.. _wirepas:

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Wirepas
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Wirepas is a large-scale, decentralized wireless mesh technology designed for massive IoT deployments.
It enables thousands (or millions) of low-power devices to form a self-healing, infrastructure-free mesh
without relying on a central coordinator.

Orchestra integrates Wirepas
as a connectivity and networking layer, and provides tools to deploy, operate, and manage Wirepas
gateways and services at scale.

This page explains **what Wirepas is in the context of Orchestra** and **how you can work with it**.



What Wirepas provides
=====================

At a high level, Wirepas offers:

- **Decentralized mesh networking**  
  No single point of failure, no fixed routing hierarchy.

- **Self-healing and self-optimizing networks**  
  Nodes automatically adapt to topology changes and interference.

- **Low-power operation**  
  Designed for long-lived, battery-powered devices.

- **Massive scalability**  
  Proven in deployments with tens of thousands of nodes.

In Orchestra, Wirepas is typically used to connect **field devices and sensors** to Wirepas app
running on Edge IoT Gateways managed by Orchestra.



Wirepas in the Orchestra ecosystem
==================================

Orchestra does **not replace Wirepas**.
Instead, it **orchestrates Wirepas components** and integrates them into a broader fleet-management platform.

Orchestra provides:

- Deployment of Wirepas gateway services
- Fleet-level lifecycle management
- Configuration through variables
- Monitoring and operational tooling
- Integration with other Orchestra features (CALM, device access, alerts)

Wirepas configuration via Orchestra
===================================

Orchestra extends Wirepas operations beyond deployment by allowing key parts of the
Wirepas setup to be **configured directly through CALM**, instead of manually configuring
services on the gateway.

Specifically, Orchestra enables:

- **Sink configuration through CALM**
  
  When using Orchestra, Wirepas sinks can be configured via CALM
  (GUI or OCLI), rather than interacting directly with the
  Wirepas D-Bus service running inside Docker containers on the gateway.

  This removes the need to manually execute D-Bus commands on each gateway
  for common operational scenarios and enables fleet-level consistency.

- **Wirepas network configuration through CALM**
  
  Orchestra allows passing Wirepas network parameters and credentials
  using CALM variables, making network configuration part of the
  application lifecycle and deployment workflow.

  This approach is especially useful when operating multiple gateways
  or managing configuration changes at scale.



What is *not* managed by Orchestra
----------------------------------

Orchestra does **not** replace Wirepas’ native network management systems.

The Wirepas Network Tool / Wirepas Node Management System still need to be managed **outside of Orchestra**.


These tools are required for:

- Creating and administering Wirepas networks
- Managing network-wide security credentials
- Advanced network diagnostics and topology analysis
- Deep node-level operations

Orchestra integrates with these systems, but they must still be
operated manually according to Wirepas guidelines.

To learn more about these tools, refer to the official `Wirepas documentation <https://www.wirepas.com>`_.


Ways to work with Wirepas in Orchestra
=======================================

Choose the approach that best fits your use case and level of control.



Option 1: CALM (GUI)
----------------------------------

The **CALM graphical interface** is the recommended way to deploy and manage Wirepas services
for most users.

Use this approach if you want:

- A **guided, visual workflow**
- Fleet-based deployments
- Variable management without manual CLI commands
- Clear visibility of deployment state

This method is best suited for Production deployments, Operations and DevOps teams, Integrators who prefer UI-driven workflows.

**Start here:**  
:ref:`wirepas-tutorial-gui`



Option 2: CALM via OCLI (CLI-driven)
--------------------------------------

For users who prefer the terminal, Orchestra exposes the **same CALM functionality through OCLI**.

This approach uses the **CALM OCLI plugin** and allows you to:

- Create fleets and compositions
- Deploy the Wirepas stack
- Manage variables
- Release and monitor deployments
- Automate workflows via scripts or CI pipelines

This is ideal if you want:

- CLI-only operation
- Repeatable or automated deployments
- Integration with existing tooling

**Start here:**  
:ref:`calm-wirepas-example`



Option 3: Manual Wirepas configuration (advanced)
-------------------------------------------------

For advanced users, Orchestra also supports **manual, low-level interaction with Wirepas**.

This approach is intended for:

- Hardware bring-up
- Deep debugging
- Custom gateway setups
- Direct interaction with Wirepas services and configuration tools

.. warning:: This path requires **good knowledge of Wirepas internals** and is not recommended for day-to-day operations.

**See:**  `Working with Wirepas (manual approach) <https://hardware.docs.cthings.co/chapters/hardware/working-with-wirepas/working-with-wirepas.html>`_


Next steps
==========

- New to Wirepas → :ref:`wirepas-tutorial-gui`
- Prefer CLI workflows → :ref:`calm-wirepas-example`
- Need low-level access → `Working with Wirepas <https://hardware.docs.cthings.co/chapters/hardware/working-with-wirepas/working-with-wirepas.html>`_