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  3. Which are the *best* NRF24L01+ modules?

Which are the *best* NRF24L01+ modules?

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  • NeverDieN NeverDie

    @GertSanders
    In your experience, which of the SMD modules have you found work the best?

    GertSandersG Offline
    GertSandersG Offline
    GertSanders
    Hardware Contributor
    wrote on last edited by GertSanders
    #212

    @NeverDie
    So far I have only used this small SMD version

    0_1462828402305_IMG_7891.jpg

    I bought it on Aliexpress:

    http://www.aliexpress.com/item/5pcs-Free-Shipping-NRF24l01-2-4GHz-Wireless-Module-Mini-Version/32430542898.html

    NeverDieN 1 Reply Last reply
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    • GertSandersG GertSanders

      @NeverDie
      So far I have only used this small SMD version

      0_1462828402305_IMG_7891.jpg

      I bought it on Aliexpress:

      http://www.aliexpress.com/item/5pcs-Free-Shipping-NRF24l01-2-4GHz-Wireless-Module-Mini-Version/32430542898.html

      NeverDieN Offline
      NeverDieN Offline
      NeverDie
      Hero Member
      wrote on last edited by
      #213

      @GertSanders
      Are you happy with their performance? I imagine the answer is yes, but I thought I'd ask just to be sure.

      GertSandersG 1 Reply Last reply
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      • NeverDieN NeverDie

        @GertSanders
        Are you happy with their performance? I imagine the answer is yes, but I thought I'd ask just to be sure.

        GertSandersG Offline
        GertSandersG Offline
        GertSanders
        Hardware Contributor
        wrote on last edited by
        #214

        @NeverDie
        I am, there is one on my front door, which needs to cross two floors to get to the gateway in the attic. Bleeps every time. Range (as far as I can see) is close to the classic small version.
        Good enough for me.

        NeverDieN 1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • GertSandersG GertSanders

          @NeverDie
          I am, there is one on my front door, which needs to cross two floors to get to the gateway in the attic. Bleeps every time. Range (as far as I can see) is close to the classic small version.
          Good enough for me.

          NeverDieN Offline
          NeverDieN Offline
          NeverDie
          Hero Member
          wrote on last edited by NeverDie
          #215

          @GertSanders
          Thanks! I just now ordered some of the same SMD modules using the link you provided. The last time I looked into this (at the start of this thread), it seemed as though just about everyone was using a different mix of modules and platforms. and that made an apples-to-apples performance comparison quite difficult. However, this time around, I'll be running the same modules as you on the same hardware platform as you (well, nearly so, assuming I build it to spec), and so if it works well for you it presumably should work the same for me too.

          1 Reply Last reply
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          • HarrySteffH Offline
            HarrySteffH Offline
            HarrySteff
            wrote on last edited by
            #216

            Good morning together, iam very new in mysensors forum, so this is my first post, and i have a question: a want to buy these NRF's can somebody tell me if they are okay?
            https://www.amazon.de/Kuman-nRF24L01-Wireless-Transceiver-Compatible/dp/B01BVAAASY/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464158231&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=nordic+nrf24l01+10pcs

            Thank you!

            AWIA 1 Reply Last reply
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            • HarrySteffH HarrySteff

              Good morning together, iam very new in mysensors forum, so this is my first post, and i have a question: a want to buy these NRF's can somebody tell me if they are okay?
              https://www.amazon.de/Kuman-nRF24L01-Wireless-Transceiver-Compatible/dp/B01BVAAASY/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464158231&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=nordic+nrf24l01+10pcs

              Thank you!

              AWIA Offline
              AWIA Offline
              AWI
              Hero Member
              wrote on last edited by
              #217

              @HarrySteff There is no way (that I know of) to determine in advance if the modules work according to specification. Even different lots from the same supplier can vary in performance. I have a 5 out of 6 succes rate with different suppliers.

              1 Reply Last reply
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              • HarrySteffH Offline
                HarrySteffH Offline
                HarrySteff
                wrote on last edited by
                #218

                Thank you @AWI i will Order them to Test...

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • alexsh1A Offline
                  alexsh1A Offline
                  alexsh1
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #219

                  I have had an excellent experience with the SMD version. I cannot say if there are different versions of it, but all transceivers I purchased from different suppliers work flawlessly.

                  S parachutesjP 2 Replies Last reply
                  0
                  • alexsh1A alexsh1

                    I have had an excellent experience with the SMD version. I cannot say if there are different versions of it, but all transceivers I purchased from different suppliers work flawlessly.

                    S Offline
                    S Offline
                    Samuel235
                    Hardware Contributor
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #220

                    @alexsh1 Do you have any links for the SMD versions that you can recommend, i'm wanting to try these now. Thanks.

                    MySensors 2.1.1
                    Controller - OpenHAB (Virtual Machine)
                    Gateway - Arduino Mega MQTT Gateway W5100

                    alexsh1A 1 Reply Last reply
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                    • S Samuel235

                      @alexsh1 Do you have any links for the SMD versions that you can recommend, i'm wanting to try these now. Thanks.

                      alexsh1A Offline
                      alexsh1A Offline
                      alexsh1
                      wrote on last edited by alexsh1
                      #221

                      @Samuel235 these were the ones I ordered last time. Tested all of them and very much pleased

                      Look what I found on AliExpress
                      http://s.aliexpress.com/ZfArmaqe

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • alexsh1A alexsh1

                        I have had an excellent experience with the SMD version. I cannot say if there are different versions of it, but all transceivers I purchased from different suppliers work flawlessly.

                        parachutesjP Offline
                        parachutesjP Offline
                        parachutesj
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #222

                        @alexsh1
                        At which settings do you use them?
                        I have those http://www.aliexpress.com/item/10PCS-LOT-NRF24L01-wireless-data-transmission-module-2-4G-the-NRF24L01-upgrade-version/1593276910.html
                        And not so happy as they seem to loose connection from time to time over distance of 4-5m
                        I set them at 250 and have good power & caps attached

                        At least the chip seems to be original but not soldered very well

                        alexsh1A 1 Reply Last reply
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                        • parachutesjP parachutesj

                          @alexsh1
                          At which settings do you use them?
                          I have those http://www.aliexpress.com/item/10PCS-LOT-NRF24L01-wireless-data-transmission-module-2-4G-the-NRF24L01-upgrade-version/1593276910.html
                          And not so happy as they seem to loose connection from time to time over distance of 4-5m
                          I set them at 250 and have good power & caps attached

                          At least the chip seems to be original but not soldered very well

                          alexsh1A Offline
                          alexsh1A Offline
                          alexsh1
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #223

                          @parachutesj I'll be honest with you - so far I had more luck with the SMD version which works 20m+ across a few walls than with a regular transceivers. Sometimes one needs to invite a shaman to make sure that nrf24l01+ works.

                          I have 250kb rate on all nodes + caps. All works fine. With some regular nrf24l01+ I had issues with some batches and claimed money back successfully after ditching the whole batch. Luckily, this bad batch has not been working at all rather than working intermittently.

                          Just a suggestion - did you change any settings on your gateway nrf24l01+? I'm using the amplified version by the way feeding it through AMS1117 LDO

                          parachutesjP 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • alexsh1A alexsh1

                            @parachutesj I'll be honest with you - so far I had more luck with the SMD version which works 20m+ across a few walls than with a regular transceivers. Sometimes one needs to invite a shaman to make sure that nrf24l01+ works.

                            I have 250kb rate on all nodes + caps. All works fine. With some regular nrf24l01+ I had issues with some batches and claimed money back successfully after ditching the whole batch. Luckily, this bad batch has not been working at all rather than working intermittently.

                            Just a suggestion - did you change any settings on your gateway nrf24l01+? I'm using the amplified version by the way feeding it through AMS1117 LDO

                            parachutesjP Offline
                            parachutesjP Offline
                            parachutesj
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #224

                            @alexsh1 said:
                            I switched to ampliefied nrf24 with antenna from the link in the shop but this seemed to make it even worse. It was powered externally and tried to shield it with no real luck. I ordered some shielded ones from ICstation which are still in customs process and hope to get them by the weekend. I also ordered a bunch of others and I will try which are the best for my operations.
                            Just today I hade the closest node getting stuck. I wasn't able to send any from controller to the node. After triggering a signal from the node (it is a rollershutter) it came back to live and was able to send via controller again. Quite annoying...
                            Maybe I need to try some different caps and voltage regulators, actually got "good" ones from my local electronics shop.

                            alexsh1A 1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • NeverDieN Offline
                              NeverDieN Offline
                              NeverDie
                              Hero Member
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #225

                              Do the amplified modules simply always function at full amplification, or is there a code change that's needed to adjust the Tx power? Towards the start of this thread I tried some amplified modules from ICStation, but I was hugely disappointed with them. In fact, I don't think I saw any improvement at all, which greatly contradicted the experience that some others appeared to be getting. At least at that time, though, there was no real guidance on how to use them effectively, and so maybe I wasn't driving them right. Maybe there's more information now.

                              alexsh1A 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • parachutesjP parachutesj

                                @alexsh1 said:
                                I switched to ampliefied nrf24 with antenna from the link in the shop but this seemed to make it even worse. It was powered externally and tried to shield it with no real luck. I ordered some shielded ones from ICstation which are still in customs process and hope to get them by the weekend. I also ordered a bunch of others and I will try which are the best for my operations.
                                Just today I hade the closest node getting stuck. I wasn't able to send any from controller to the node. After triggering a signal from the node (it is a rollershutter) it came back to live and was able to send via controller again. Quite annoying...
                                Maybe I need to try some different caps and voltage regulators, actually got "good" ones from my local electronics shop.

                                alexsh1A Offline
                                alexsh1A Offline
                                alexsh1
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #226

                                @parachutesj What settings do you have on your gateway please?

                                parachutesjP 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • NeverDieN NeverDie

                                  Do the amplified modules simply always function at full amplification, or is there a code change that's needed to adjust the Tx power? Towards the start of this thread I tried some amplified modules from ICStation, but I was hugely disappointed with them. In fact, I don't think I saw any improvement at all, which greatly contradicted the experience that some others appeared to be getting. At least at that time, though, there was no real guidance on how to use them effectively, and so maybe I wasn't driving them right. Maybe there's more information now.

                                  alexsh1A Offline
                                  alexsh1A Offline
                                  alexsh1
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #227

                                  @NeverDie In MyConfig.h there are settings:

                                  #define RF24_PA_LEVEL 	   RF24_PA_MAX
                                  #define RF24_PA_LEVEL_GW   RF24_PA_LOW
                                  

                                  The second one is for the amplified version (RF24_PA_MAX can used)

                                  Please check out this:
                                  https://forum.mysensors.org/topic/653/nrf24l01-pa

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • alexsh1A alexsh1

                                    @parachutesj What settings do you have on your gateway please?

                                    parachutesjP Offline
                                    parachutesjP Offline
                                    parachutesj
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #228

                                    @alexsh1 I have this

                                    #define RF24_PA_LEVEL_GW RF24_PA_MAX
                                    

                                    on the GW
                                    Maybe I need to try RF24_PA_HIGH if it changes anything. However still waiting for the "good" radios to arrive

                                    alexsh1A 1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • parachutesjP parachutesj

                                      @alexsh1 I have this

                                      #define RF24_PA_LEVEL_GW RF24_PA_MAX
                                      

                                      on the GW
                                      Maybe I need to try RF24_PA_HIGH if it changes anything. However still waiting for the "good" radios to arrive

                                      alexsh1A Offline
                                      alexsh1A Offline
                                      alexsh1
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #229

                                      @parachutesj First things first:

                                      1. Good transceiver
                                      2. decent 3.3V feed
                                      3. settings MAX or HIGH etc
                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • rollercontainerR Offline
                                        rollercontainerR Offline
                                        rollercontainer
                                        wrote on last edited by rollercontainer
                                        #230

                                        All of my ~20 NRF24's from 5 different dealers are consuming 15mA when the node is in sleep mode. Is this really a radio problem, or a software problem?

                                        By pulling out the radio, current drops below 1mA.

                                        • 2.0.0beta binarySwitchSleep sketch
                                        • My-Slim-2AA-Battery-Node
                                        • bootloader from My-Slim-2AA-Battery-Node OpenHardware source
                                        • BOD disabled by fuses, 1MHz internal
                                        • current messuered with Fluke multimeter
                                        GertSandersG 1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • rollercontainerR rollercontainer

                                          All of my ~20 NRF24's from 5 different dealers are consuming 15mA when the node is in sleep mode. Is this really a radio problem, or a software problem?

                                          By pulling out the radio, current drops below 1mA.

                                          • 2.0.0beta binarySwitchSleep sketch
                                          • My-Slim-2AA-Battery-Node
                                          • bootloader from My-Slim-2AA-Battery-Node OpenHardware source
                                          • BOD disabled by fuses, 1MHz internal
                                          • current messuered with Fluke multimeter
                                          GertSandersG Offline
                                          GertSandersG Offline
                                          GertSanders
                                          Hardware Contributor
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #231

                                          @rollercontainer
                                          Have you tried to measure the power consumption whithout radio, and just putting the atmega328 in deep sleep (sleep(0)) ?
                                          Normally you should then see something less then 10 micro amperes.
                                          If the node still consumes around 1mA in this situation, then I would advise to look at the soldering and the other components.
                                          With BOD disabled, an atmega328p in deep sleep consumes around 1 micro Ampere,.
                                          Did you use the atmea328P version or the standard atmega328 (without the P) ?

                                          rollercontainerR 1 Reply Last reply
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