New RF module added to ecosystem of long-range wireless LoRaWAN-compliant products

Future Electronics have added a highly-rated new Murata RF transceiver module to its line-up of products supporting LoRaWAN low-power wireless area networking (LPWAN) applications. The Murata CMWX1ZZABZ-078 module is expected to attract a great deal of interest from designers of IoT edge nodes, portable devices and remote monitoring systems. This is because the company has packed in the module’s 12.5mm x 11.6mm x 1.76mm package a complete LPWAN system, including the Semtech SX1276 RF transceiver, an STMicroelectronics STM32L0 microcontroller with an ARM Cortex-M0+ core, a TCXO clock, an SPI/I2C/UART/ADC interface, and up to 16 GPIOs. The embedded MCU in the module has sufficient capacity to run the LoRaWAN networking protocol supplied by ST as well as customer applications, so there is no need for an external host microcontroller. The LoRaWAN protocol provides a means to connect thousands of mobile end nodes to a fixed gateway over an open-space range of up to 15km. The new module adds to a rich portfolio of LoRaWAN-compliant devices available from the company, including RF transceiver ICs and modules, off-the-shelf modems, gateways and concentrators, antennas and passive components. Amar Abid-Ali, vertical segment manager for wireless connectivity and sensors at Future Electronics, said: “The launch of this new Murata module is great news for designers who want to push the boundaries of connectivity while maintaining low power consumption, as it has ultra-compact dimensions yet offers excellent specifications for output power and sensitivity. This allows end products in IoT and industrial applications to have all the benefits of the long range and robust connectivity offered by LoRa transceivers and the LoRaWAN network protocol.”