UG63 vs UG56: which Milesight indoor LoRaWAN gateway?
Short answer: Both are 8-channel indoor LoRaWAN gateways on the SX1302 chip, with -140 dBm sensitivity, 27 dBm maximum transmit power and an optional 4G version. The UG63 is the compact one: its embedded network server takes up to 20 devices and integrates over MQTT. The UG56 is the building gateway: a metal housing, PoE built into its Ethernet port, Wi-Fi client mode, VPNs and integrations that include BACnet/IP and Modbus TCP. The size of the site and where the data has to go decide it.
How many sensors, and where does the data go?
Choose the UG63 for a small site that will stay small: a pilot, a shop, a plant room. Its embedded network server is limited to 20 devices with MQTT integration. For more, it can forward to an external network server such as The Things Stack, ChirpStack or AWS IoT Core for LoRaWAN.
Choose the UG56 when the data has to reach building or IT systems directly. Its embedded network server includes Milesight’s codec library, multicast and FUOTA, and it integrates over MQTT(s), HTTP(s), BACnet/IP, BACnet/SC, Modbus TCP and Modbus RTU over TCP.
Power, network and mounting
The UG63 takes power from USB-C, a 5 to 12 V DC cable or PoE through a splitter, has a 10/100 Ethernet port, and uses Wi-Fi only as an access point for configuration. It is rated from -20°C to 50°C and mounts on a desk, wall or ceiling.
The UG56 takes 802.3af PoE directly or 5 V over USB-C, offers Wi-Fi in access point or client mode, supports VPNs including OpenVPN, IPsec and WireGuard, and is rated from -20°C to 60°C in a metal housing. It mounts on a desk or wall, and on DIN rail with new hardware.
What they share
Both are IP30, so both belong indoors or inside an enclosure. For outdoor sites, the UG65 and UG67 are the weatherproof options.
Milesight UG63 Mini LoRaWAN® Gateway – External antenna-UG63-868M
UG63-868M
£98.76 ex VAT (£118.51 inc. VAT)
View the UG63-868M
Milesight UG56 Industrial LoRaWAN Gateway
UG56
Price range: £173.58 through £213.98 ex VAT (£208.30 – £256.78 inc. VAT)
LoRaWAN channel count and device capacity8 half-duplex channels (SX1302), around 2000 Class A/B/C devices at a 10-minute uplink interval
View the UG56Specification comparison
| Specification | UG63-868M | UG56 |
|---|---|---|
| Antenna connector | — | 1 × 50 Ω SMA (centre pin SMA female) |
| Approvals | — | CE, CE (RED), RCM, FCC, ISED; RoHS |
| CPU / memory | — | Quad-core 1.3 GHz 64-bit ARM Cortex-A35; 512 MB DDR3 RAM; 8 GB eMMC |
| Cellular (optional) | — | 4G LTE, Class 3 (23 dBm ± 2 dB), 1 × Mini SIM (2FF) |
| Coverage | — | Line of sight up to 15 km; about 2 km in urbanized environment |
| Dimensions / weight | — | 110 × 75 × 24 mm; 186 g |
| Ethernet | — | 1 × RJ45 WAN port (PoE PD supported), 10/100 Base-T, 1.5 kV RMS isolation |
| Extendable storage | — | 1 × Micro SD slot (internal) |
| Frequency band | — | CN470/IN865/EU868/RU864/US915/AU915/KR920/AS923-1&2&3&4 |
| Housing | — | Metal, black |
| Ingress protection | — | IP30 |
| Installation | — | Desktop, wall mounting, DIN rail mounting (new hardware only) |
| Integration | — | MQTT(s), HTTP(s), BACnet/IP, BACnet/SC, Modbus TCP, Modbus RTU over TCP |
| LNS compatibility | — | The Things Stack, ChirpStack, Actility, AWS, DeviceHub LNS, Milesight Development Platform LNS, Milesight IoT Cloud |
| Listen Before Talk | — | Supported (not on AU915 or US915) |
| LoRaWAN channels | — | 8 (half-duplex), SX1302 chip |
| LoRaWAN protocol | — | V1.0 Class A/B/C and V1.0.2 Class A/B/C |
| Network server | — | Embedded, with Milesight codec library and custom codec setup; multicast and FUOTA supported |
| Operating temperature | — | -20°C to +60°C |
| Power consumption | — | Typical 1.8 W, max 6.9 W |
| Power input | — | 802.3af PoE, or 5 V / 2 A by Type-C port |
| Relative humidity | — | 0% to 95% (non-condensing) at 25°C |
| Sensitivity | — | -140 dBm @292bps |
| Supported devices | — | Around 2000 Class A/B/C devices (10 min uplink interval) |
| Tx power | — | 27 dBm max |
| VPN | — | OpenVPN, IPsec, PPTP, L2TP, GRE, DMVPN, WireGuard |
| Wi-Fi | — | IEEE 802.11 b/g/n, 2.4 GHz, internal antenna, AP or client mode |
Specifications taken from the manufacturer datasheets. Rows where the models are identical are dimmed. Prices are ex VAT and read live from the catalogue.
Frequently asked questions
How many devices can the UG63 handle?
Its embedded network server supports up to 20 devices. As a packet forwarder to an external network server, the datasheet gives around 2,000 Class A, B and C devices, depending on uplink and downlink frequencies.
Does the UG56 support BACnet?
Yes. It integrates over BACnet/IP and BACnet/SC, as well as Modbus TCP, Modbus RTU over TCP, MQTT(s) and HTTP(s).
Can either gateway work without Ethernet?
Both are available with 4G. The UG56 can also join an existing Wi-Fi network in client mode; the UG63 uses Wi-Fi only as an access point for configuration.
Can the UG63 or UG56 go outdoors?
Not without an enclosure. Both are IP30. The UG65 and UG67 are Milesight’s weatherproof gateways.