Internet of Things (IoT) platform provider Libelium has added long-range wireless coverage to its Waspmote and Plug and Sense! sensor nodes, by integrating Semtech’s LoRa RF technology in a new module-on-a-chip embedded radio design for smart cities and IoT deployments.
Powered by Atmel’s ATmega1281 MCU, Waspmote sensor nodes are designed to deploy by the thousands, connecting any sensor using any communication protocol to any cloud system. The LoRa communication protocol extends wireless connectivity, thereby enabling Waspmote sensors to transmit data at distances of several miles, over 20 miles in open spaces, and even through buildings. With LoRa’s high sensitivity of 138dBm, the Waspmote long-range module can receive data packets transmitted through difficult conditions and long links, thus reducing infrastructure costs for city uses.
“We’ve worked shoulder-to-shoulder with Semtech engineers to shrink the module form factor to integrate within our Waspmote sensor platform,” said David Gascón, Libelium CTO. “With LoRa we are offering new connectivity features and we have achieved a price reduction of 10-25% per node compared to our current product line. Our goal is to help customers select the wireless radio options that best suit their needs, in any environment.”
Aside from the ATmega1281 MCU, key Waspmote specs include 8KB SRAM, 4KB EEPROM, 128KB Flash, -10ºC, +65ºC temperature range and an RTC (32KHz) clock.
“The Libelium Waspmote solution, combined with LoRa, reduces the infrastructure cost to deploy smart city applications and improving the return on investment will accelerate more deployments,” explained Hardy Schmidbauer, Director of Wireless and IoT products at Semtech. “The flexibility and availability of more than 80 sensors in Waspmote, paired with the LoRa benefits of long range and extended battery lifetime create a very compelling solution.”
Interested in learning more? Read the entire announcement from Libelium here. Meanwhile, you can also check out how Atmel is powering the company’s Waspmote Mote Runner IPv6 development platform.
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