LoRa radio modules

Overview

LoRa modulation and transmission is realized with LoRa radio modules. Some modules only provide the LoRa physical layer, i.e. LoRa modulation, while some other also embed the LoRaWAN protocol stack to communicate with a LoRaWAN network.

Most of the module presented below are for end-devices which means that they are so-called single-channel LoRa modules. One LoRa radio concentrator, the RAK2245 Concentrator Hat, will allow developers to build low-cost LoRaWAN-compliant multi-channel gateways with a Raspberry Pi single-computer-board, capable to listen simultaneously on several frequency channels.

Listed boards

  • HopeRF RFM95W for 868-900MHz (specs, documentations, datasheet), HopeRF RFM96W for 433MHz (specs, documentations, datasheet) hoperf-set These small form factor radio modules from HopeRF are very convenient for surface mount on PCBs. There are several models depending on the operating frequency. They are based on the Semtech SX127x family. LoRaWAN protocols need to be implemented in software in the host microcontroller.

  • LoRa NiceRF SX1262 for 868MHz (specs, documentations, datasheet, Semtech SX1262 datasheet) nicerf1262 These small form factor radio modules from NiceRF have the same size than HopeRF modules and have almost the same pin-out, especially for the SPI pins. The main additional advantage of these more recent modules is that they also use the most recent Semtech SX126x family with a unified API across all new Semtech LoRa chips. LoRaWAN protocols need to be implemented in software in the host microcontroller. These chips also have the potential to reach low-orbit LoRa satellites (work in progress) thanks to the possibility to have a higher transmission power.

  • LoRa NiceRF SX1280 for 2.4GHz (specs, documentations, datasheet, Semtech SX1280 datasheet) nicerf1280 This is the LoRa 2.4GHz version using the new Semtech SX128x family chip to have LoRa modulation in the international 2.4GHz ISM band, easing worldwide deployment of LoRa networks at the cost of a reduced range compared to sub-GHz LoRa version. LoRaWAN on the 2.4GHz band is however still on the table for the LoRa Alliance, at time of writing.

  • LoRaWAN EByte E78-800 (E78-868LN22S) for 868MHz (specs, documentations, datasheet) ebyte78-800 These modules provide full LoRaWAN operation mode. AT commands (usually with UART serial communication) can be sent from a host microcontroller to easily configure the radio module. Building a full LoRaWAN end-device is therefore made quite easy with these modules.

  • LoRaWAN EByte E78-400 for 433MHz (specs, documentations, datasheet) ebyte78-400 This is the 433MHz frequency band version.

  • LoRaWAN RAK3172S Breakout (overview) RAK3172-breakout This breakout host the RAK3172 LoRaWAN module which includes a STM32WLE5CC chip. STM32WL microcontrollers feature a sub-GHz radio based-on Semtech SX126x to meet the requirements of a wide range of Low-Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) wireless applications in industrial and consumer Internet-of-Things (IoT). The specific STM32WL microcontroller used in RAK3172 is the STM32WLE5CCU6. RAK AT commands can be used to configure the mode and operation of the RAK3172 module. The RAK3172(SL) can cover EU433 and CN470 bands while the RAK3172(S) covers all the other bands. Look at a summary of most useful AT commands for LoRaWAN connectivity.

  • LoRaWAN RAK3172 Evaluation Board (overview, quick start) RAK3172_EVB This is the evaluation board for the RAK3172 LoRaWAN module, providing an easy way to access the important pins of the RAK3172 module in order to simplify development and testing. The RAK3172-EB(L) can cover EU433 and CN470 bands while the RAK3172-EB(H) covers all the other bands.

  • LoRaWAN RAK2245 Concentrator Hat (overview) rak2245-pi-hat This hat designed for Raspberry Pi embeds a Semtech SX1301 module to provide an 8-channel LoRa concentrator radio module.

Usage

The listed LoRa/LoRaWAN module can be used as follows (only indicative):

  • HopeRF RFM95W/96W, NiceRF SX1262/80: these module are mostly used in PCB surface mount projects. For instance, these open-source PCBs from the LowCostLoRaGw frameworks. RFM95Breakout ProMiniLoRaBreakout These low-cost radio modules are particularly interesting in simple DIY IoT integration projects that can simply use the raw LoRa physical layer for private LoRa deployment scenarios. If required, they have the possibility to evolve to simple LoRaWAN protocol implemented in the host microcontroller. See for instance the early “LoRaMAC in C” LMIC initiative, updated by the MCCI version of LMIC that can be run on a large variety of resource-constrained microcontrollers, including the low-cost and versatile ATmega328P (Arduino Uno, Arduino ProMini, etc).

  • LoRaWAN EByte E78-800: the module is mostly used in PCB surface mount projects to build out-of-the-box LoRaWAN end-devices. Specifically designed PCBs embedding the Ebyte E78 footprint can be realized. As an alternative, this open-source EByte E78 breakout can be used to connect the module to a host microcontroller to interact with AT commands. SoftRF-E78-pcb-1

  • LoRaWAN RAK3172S Breakout: the breakout provides easy access access to the RAK3172 pins and allows quick and easy connection to a host microcontroller. There are many possibilities to use the versatile RAK3172 chip. Look at the quick start and the low level development tools. Given the wide range IoT of applications enabled by the RAK3172, the breakout is a simple solution to quickly embed this state-of-the-art chip into an IoT project.

  • LoRaWAN RAK3172 Evaluation Board: the evaluation board is provided for early test of the RAK3172 chip, before integration into an IoT project with the RAK3172S Breakout, or even with the RAK3172 chip itself.

  • LoRaWAN RAK2245 Concentrator Hat: this hat is convenient for DIY LoRaWAN-compliant gateways. rak2245-pi-hat see for instance the LowCostLoRaGw framework and how to build an open & versatile multi-channel LoRaWAN gateway.

Links & Resources

There are so many resources, projects, initiatives on LoRa & LoRaWAN when searching on the Internet. In addition to the Semtech LoRa resources, we list some projects we are involved in.

2021 - Congduc Pham