Do I need to re-flash my LoRaWAN devices to migrate from The Things Stack?

No. Datacake re-uses the same DevEUI, JoinEUI/AppEUI and AppKey your devices already hold, so no firmware change is required. Existing field hardware can move to Datacake without any on-site visit beyond a possible re-join trigger.

Can I run The Things Stack and Datacake in parallel during the migration?

Yes. The recommended approach is to migrate gateway-by-gateway: configure the gateway's packet-forwarder to send uplinks to Datacake, register the affected devices on Datacake, validate, then remove the TTS endpoint. Devices that haven't moved yet keep working on TTS in the meantime.

How long does a typical migration take?

For a single-application deployment, a single engineer can usually migrate a handful of gateways and a few dozen devices in an afternoon. Larger fleets are commonly migrated in batches over a week. CSV bulk import keeps device re-registration cheap even for thousands of devices.

What happens to my historical data on The Things Stack?

Your TTS history stays on TTS. Datacake starts collecting fresh uplinks the moment a device joins our LNS. If you need a continuous historical record, export the existing data from TTS (or your downstream warehouse) and keep it alongside Datacake's history. Datacake retains uplink history per device and exposes it via CSV / Excel exports and APIs.

Will my MQTT and webhook integrations break after the migration?

Datacake offers equivalent MQTT and HTTPS webhook outputs. The payload format is JSON in both products, so most downstream consumers only need a topic / endpoint update and a small mapping change for field names. Datacake provides decoded fields directly per template.

Are LoRaWAN regions and security versions compatible?

Yes. Datacake supports LoRaWAN 1.0.x and 1.1, EU868, US915, AU915, AS923, IN865 and KR920, the same regional parameters and security profiles you operate on The Things Stack today.

← Datacake LoRaWAN Network Server

Migration guide

Migrate from The Things Stack to Datacake's free LoRaWAN Network Server

A practical, no-firmware-re-flash migration path from The Things Stack to Datacake's managed LNS. Run both stacks in parallel during the cut-over so you never lose a device, then decommission the old server when you're ready.

Re-use the same DevEUI, JoinEUI/AppEUI and AppKey: no firmware re-flash
Cut over gateway-by-gateway with zero downtime
400+ device templates ready, with payload decoders included
Free LNS in every Datacake plan, no per-gateway fees

Create a free Datacake account Jump to the steps

The Things Stack vs Datacake at a glance

A side-by-side view of the parts of the LoRaWAN stack that change when you migrate. We've kept it factual. Both products have their strengths.

Capability	The Things Stack	Datacake
Hosted LoRaWAN Network Server	Hosted (TTS Cloud / Sandbox)	Hosted, included free in every plan
Per-gateway / per-device pricing	PartialTTS Cloud charges per gateway and per device, with throughput tiers	LNS & gateways are free. You only pay for device licenses and optional features
Built-in dashboards	Use external tools (Grafana, ThingsBoard, Datacake) for visualization	Template-driven dashboards out of the box
Built-in payload decoders	PartialCommunity-maintained device repository	400+ Datacake-maintained templates plus the LoRa Alliance / TTN device repository
Multi-region support		EU868, US915, AU915, AS923, IN865, KR920
MQTT integration	MQTT API	MQTTS broker per organisation
Webhook integration		Per-product or per-device webhooks
Built-in alerting & rules engine	Use an external rules / alerting service	Email, SMS, push and webhook actions with escalation
White-label & multi-tenancy	PartialTenant separation, no white-label UI	Custom domain, theming and per-workspace branding
Re-use existing devices (no re-flash)		Same DevEUI, JoinEUI/AppEUI and AppKey

Capabilities reflect the public product documentation of The Things Stack (Cloud / Open Source) and Datacake at the time of writing. We've focused on parts that change during a migration; both products have additional features outside this scope.

Migration in 5 steps

A no-firmware-re-flash path that keeps your existing gateways and devices in place. Run both stacks in parallel during the cut-over, then decommission The Things Stack when you're ready.

1
Create a free Datacake account
Sign up at app.datacake.de. The Datacake LoRaWAN Network Server is included on every plan, so you can run the entire migration on the free tier without flipping any billing switches.
Tip:Use the same email domain as your existing TTS organization so internal IT can match accounts later when you decommission TTS.
2
Point your gateways at Datacake
In your gateway's packet-forwarder configuration, add Datacake's LNS endpoint (Semtech UDP or LoRa Basics Station). For zero-downtime cut-overs, keep TTS configured in parallel where the gateway supports two backends, or migrate gateway-by-gateway over a maintenance window.
Compatibility:Datacake works with the same gateway hardware you already operate on TTS (RAK, Kerlink, Multitech, Tektelic, Mikrotik, Dragino and others) using the standard Semtech UDP forwarder or LoRa Basics Station.
3
Re-register your devices
Add each device to Datacake using the same DevEUI, JoinEUI/AppEUI and AppKey from your TTS application. If your hardware is in our template catalog, applying the matching template configures the payload decoder, dashboard and downlink hooks for you in one step.
Bulk migration:Datacake supports CSV import of device identifiers and keys, so you can move hundreds of devices in a single batch instead of re-typing them by hand.
4
Verify uplinks on Datacake
Watch the Datacake device list for joins and uplinks. If a device hasn't joined yet, trigger a re-join from the device side (button press, NFC config tool or downlink reset depending on hardware). Decoded values should appear on the dashboard within seconds of the next uplink.
Sanity check:Compare the last uplink timestamp and decoded values against TTS for a few minutes. When they match, the device is fully migrated.
5
Cut over and decommission TTS
Once all devices are reliably on Datacake, remove the TTS endpoint from your gateways and decommission the corresponding TTS application. Webhooks and MQTT subscribers can be re-pointed to Datacake: payload formats are equivalent (both decode to JSON) and per-device endpoints map cleanly across.
Rollback:Because no firmware was changed, rollback to TTS is always possible: re-point the gateway and re-add the device on TTS with the same keys.

Still evaluating?

Compare The Things Stack vs Datacake side by side

Pricing, hosting model, integrations and where each platform wins, laid out in a single comparison table.

Read the The Things Stack comparison

The Things Stack migration FAQ

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