Accelerate Your IoT Projects with LoRaWAN®

XCVR Development Board & Reference Design

Part of the Exponential Technology Group (XTG), a valued member of The TTI Family of Specialists, Connected Development (CD) is an engineering design services firm that specializes in wireless and Internet of Things (IoT) designs. RIoT™, a leading non-profit community for IoT enthusiasts, recently hosted a Lunch & Learn session with CD's Vice President of Advanced Technology, Dave Hoover. The event served as a quick start development guide for CD's XCVR Development Board and Reference Design. Based on Semtech’s SX126X Series, the XCVR Development Board & Reference Design with SX126x LoRa® Sub-GHz Radio Transceiver provides a cost-effective and compact development solution for a multitude of long-range wireless applications.

What is LoRa®?

Short for Long-Range, LoRa is a spread spectrum modulation technique derived from chirp spread spectrum (CSS) technology. LoRa is ideal for designs seeking a long-range, low data rate, extended battery life, and a low-cost connectivity solution. It provides a flexible set-up for communication settings, including bandwidth, spreading factor, transmission frequency, and coding rate. LoRa is well-suited for applications like:

• Energy and Utilities

• Water, gas, and electric metering

• Energy conservation

• Grid infrastructure monitoring

• Solar infrastructure monitoring

• Smart Cities

• Lighting

• Waste management

• Parking

• Storm water management

• Traffic management

• Building automation

• Space optimization

• Energy optimization

• Automated cleaning

• Safety

• Environmental monitoring

• Agriculture

• Precision irrigation

• Soil monitoring

• Asset tracking

• Animal husbandry

• Environment monitoring

• Supply Chain

• Asset tracking

• Fleet management

• Cold chain monitoring

• Supply chain monitoring

• Intralogistics

• Precision location ID

• Industrial IoT

• Oil and gas

• Mining

• Smart and safe factories

• Production and manufacturing

• Predictive maintenance

• Valve monitoring

Resolve Chipset Challenges with XCVR Reference Design Solutions

When dealing with reference designs for chipsets, there are several challenges that developers and manufacturers may encounter. One of the most significant challenges revolves around RF performance when making any layout changes. Changing a specified reference design could affect things like:

• Antenna matching

• Harmonics

• LoRa Transceiver Tx power and Rx sensitivity

• Performance and stability

Developers must also keep in mind that their designs must meet regulatory certification standards for production, and making reference design changes could affect a device’s ability to be certified. Connected Development’s XCVR Reference Design directly addresses chipset challenges head-on with its simplified design and integrated solutions. Available in three different variants targeting various parts of the globe, the XCVR reference design is size and cost-optimized. More importantly, it’s RF pre-tested. Customers can utilize the XCVR Development Board for testing, copy the layout for the SX126X radio/components to their application, and feel confident that their design will perform optimally. Not only do XCVR solutions provide open-source hardware and software design, but there is also software support for devices incorporating Nordic Semiconductor System-on-Chips (SoCs), Silicon Labs SoCs, and STM MBED designs. Additionally, all radio design files including the schematic and board layout can be provided to end customers for integration in their final application.

XCVR Reference Design Lunch & Learn is Available On-Demand

In addition to providing the extensive features and benefits to utilizing an XCVR Reference Design solution, the Lunch & Learn’s expert guidance covers how developers can create an end-to-end LoRaWAN® application that periodically sends information through a gateway to the cloud. Discover real-world use cases, learn from professionals, and interact with a community of experts to explore the potential of LoRaWAN® and how it can empower your IoT projects.

Watch here

The XCVR Development Board with SX126x LoRa® Sub-GHz Radio Transceiver is available exclusively at Mouser Electronics and Symmetry Electronics.

Semtech and LoRa are registered trademarks or service marks of Semtech Corporation or its subsidiaries.