You may not have heard of LoRa, but chances are you’re familiar with the Internet of Things— and LoRa is poised to change IoT. It’s a wireless technology that’s used for tasks such as automatic meter reading, smart parking, and livestock tracking. What makes it so sought after is its ability to send packets over long distances without using much power. This makes it ideal for sending small amounts of data to devices that are far away. But of course there’s a catch, and the catch with LoRa is setting these devices is a challenge. SB Components wants to make things easier with the RangePi.
The RangePi is an open source USB dongle that plugs into any computer or device and lets you work with the LoRa network. based on the Semtech SX1262 enabling your projects to communicate up to a range of 5 km with auto repeating supported, it can be employed in packet and LoRaWAN modes making it compatible with The Things Network. Plus.
If you prefer Linux or working with boards like Raspberry Pi or BeagleBone, the RangePi works on those as well. It connects via USB, so you don’t have to use your Raspberry Pi GPIO pins. Designed with tinkerers and makers in mind, IoT integrators can use the device to test and configure networks without the need to carry around development board, wire, adapters, etc. As Osborn points out, LoRa is already being used by various industries, like vineyards to track weather conditions, railways to detect freezing of railway switches, and pest control for things like connected mousetraps.
Range-Pi Specifications
- Onboard RP2040
- Serial Port Module - E22-900T22S1B/E22-900T22S1B
- Power - 22dBm
- Onboard 1.14" LCD
- Voltage Level Translator(74HC125V)
- Communication range up to 5 KM
- Supports auto repeating to transmit longer
- Low Power Consumption
- Highly Secured
- For Evaluating signal quality with the RSSI or "Received Signal Strength Indicator"
- Wireless parameter configuration support
- Fixed-point transmission support
- SMA and IPEX Antenna Connector
- Communication via UART
- Comes with development resources and manual
For those interested, the RangePi is available for pre-order now on SB Components shop for £28 with Free shipping* while the hardware and software sources to be uploaded soon in thier GitHub repository. Though it’s handy for anyone who wants to easily connect to the LoRa network, While the RangePi is pretty cheap (for a limited time)
Source Page : SB Components