Which are the preferred LoRa modules now?
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I notice that Semtech has a new chip, the SX1262, which I presume supplants the older chips that preceeded it. A quick look at the specs and it appeaars to cover the entire <1ghz band, and use a lot less current when the power amplifier is invoked. That said, I haven't yet tried it.
Any opinions?
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@neverdie iirc, they are also more sensitive on rx (can decode weaker signals). So unless the price difference is very high, get the new ones.
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@neverdie said in Which are the preferred LoRa modules now?:
SX1262
Are these RFM95 compatible (software wise), or do they need a different library?
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@mfalkvidd Connfirmed. Looks as though Tx and Rx have both increased by 2dbm, yielding an improvement in link budget of 4dbm.
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And rx current on the sx1262 is much less in DC-DC mode that the earlier sx1276/1278. It also makes available a faster datarate: http://www.ebyte.com/en/new-view-info.aspx?id=303
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@NeverDie
How did you get on with the Lora SX1262 modules?
I am looking at starting to build a gateway and node based on these.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
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@cloolalang The old modules work fine, so i haven't upgraded.
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I see that semtech now has what looks like an improved LoRa chip available, the LLCC68: https://semtech.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#E0000000JelG/a/2R000000HTJR/Tem0gUxGfOZ2Qn3bUzmV2zKNQRYJ3bpobPfOQ7B.erE
Among other things, it's clearly geared toward supporting LoRaWAN. For instance, it contains an automatic channel activity detector that can detect activity by other LoRa's. Looks promising.
Meanwhile, I notice that Semtech has a LoRa baseband chip that sounds awesome: "The SX1302 can detect at any time, any packet in a combination of 8 different spreading factors (SF5 to SF12) and 10 channels, and demodulate up to 16 packets at any time. " This way a mote need use only as much spreading factor as it needs to reach the gateway without worrying as to whether the gateway is setup to receive at that particular spreading factor. Lower spreading factors equals less transmission time, which equals energy savings. Wonderful!
Semtech also has a LoRaWAN gateway chip meant for indoor use, so it sounds as though the paradigm is now, essentially, "LoRaWAN everywhere, both inside and outside the home." That suits me just fine, because LoRaWAN includes firmware over-the-air updates as part of its standard from the very get-go, which is exatly how it should be.
Anyone here using LoRaWAN inside the home? Which LoRaWAN library do you like the best?
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@cloolalang Actually, I'm tempted to try the SX1280. It's a lot more different: https://forum.mysensors.org/topic/11265/second-setup-choosing-a-radio/34?_=1595815545926
It looks as though a "good enough" test drive library may possibly already exist: https://github.com/StuartsProjects/SX12XX-LoRa
The same person range tested it and also did a thoughtful review: https://github.com/StuartsProjects/SX1280_Testing Paraphrasing, he says it lends itself to a more simplified programming style than the highly register centric approach of the SX127x's.
Spoiler: he proves a range of 40 kilometers transmitting at just 4dB. He estimates a range of 200 kilometers should be possible. Impressive for such a modest little module:
Sounds interesting!
