Wattsense Quarterly Update from Forest Rock

Article Type: Knowledge Base
Product: Wattsense Tower / Wattsense Bridge
Last Updated: Sept 2026

Wattsense Quarterly Product Update

Welcome to the latest Wattsense Quarterly Update from Forest Rock.
As the UK distributor and technical partner for Wattsense, we're pleased to share the latest platform developments, new features, and important service updates released over the past quarter. Our aim is to keep you informed of changes that can help you get the most from your Wattsense gateways and the Wattsense Console, while ensuring your installations remain secure, reliable, and future-ready.

In this edition:

• A powerful new LoRaWAN capability designed to simplify device management and deployment.

• A major platform infrastructure upgrade that improves performance, resilience, and scalability.

• An important network settings update that may require action to ensure continued connectivity.

• Several additional improvements and refinements that enhance the overall user experience.

Whether you're managing a single site or deploying Wattsense across a large portfolio, these updates provide valuable enhancements to help streamline your operations and future-proof your installations.

Let's take a closer look at what's new.Send commands to multiple devices at once and monitor deployment progress in real time.

Managing large numbers of LoRaWAN devices can be time-consuming, particularly when configuration changes need to be applied across an entire estate. Whether you're adjusting temperature setpoints on radiator valves, updating operating parameters, or preparing equipment for seasonal shutdown, sending commands individually has traditionally been the only option.

With the latest Wattsense release, users can now create LoRaWAN Bulk Downlink Campaigns directly from the Wattsense Console. This new capability allows you to select multiple devices, define a command once, and deploy it across the selected estate in a single operation.

The campaign interface provides clear visibility of deployment progress, enabling you to track command delivery and execution status as it happens. This significantly reduces commissioning and maintenance effort while improving consistency across connected devices.

As part of this enhancement, Wattsense has also introduced an updated Command History view, providing a cleaner and more intuitive way to review past commands and monitor device interactions.

Key benefits:

• Configure multiple LoRaWAN devices simultaneously.

• Reduce engineering time and repetitive manual tasks.

• Monitor campaign progress and command status in real time.

• Improve consistency across device deployments.

• Benefit from a redesigned command history interface for easier troubleshooting and auditing.

This is a valuable addition for building operators and integrators managing LoRaWAN-enabled assets where traditional BMS functionality may not be available.

LoRaWAN Bulk Downlink Campaigns

Send commands to multiple devices at once and monitor deployment progress in real time.

Managing large numbers of LoRaWAN devices can be time-consuming, particularly when configuration changes need to be applied across an entire estate. Whether you're adjusting temperature setpoints on radiator valves, updating operating parameters, or preparing equipment for seasonal shutdown, sending commands individually has traditionally been the only option.

With the latest Wattsense release, users can now create LoRaWAN Bulk Downlink Campaigns directly from the Wattsense Console. This new capability allows you to select multiple devices, define a command once, and deploy it across the selected estate in a single operation.

The campaign interface provides clear visibility of deployment progress, enabling you to track command delivery and execution status as it happens. This significantly reduces commissioning and maintenance effort while improving consistency across connected devices.

As part of this enhancement, Wattsense has also introduced an updated Command History view, providing a cleaner and more intuitive way to review past commands and monitor device interactions.

Key benefits:

• Configure multiple LoRaWAN devices simultaneously.

• Reduce engineering time and repetitive manual tasks.

• Monitor campaign progress and command status in real time.

• Improve consistency across device deployments.

• Benefit from a redesigned command history interface for easier troubleshooting and auditing.

This is a valuable addition for building operators and integrators managing LoRaWAN-enabled assets where traditional BMS functionality may not be available.

As part of this update, Wattsense has also refreshed the Command History interface, delivering a cleaner and more intuitive user experience. The updated view makes it easier to review previously issued commands, track device responses, and quickly identify the status of command activity across your connected estate.

This enhancement improves visibility and usability for day-to-day device management, troubleshooting, and commissioning tasks, helping users locate the information they need more efficiently.

Major Infrastructure Upgrade:

Chirpstack Now Powering Wattsense LoRaWAN Services

Improved reliability today, with a stronger foundation for future innovation.

We're pleased to share an important update from Wattsense regarding the LoRaWAN services embedded within the Wattsense gateway platform.

As part of its ongoing commitment to reliability, scalability, and long-term platform development, Wattsense is migrating its embedded LoRaWAN Network Server (LNS) to ChirpStack, a widely adopted open-source solution used throughout the global IoT industry.

This upgrade provides a more robust and future-ready architecture, enabling Wattsense to deliver enhanced LoRaWAN functionality and additional features in future releases.

Deployment Schedule

The migration will be introduced as part of Firmware Version 8, with rollout commencing during the week beginning 7th September.

For most users, the transition will be seamless. No action is required, and normal day-to-day operation of existing installations will remain unaffected.

What You May Notice

While the upgrade is largely transparent, there are two changes that may be visible within the Wattsense Console.

1. Frame Counter Values May Increase Significantly

The LoRaWAN Frame Counter records the number of messages transmitted by a device.

Previously, the displayed value was limited to 65,535. With ChirpStack, the counter now supports values up to 4,294,967,296.

As a result, devices that have already exceeded the previous limit may display a higher Frame Counter value following the migration. This is expected behaviour and simply reflects the device's true message count. No data has been lost.

2. RSSI Readings May Appear Lower

RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) is used to measure LoRaWAN signal strength.

Under the previous platform, the Wattsense Console displayed an averaged RSSI value. Following migration to ChirpStack, the console will display the RSSI of the received signal itself, providing a more representative measurement of actual signal conditions.

In some environments, particularly those with weaker signals, the reported RSSI may therefore appear lower than before. This does not indicate degraded communications or reduced performance. The quality of the signal received by the gateway remains unchanged; only the method of reporting has been improved.

Need Assistance?

If you have any questions regarding this upgrade or would like assistance reviewing an existing Wattsense deployment, the Forest Rock Technical Support Team is available to help.

Help ensure uninterrupted connectivity for your Wattsense installation.

Wattsense has announced an upcoming change to the way gateways connect to cloud services. This update is designed to improve the long-term reliability, flexibility, and resilience of the platform's communications infrastructure.

Currently, Wattsense gateways connect using an Amazon Web Services (AWS) IP address.
From 1 November 2026, gateways will instead communicate using the domain:

iot.wattsense.com

Will This Affect My Installation?

For most Wattsense deployments, including those using the integrated cellular connection, this change will be completely transparent and no action will be required.

However, sites that rely solely on Ethernet connectivity and use DNS-based firewall or network filtering rules may need to update their network configuration to maintain connectivity.

Required Network Configuration

If your organisation restricts outbound traffic using domain-based firewall policies, please ensure that the following is permitted before 1 November 2026:

• Outbound TCP port 8883

• Access to the domain *.wattsense.com

For the full list of required open ports and domains, refer to the support article: 👉 Required network configuration for your box

Failure to update firewall rules where applicable could prevent the gateway from communicating with the Wattsense cloud platform after the change takes effect.

Why Is This Change Being Made?

Moving from a fixed AWS IP-based connection to a domain-based approach provides greater flexibility for future infrastructure improvements and helps ensure the ongoing reliability and scalability of the Wattsense service.

Need Help?

If you're unsure whether your Wattsense installation is affected, the Forest Rock Technical Support Team can assist with reviewing your network configuration and confirming that your site is ready for the transition.

Please contact us if you would like guidance on firewall settings, network requirements, or general Wattsense connectivity best practices.

Forest Rock Technical Support
Your UK Wattsense distributor and technical integration partner

🔧 Other Platform Improvements

Alongside the major updates this quarter, Wattsense has introduced several smaller enhancements aimed at improving usability and supporting integrations with third-party applications and automation platforms.

Property ID and Revision ID Now Easier to Access

To simplify troubleshooting and integration work, Property ID and Revision ID values are now displayed directly within:

• Property Details

• Command > Configuration Details

This enhancement makes it quicker to identify and reference specific properties when working with the Wattsense API, MQTT integrations, or when liaising with technical support teams.

Archive Files Available via API

Teams leveraging the Wattsense API can now download archive request files directly through the API.

This addition will be particularly useful for organisations that:

• Automate data exports

• Integrate Wattsense data into external analytics platforms

• Develop custom reporting solutions

• Build automated workflows around historical data retrieval

The new capability provides greater flexibility for developers and system integrators looking to streamline access to archived data.

Final Words

That concludes this quarter's Wattsense update.

These enhancements reflect Wattsense's continued investment in developing a more capable, reliable, and scalable building connectivity platform, while incorporating feedback from users and partners across the industry.

If you have any questions about these updates, would like assistance assessing their impact on an existing installation, or need support with deployment and integration, the Forest Rock team is here to help.

We welcome your feedback and are always interested in hearing how you're using Wattsense in your projects.

Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to sharing further developments in the next quarterly update.

Kind regards,

The Forest Rock Team
UK Wattsense Distributor & Technical Partner