Sheffield-based IoT company, inx-systems has developed a programmable LoRaWAN IoT module and a development breakout board that integrates with Arduino MKR, Adafruit FeatherWing, Grove, and mikroBUS shields. The module is powered by an ESP32-S3 microcontroller which comes preloaded with inx’s no-code LoRaWAN software development platform, Lucid.
The WAN-4-ALL module has built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and LoRaWAN connectivity via the ESP32-S3 microcontroller and Seeed Studio Wio-E5 module. This makes the module suitable for short-range, medium-range, and long-range IoT applications such as remote monitoring, home automation, industrial control, and smart agriculture.
We have covered other LoRaWAN development platforms such as SB Component’s RAKWireless-based products, Particle’s multi-radio devices, and the UnPhone. The WAN-4-ALL module differentiates itself with the preloaded no-code LoRaWAN development environment and multiple connectivity options.
WAN-4-ALL module specifications:
- SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 dual-core microcontroller @ 240MHz with Wi-Fi 4, Bluetooth LE 5
- LoRaWAN Module – Seeed Studio Wio-E5 Module based on STMicro STM32WLE5JC
- Memory – 512KB RAM, 8MB SPI flash
- I/O (both undocumented)
- 2x male headers for connecting carrier board
- 2x female headers for I/Os
- Misc – Solder pads for LoRa antenna
- Power – 3.3V, 3.1W max (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LoRa)
- Dimensions – 37 x 36 x 7mm
WAN-4-ALL carrier board specifications:
- 1x USB for power, image flashing, and no-code debugger
- Display connector (SPI bus)
- Expansion
- 40-pin GPIO header with pins reconfigurable to ADCs, DACs, UARTs, I2C, SPI
- Arduino MKR headers, FeatherWing headers, 2x MikroBUS sockets, 6 x Grove ports
- Misc – 1 x Real-time Clock, 1 x Board Temperature Sensor, 4 x GPIO buttons, 4 x GPIO LEDs, ESD GPIO Protection
- Power Supply – 5V via USB and screw terminals
The Lucid development environment is described as “Node-RED for MCUs”. It offers a visual programming interface with access to pre-built components for networking, scheduling, edge ML, and GUI development. inx also hosts a community app-sharing website, Appland, where users can view, upload, and download applications for the platform.
According to inx, the module and carrier board designs will be released publicly “with permissive attribution-only licensing terms.” The firmware includes a “permissive open-source SDK allowing all function blocks to be modified, extended, and ported to new hardware.” However, certain proprietary elements in the SDK are provided in binary form.
The WAN-4-ALL campaign is off to a slow start on Kickstarter at only a fraction of its funding goal with 16 days to go. If you want to get one of these LoRaWAN devices, currently available rewards include the $32 “super early beta” offer for a WAN-4-ALL module and carrier board, the $63 “Early Bird offer” for the same, and the $70 regular offer for late backers. Shipping will begin upon a successful campaign, first in January 2025 for super early backers and later in March and April for other backers.
Via Hackster.io
Tomisin is a writer specializing in hardware product reviews, comparisons, and explainers. He is very passionate about small form factor and single-board computers.
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