How CreevX is migrating thousands of LoRaWAN devices to The Things Stack

Migrating a live LoRaWAN deployment is rarely about the technology. When 1000's of devices are already in the field across multiple countries, the real work is moving to a new platform without interrupting the operations those devices support.

For Northern Ireland-based CreevX, that migration is already underway.

CreevX builds temperature monitoring and automated water flushing solutions that help organizations maintain Legionella compliance and keep water systems safe. Its devices are deployed across healthcare facilities, manufacturing sites, commercial buildings, residential developments, and public sector environments throughout the UK, Ireland, Europe, and the United States.

We spoke with Conor McCann, Head of Product and Delivery at CreevX, about the move to The Things Stack, what he and his team have learned so far, and what other organizations should weigh before a similar transition.

Building IoT for water safety

We manufacture and build our own temperature sensors and monitoring devices," says McCann. "They monitor water systems, primarily for Legionella compliance, and we provide automated flushing to keep water safe across healthcare, medical facilities, manufacturing sites, warehouses, commercial buildings, and residential developments."

As the company grew, so did the scale of its LoRaWAN network. The platform it had been running on covered the basics, but the team began looking for something easier to operate day to day.

Why CreevX evaluated alternatives

The reasons had little to do with raw capability. "Functionality wise, our previous platform did everything we needed. We could send commands, monitor devices, see gateway connections, and manage uplinks."

The friction was operational. "It was harder to navigate, harder to find information, and slower to work with. When you're managing larger deployments, every extra click counts. If something goes wrong, you need to quickly see whether the issue is the device, the gateway, or the network."

First impressions of The Things Stack

The difference showed up early in testing.

"The biggest thing for me was ease of use and the interface. Setup was straightforward, and it was much easier to find what we needed."

Support left a similar impression.

"One of the first things I noticed was how quickly the team responded. The tutorials, walkthroughs, and support were significantly faster than what we'd had before."

Managing migration at scale

With thousands of deployed devices and a large gateway estate already in operation, a single cutover was off the table. CreevX chose a phased approach instead: every new customer and project starts on The Things Stack, while existing deployments move across gradually.

Now over 700 devices are running on The Things Stack, with migration folded into routine maintenance. When engineers visit a site, gateways are upgraded as part of the visit. "We've built a workflow where devices reconnect and we validate everything over a 24-hour period. The process is solid, but completing it across every location will take time given the geography involved."

Faster installs, time back on site

The clearest early gain was deployment speed. "When we install devices on site, they typically come online within five to ten seconds." For installers placing many devices in a day, that adds up. Temperature data follows just as quickly: readings now arrive within one or two minutes of installation, against three or four minutes before.

For teams commissioning at scale, that time goes straight back into the working day.

Where migration could be smoother

McCann is candid about the effort involved. Onboarding is one area: "Additional presets for our own devices or for the MultiTech gateways we use would speed things up further."

Security documentation is another. "We spent a lot of time understanding Packet Broker, authentication keys, and the implications of different configuration choices." That carries extra weight for CreevX, given its customer base. "Some of our customers are government related and security sensitive, so we have to be careful around configuration, access, and firmware management."

The payoff was worth it. "Everything has worked exactly as expected. It just took effort upfront to understand the settings and get everything configured correctly."

Looking ahead

As CreevX scales, automation moves up the priority list. "We connect around 20 end devices per gateway on average. As the number of gateways grows, batch provisioning will become a major requirement."

Streamlining gateway onboarding is the next focus.

For now, the team's verdict is straightforward. "The interface is one of the biggest strengths. Once you learn where everything is, it's very intuitive. It's faster, easier to work with, performs well on mobile, and makes it much easier to find what you need."

CreevX's migration is still in progress. But with 100's of devices already live on The Things Stack and a clear phased plan for the rest, the operational benefits are already showing up in the field: faster installs and an interface that makes faults easier to find.

Planning a similar move? Start with the getting-started documentation for The Things Stack.

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How does CreevX migrate devices to The Things Stack?

In phases. Every new customer and project starts on The Things Stack, while existing deployments move across gradually. Migration is folded into routine maintenance: when engineers visit a site, gateways are upgraded as part of the visit, then devices reconnect and the team validates everything over a 24-hour period.

How quickly do devices come online on The Things Stack?

According to CreevX, devices typically come online within five to ten seconds of installation. Temperature readings arrive within one or two minutes, against three or four minutes before.

What should teams consider before migrating to The Things Stack?

Allow time upfront to understand the security settings, including Packet Broker and authentication keys. CreevX also expects batch provisioning to become a major requirement as its number of gateways grows, so gateway onboarding is worth planning early.