assigns IP address 172.31.255.1/24 to the bridge for LAN access and add ports to the bridge.

  • IP → Addresses → New and fill Address, Network and select Interface:
    • Addresses: 172.31.255.1/24
    • Network: 172.31.255.0
    • Interface: bridge0
  • Confirm it by clicking OK

Ember ether2 add to bridge0

  • In Bridge window go to Ports → New, select interface ether2. Make sure, that the bridge0 is selected and click OK Ember ether2 add to bridge0

  • In Bridge window go to Ports → New, select interface ether3. Make sure, that the bridge0 is selected and click OK Ember ether3 add to bridge0

Enables DHCP client on ether1 (WAN) for internet connectivity.

  • In the left panel IP → DHCP Client → New, select ether1 as interface and click OK. Ember ether1 dhcp client

Turn on welcome note.

  • In the left panel System → Note, uncheck Show At Login and click OK. Ember ether3 add to bridge0

Checks for RouterOS updates and installs if available.​

  • In the left panel System → Packages → Check for Updates. A new window will open, check if the versions match. If not, click Download&Install and wait a few minutes. Ember RouterOS update

3.3 Install IoT Package​

After reconnecting, go to the left panel System → Packages → Check for Updates. At the list, find iot, click on it. In the right panel, click Enable and then Apply Changes. A new window will open, click OK and wait a few seconds. Ember IoT package install

3.4 Configure LoRa Interface and Update Bootloader​

After reconnecting following the reboot, paste this script in the terminal to configure the LoRa interface:

/iot lora set 0 antenna=uFL
/iot lora servers remove [find]

What this script does:

  • Sets the LoRa antenna to use the uFL connector
  • Removes any preconfigured LoRaWAN Network Server (LNS) entries

Press Enter to execute.

3.5 Upgrade RouterBOARD​

In the left panel, go to System → RouterBOARD and click Upgrade. A new window will open, click OK. Ember upgrade RouterBOARD

After upgrade you need to reboot the Ember. In the left panel, go to System → Reboot. A new window will open, click OK. Ember reboot

4) Choose your LoRaWAN backend​

EMBER Cloud Service (managed backend)​

EMBER Cloud Service is a fully managed LoRaWAN backend operated by HARDWARIO.
It is designed for a fast start without the need to run your own infrastructure.

What the service typically provides:

  • ChirpStack – LoRaWAN Network Server
  • Node-RED – data processing, payload decoding, and forwarding
  • Preconfigured connectivity between the gateway, LNS, and integrations

Recommended if you want to get data from devices quickly and forward it to applications or dashboards.

ChirpStack (self-hosted)​

Documentation:

Additional resources:

The Things Stack​

Documentation

Self-Hosted LoRaWAN Server​

If you already run another LoRaWAN server, you can set EMBER to forward packets to your server.

Key note from the official Hotspot Configuration:

  • If you do not use EMBER Cloud service, use your LoRaWAN server IP address and you don't need to configure VPN tunnels.

Reference: https://docs.hardwario.com/ember/hotspot-configuration/

5) Summary checklist​

  • LoRaWAN antenna attached (required)
  • Power connected (24 V DC or 24 V passive PoE via WAN)
  • Outdoor installation: connectors facing down
  • PC connected to WAN, receives DHCP lease, can reach 172.31.255.1 (updated from default)
  • RouterOS login works (admin / [your-password])
  • Initial configuration script completed (Section 3)
  • RouterOS updated to latest version
  • IoT package installed
  • LoRa interface configured (antenna set to uFL)
  • Bootloader updated
  • Gateway is configured to your backend (EMBER Cloud / ChirpStack / TTS / other)
  • In the LoRaWAN server UI, gateway status shows Last seen / connected
  • You can see uplinks from at least one LoRaWAN device

Troubleshooting (quick)​

Can't reach 172.31.255.1​

  • Make sure you are plugged into the WAN port (not LAN). LAN ports are ether2 and ether3 after running the configuration script.
  • Ensure your PC is set to DHCP (or set a static IP in 172.31.255.0/24).
  • Check the Ethernet link LEDs.
  • If you haven't run the configuration script yet, the default IP might still be 172.31.255.254.

Gateway is powered, but not "seen" in the LoRaWAN server​

  • Check if the jumper is disabled. Picture is here.
  • Confirm the gateway's forwarding destination (server address / ports / protocol).
  • Verify WAN/LTE Internet connectivity.
  • Ensure the IoT package is installed (check with /system package print).
  • Verify LoRa interface is configured (check with /iot lora print).
  • If using EMBER Cloud, confirm you are using the provided service URL and correct configuration guidance.

Reset device​

Unplug the power cable, hold the reset button and plug the power cable back in. After 5 seconds the LED will start blinking, release the button. The reset button location can be found in the image here.

Want to understand the baseline RouterOS configuration​