LoRa & RF
LoRa point-to-point links, LoRaWAN networks, XBee/ZigBee mesh, raw 433 MHz ASK serial, and wideband SDR receivers are different radios with different stacks. Decide the network model before choosing a module.
RFM95W and SX1262 LoRa transceivers, Wio-E5 LoRaWAN modules, SX1302 gateways, Digi XBee mesh radios, 433 MHz ASK serial links, Dragino IoT sensor nodes, and the SDRplay RSP2 wideband SDR receiver.
- Adafruit RFM95W and RFM69HCW breakouts and FireBeetle/Grove 433 MHz radios are raw transceivers for point-to-point links; Gravity SX1262 node modules and the Wio-E5 (STM32WLE5JC with embedded SX126x) run a full LoRaWAN stack.
- LoRaWAN needs a gateway: the SX1302-based WM1302 module (EU868) and SenseCAP M1 indoor gateways (EU868, US915, and AS923) are region-specific — node and gateway frequency plans must match.
- Digi XBee modules share the 2 mm 10-pin socket but split across 802.15.4 Series 1, ZigBee mesh S2C, DigiMesh 2.4, and 900 MHz XBee-PRO 900HP — socket-compatible, protocol-incompatible.
- HC-12 (Si4438), APC220, and 433 MHz serial transceivers are simple point-to-point serial pipes with no network layer. The SDRplay RSP2 and Dragino V2 IoT Sensor Node are the odd ones out: a wideband software-defined receiver and a pre-integrated sensor platform, not raw radio modules.
