Photo: Vally Mulford / Unsplash
What to weigh before you shortlist:
- Indoor or outdoor: enclosure rating, antenna options, lightning and ESD protection, power input
- Backhaul: Ethernet, Wi-Fi or cellular, and whether failover between them is automatic
- Forwarder software: LoRa Basics Station, the legacy Semtech UDP packet forwarder, or both
- Network server fit: The Things Stack, ChirpStack, Actility, AWS, or a server embedded in the gateway
- Regional frequency plan and radio approvals (CE, FCC and others) for the countries you deploy in
- Remote management, firmware update policy and how long the model will be supported
At a glance
| Company | Good fit for | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Dragino | Labs and private sites that want a gateway with a built-in network server | China |
| Kerlink | Operators and utilities building public or large private networks | France |
| Milesight | Building and campus deployments that want an embedded network server | China |
| MultiTech | OEMs and integrators wanting programmable, carrier-approved gateways | United States |
| RAKwireless | Developers and integrators who want broad choice and Basics Station support | China |
| Seeed Studio | Makers and small fleets that need an affordable indoor gateway | China |
| TEKTELIC Communications | Carrier-grade outdoor coverage with fewer, higher-performance sites | Canada |
Listed in alphabetical order, not ranked. Nobody pays to appear on a shortlist, and paid directory placements get no preference here (see the editorial policy).
A LoRaWAN gateway is a radio receiver with a network link. It listens on many channels at once, forwards every uplink it hears to a network server over IP, and transmits the downlinks that the server schedules. Gateways do not decide anything about devices, so the main questions are where the box will live, how it reaches the network server, and which software it runs to do so. If the difference between the radio and the protocol is still fuzzy, start with LoRa vs LoRaWAN.
Indoor or outdoor?
Indoor gateways are small, often powered over Ethernet (PoE), and cover part of a building. TEKTELIC’s gateway page suggests planning about one indoor gateway per two to three floors, depending on layout and construction. Outdoor gateways are mast or rooftop units in IP67 enclosures with external antennas, surge and lightning protection and, on carrier-grade models, cavity filters that reject interference from nearby cellular sites. Antenna height and placement often matter more than the gateway model, so budget for installation, not just hardware.
A rule of thumb: buy indoor units for a single building, outdoor units for campuses, farms and cities, and carrier-grade outdoor units when you share a mast with cellular equipment or promise coverage to others.
Which backhaul?
Ethernet is the most predictable link and the easiest to secure. Cellular backhaul frees you from local IT networks, which helps on farms, construction sites and in buildings where the facility team will not open a port, but it adds a SIM and a data plan; our IoT SIM shortlist covers the providers. Wi-Fi is convenient and the least robust. Several models offer two or three links with automatic failover, which is worth having where the gateway serves alarms or meters.
Basics Station, packet forwarder or embedded network server?
The original Semtech UDP packet forwarder is still widely supported, but The Things Industries’ documentation warns that it has many security and scalability drawbacks and recommends LoRa Basics Station instead. Semtech’s Basics Station documentation describes it as a packet forwarder that authenticates to the network server with TLS and checks a separate configuration and update server for new settings and software. Prefer gateways that support Station, and confirm your network server does too.
Some gateways also embed a network server, so one site can run without any cloud. That is useful for a single building or a private plant network. It becomes a limit when you add a second gateway, need roaming between sites, or want one view across many locations, because each embedded server is its own island.
Frequency plans, approvals and lifecycle
LoRaWAN runs in regional ISM bands, and a gateway is built for one frequency plan, so order the variant for the country of installation. Check the radio approvals on the datasheet (CE marking in Europe, FCC certification in the US) and keep the documentation for audits. Then ask how long the model will get firmware and security updates. A gateway on a mast is expensive to visit, so remote management and signed updates matter as much as radio sensitivity.
Questions to ask the vendor
- Which forwarders does this model support out of the box, and is Basics Station with CUPS updates available?
- Which network servers have you tested it with, and who supports integration problems?
- What backhaul options and failover behavior does this exact variant have?
- What surge protection and antenna options are included for outdoor installs?
- How long will this model receive firmware and security updates?
How we built this list
The picks come from the sensors and hardware category of our directory, filtered for companies that make their own LoRaWAN gateways. Each note was checked against the maker’s official site on October 22, 2026. The list is alphabetical, not ranked, no maker paid to appear, and we have not tested the hardware. To compare LoRaWAN with cellular alternatives first, read LoRaWAN vs NB-IoT or, for off-grid messaging, Meshtastic vs LoRaWAN.
The shortlist
Dragino
Low-cost open-source LoRaWAN sensors, end nodes and gateways for makers and integrators · Shenzhen, China · founded 2010
Good fit for: Labs and private sites that want a gateway with a built-in network server.
Makes indoor and outdoor gateways. The LPS8v2 indoor model, for example, offers Ethernet, Wi-Fi and optional 4G backhaul, supports the Semtech UDP forwarder, Basics Station and the ChirpStack MQTT bridge, and runs a built-in ChirpStack network server and Node-RED on Debian. Good for labs and private sites; check radio approvals per region and per variant.
Kerlink
Industrial LoRaWAN gateways and network operations software for public and private IoT networks · Thorigné-Fouillard, France · founded 2004
Good fit for: Operators and utilities building public or large private networks.
French maker of carrier-grade outdoor gateways (Wirnet iStation, iStation M2, iBTS, iBTS 64 Highway for the US) and enterprise indoor models (iFemtoCell, iZeptoCell), with Ethernet, Wi-Fi and cellular backhaul depending on model, plus network server and network management tools. Built for operators, cities and utilities that run thousands of devices. More gateway than a small single-site project usually needs.
Milesight
LoRaWAN sensors, gateways, cellular routers and AI cameras for smart buildings and cities · Xiamen, China · founded 2011
Good fit for: Building and campus deployments that want an embedded network server.
Offers the UG65 indoor gateway (PoE, embedded network server), the IP67 UG67 outdoor gateway with Ethernet, cellular and Wi-Fi backhaul and failover, the industrial UG56, the compact UG63 and the solar SG50. The embedded server decodes device payloads and handles FUOTA, and integrations include MQTT, HTTP, BACnet and Modbus TCP. Its site notes that third-party network server integration may vary.
MultiTech
MultiConnect cellular modems, LoRaWAN gateways and embedded modules for industrial IoT · Mounds View, United States · founded 1970
Good fit for: OEMs and integrators wanting programmable, carrier-approved gateways.
The Conduit family covers in-building access points (Conduit AP) with Ethernet and LTE backhaul and an embedded network server, ruggedized IP67 outdoor gateways and base stations, and the programmable Conduit with plug-in mCards. mPower edge software, LENS network management and the DeviceHQ cloud complete the stack. MultiTech stresses carrier-approved cellular hardware; check regional variants before EU deployments.
RAKwireless
Modular LoRaWAN gateways, WisBlock development kits and wireless modules for IoT developers · Shenzhen, China · founded 2014
Good fit for: Developers and integrators who want broad choice and Basics Station support.
The WisGate Edge range spans the indoor Lite 2, the IP67 Pro, the cost-focused Prime and the full-duplex Ultra, plus the IP65 Soho Pro with built-in LTE and Wi-Fi. Gateways run WisGateOS, connect through the packet forwarder or Basics Station, include a built-in network server and are managed remotely with WisDM. Wide catalog, so confirm which models suit continuous outdoor carrier use.
Seeed Studio
Open hardware platform selling Grove modules, XIAO boards, SenseCAP sensors and reComputer edge devices · Shenzhen, China · founded 2008
Good fit for: Makers and small fleets that need an affordable indoor gateway.
Seeed's SenseCAP M2 multi-platform gateway is an indoor unit built on an open, customizable design that connects to various network servers, sold with Ethernet and Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Wi-Fi and 4G, or Ethernet and 4G backhaul. Seeed also sells LoRaWAN sensors and development boards, which helps small teams buy a complete kit. For carrier-grade outdoor coverage, look at the specialist makers on this list.
TEKTELIC Communications
Carrier-grade LoRaWAN gateways and sensors for operators, enterprises and asset tracking · Calgary, Canada · founded 2009
Good fit for: Carrier-grade outdoor coverage with fewer, higher-performance sites.
The KONA family runs from Micro, Enterprise and Photon units to Macro and Mega base stations and a mobile gateway. TEKTELIC builds them to telecom standards, with cavity filters, lightning and ESD protection and IP67 enclosures, and says they work with any LoRaWAN-compliant network server, including The Things Network and ChirpStack. The range targets operators and large estates more than single-building setups.
Picks, products and the notes above were checked on the vendors' official sites on October 22, 2026. Plans and prices change; the official page is the reference. A vendor missing or described wrongly? Tell us.