The “XIAO ESP32S3 for Meshtastic & LoRa” is an ESP32-S3 LoRa dev kit that combines an XIAO ESP32S3 board with the tiny Wio-SX1262 LoRa module connected through a board-to-board connector. This compact devkit supports LoRa (862-930MHz), Wi-Fi (2.4GHz), and Bluetooth 5.0 (BLE), with a 5km range for LoRa and a 100m+ range for Wi-Fi/BLE.
The kit also has a USB Type-C interface, a built-in power management chip, and multiple I/O options such as IIC, UART, and GPIO. It supports external LoRa antennas and can be extended with XIAO expansion boards for more complex setups. These features make this device suitable for projects such as LoRaWAN gateways, IoT sensors, Meshtastic nodes or routers, and applications where space is limited.
XIAO ESP32S3 for Meshtastic & LoRa specifications:
- SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32 with dual-core Xtensa LX7 microcontroller up to 240MHz
- Wireless Connectivity
- LoRaWAN via Semtech LX1262
- Output Power – Up to +22 dBm
- Frequency Range – 862 MHz to 930 MHz
- Modulations – LoRa, (G)FSK, Long Range FHSS
- Sensitivity – Down to -148 dBm
- WiFi – Complete 2.4GHz Wi-Fi subsystem via ESP32
- Bluetooth – Bluetooth 5.0, Bluetooth mesh via ESP32
- Antennas
- 1x Wi-Fi IPEX1 antenna
- 1x LoRa IPEX1 antenna
- LoRaWAN via Semtech LX1262
- USB – 1x USB 2.0 Type-C for power supply and console
- Expansion (ESP32-S3)
- 1x UART
- 1x IIC
- 1x IIS
- 1x SPI (connect to SX1262)
- 11x GPIO(PWM)
- 9x ADC
- Misc
- ESP32-S3
- 1x Boot button
- 1x Reset button
- 1x User LED
- 1x Charge LED
- SX1262 – 1x User button
- ESP32-S3
- Power
- Input voltage (Type-C) – 5V
- Input voltage (BAT) – 4.2V
- Charging battery current – 100mA
- Dimensions – 21 x 17.8 mm
- Temperature – -40°C ~ 65°C
The company mentions that the development board comes pre-flashed with Meshtastic firmware, and it can also be programmed with Arduino and MicroPython making it ideal for various IoT applications. Meshtastic is a free, open-source, decentralized mesh network that uses LoRa radios to establish a low-power, long-range, off-grid communication and location system in areas without reliable infrastructure.
The company also explains that this development board is compatible with both the XIAO and the Grove expansion Board. More information about the XIAO ESP32S3 for Meshtastic & LoRa kit can be found on the company’s wiki page.
Seeed Studio also sells the Wio-SX1262 (11x6mm) module separately, for companies or makers wanting to easily add LoRa connectivity to their products or projects.
The “XIAO ESP32S3 for Meshtastic & LoRa” devkit and the Wio-SX1262 wireless module can be purchased from Seeed Studio’s store for $9.90 and $4.29 respectively.
Sayantan Nandy, an electronics engineer with over four years of hands-on experience in PCB design, circuit development and power electronics, is proficient in EAGLE CAD, Ki-Cad, and Altium. He has a proven track record of delivering efficient and effective systems. His expertise extends from R&D, and prototyping to production support, making him a valuable asset to any engineering team.
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So what’s the difference between these and more expensive 802.11ah HaLow devices from LilyGo?
Can i connect these to my laptops and get long range WiFi coverage?
HaLow has a higher bandwidth capable of transmitting video. These LoRa kits are better suited for messaging and GPS sharing and should have a longer battery life.