LoRa RF ICs, Wireless Modules and Development Boards

LoRa radio hardware, from the RF IC to the finished node

This collection brings together sub-GHz LoRa radio chips, solder-down transceiver modules, microcontroller development boards, serial radio links and selected antennas or adapters. Many listings focus on the SX1276 and 868/915 MHz, but the actual variants also include SX1278 at 433 MHz, SX1262/SX1268, SX1280 at 2.4 GHz, RFM95/RFM96/RFM98 modules, E32 radio units and non-radio components. Choose by the selected variant rather than the broad listing title: “LoRa IC” does not mean that every item is a bare chip, and “SX1276” in a headline does not establish that every selectable option contains that silicon.

Which level of hardware do you need?

• Loose transceiver IC: SX1276IMLTRT QFN-28 is available as a selectable part on several multi-chip listings, sometimes in 1, 2, 5, 10 or other piece quantities. SX1278IMLTRT and other SX1272/73/77/79 parts are separately selected. Another mixed listing distinguishes SX1262/SX1268/SX1280 QFN-24 from SX1276/SX1278 QFN-28. A bare IC is an assembly component, not a radio module: it requires the correct RF matching network, oscillator, antenna path, decoupling, PCB layout, host controller and firmware. Check the precise suffix and package before designing footprints.
• Populated SPI radio modules: Ra-01H, RFM95/RFM95W, HPD13A, LoRa1276 and many 868/915 MHz SX1276 modules contain additional RF circuitry and expose a host-facing radio interface. Some LoRa1276 listings describe a 100 mW / 20 dBm configuration and 4 km in seller-specific conditions; these numbers do not apply to all modules here. A Ra-01H page states 3.3 V and SPI, while its variants also offer SX1278 Ra-01 at 433 MHz, SX1262-based X1262 Ra-01SH, connector-only packs and adapter plates. A connector or adapter option is not a populated transceiver.
• RFM95 family: selected RFM95W 868/915 MHz and HPD13A offerings are described as SX1276-based RF modules. Mixed RFM95/RFM96/RFM98 pages can select 433 MHz RFM96W or RFM98W instead; one listing distinguishes RFM96W as SX1276-based and RFM98W as SX1278-based. Select the exact part and band instead of treating similar footprints as drop-in equivalents. “Replace RFM95” in an HPD13A title is a seller positioning claim, not confirmation that pinout, firmware, footprint, regulatory documentation and RF performance are identical.
• E32 solder-down and UART radios: E32-400M20S/M30S and E32-900M20S/M30S variants designate different frequency/power families. Other choices on these pages include evaluation boards, FPC and JKS antenna versions. E32-TTL-1W and E32-433T20D/T30D are described as UART-oriented 433 MHz serial radios; a 433 MHz E32-TTL-1W listing identifies SX1278 despite SX1276 appearing in its headline. Do not wire a UART module as though it were the SPI pins of a bare transceiver. Check the exact model manual for supply, logic level and command format.
• Microcontroller-equipped boards: ESP32 LoRa32, Wireless Stick/Lite, Wireless Bridge, LILYGO LoRa32 V2.1 and T-Beam pages combine a host MCU with the selected radio; some add OLED, USB, GNSS or a battery circuit. Wi-Fi/Bluetooth is from the ESP32, not from an SX1276 chip. LoRa Radio Node V1.0 uses an ATmega328P on listed RFM95 variants, while LoRa32u4 II uses ATmega32u4 and an HPD13-type radio on specified options; neither processor identity should be inferred from the word “LoRa.” A board that advertises a 3.7–12 V input can include its own power circuitry; do not apply that range to a loose 3.3 V radio module.
• Industrial and application-specific equipment: E90-DTU(900L20) options identify 868–915 MHz RS232/RS485 equipment with separate 20 dBm / 5 km and 30 dBm / 8 km advertised variants. E90-DTU(433L30) belongs to a different 433 MHz selection. LoRa611PRO can list TTL, RS232 or RS485 and seller-described AES/mesh functions. RadioMaster Bandit ExpressLRS 915 MHz is an RC transmitter accessory rather than a generic LoRaWAN node. A completed device's connectors, enclosure, software and power requirements are not properties of the chip inside it.

Frequency and RF front-end selection

Read each variant's 433, 470–510, 868, 915 or 923 MHz marking. E32-400-series and E32-900-series, for example, are not simply different labels for the same tuned board. A chip's theoretical tuning range does not override a module's antenna matching, SAW/filter network, connectors or approved operating region. A 433 MHz SX1278 or RFM98 option is not automatically replaceable by a 915 MHz SX1276/RFM95 assembly. Some T3S3 ESP32-S3 listings specifically offer SX1276 868/915 MHz, SX1262 868/915 MHz and SX1280 2.4 GHz choices; the T3S3 e-paper listings seen here offer only SX1262 868/915 MHz and SX1280 2.4 GHz despite SX1276 in their headlines. 2.4 GHz SX1280 is not a sub-GHz SX1276 selection.

Plan both ends of the link around the actual band, regional channel plan and allowed EIRP. Match antennas by frequency, feed connector (such as IPEX/u.FL, SMA, FPC or JKS), ground reference and installation. “With antenna,” “LoRa and JST,” “LoRa and Antenna-1/2,” bare module and connector-only variants describe different deliverables. Where a listing states an antenna is tuned for 868 MHz, do not assume it is the appropriate 433 MHz antenna. Determine whether a claimed pack of 2, 5, 10, 30 or 50 units means the selected module, IC, development board or accessory; quantities on a mixed listing do not include every named model.

SPI versus serial versus complete development board

SX1276-class loose ICs and many Ra-01H, HPD13A and RFM95 modules need a compatible host communicating with the transceiver and managing reset, status/interrupt lines, framing and radio settings. SPI clock speed is the digital host interface speed, not the on-air payload bit rate. A UART E32 serial modem contains additional control and communicates with a host over serial pins. An RS232 or RS485 DTU adds its corresponding physical interface, potentially isolated/industrial connectors depending on the selected product. Neither RS232 voltages nor RS485 differential lines belong on the raw SPI pins of a microcontroller. Check the particular module's pin map, supply domain, peak transmit current and host-driver support before PCB design.

ESP32 LoRa32/Heltec-style products combine MCU and radio but vary by V2/V3 revision and selected 433–510 versus 863–928 MHz band. Do not assume a board revision uses SX1276 because another revision or copied product title does. One ESP32 listing has an explicitly labelled “NO ROLA TYPE-C” option; confirm whether the selected board actually includes a radio. T-Beam selections additionally vary by SX1276/SX1278/SX1262, GNSS version and antenna. An OLED, relay, GPS receiver or USB connector belongs to a particular finished board, not to all LoRa RF ICs.

LoRa modulation is not an entire network protocol

LoRa is a physical-layer radio scheme; LoRaWAN requires suitable firmware, a regional frequency plan, network provisioning/keys and compatible network or gateway infrastructure. Meshtastic is a separate firmware ecosystem for supported hardware. ExpressLRS is a separate RC control ecosystem. Seller phrases such as “supports LoRaWAN,” “Meshtastic Mesh” or “AES mesh” must be evaluated for the selected board, revision and shipped firmware rather than interpreted as native features of every SX1276 IC. For direct point-to-point links, both endpoints must agree on band, modulation, bandwidth, spreading factor, coding rate, synchronization, packet framing and host application protocol. ESP32 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth connectivity is separate from the LoRa RF link.

Electrical and range engineering

A small RF module advertised for 3.3 V, an ESP32 USB development board, a host-powered LoRa32u4 node, an E32 high-power radio and an RS485 DTU have different supply inputs and current peaks. In particular, a chip or 3.3 V SPI module should not be supplied from a whole-board 5 V, 12 V or industrial terminal rating. Design for transmit current and proper decoupling, antenna load and logic-level compatibility. Never transmit into an unsuitable or absent RF load if the selected hardware requires an attached antenna.

“3 km,” “4 km,” “5 km,” “8 km” and “10 km” claims appear on different listings and are condition-dependent marketing or seller test figures, not collection-wide guarantees. Range depends on transmit power, receiver sensitivity at the chosen bandwidth/spreading factor, legal EIRP, antenna gains, feed loss, terrain, antenna height, interference and required link margin. Higher air data rate can reduce sensitivity and usable distance. A 20 dBm E90 option cannot inherit the advertised result of a separate 30 dBm choice. Likewise a claimed FCC ID or CE-RED status on a particular LoRa1276-C1 listing is not certification of all products or antenna combinations in this collection. Check applicable local radio rules and documentation for the exact delivered item.

How to read the mixed listings

• Multi-part QFN pages can offer SX1276IMLTRT alongside A3988 motor drivers, CC2520 transceivers, PCA9685 PWM devices, SX126x/SX1280, power-management parts or unrelated logic ICs. Select the SX1276 option if that is what your design requires; the unrelated variants are not LoRa ICs.
• RFM95/RFM96/RFM98 pages may have region or shipping-origin choices that do not identify the actual populated model. Confirm the exact RFM number, frequency and included antenna with the selected listing details.
• The Ra-01H shared page also sells Ra-01SH connectors and adapter plates, and the e-paper T3S3 shared pages have SX1262 or SX1280 variants only. Search-result headlines do not supersede the selectable variant.
• Some “SX1276/SX1278” 433 MHz UART modules list SX1278 as the selected device, while some “WiFi transceiver module” headings refer to LoRa hardware rather than Wi-Fi networking. Treat seller taxonomy labels as unverified until the technical description and selected SKU agree.
• Certification, encryption, 1 W output, 100 mW output, 3.7–12 V supply, “10 km” and integrated GPS are attributes of particular selected products or claims, not specifications shared by every item here.

Selection checklist for embedded projects

1. Identify the deliverable: QFN IC, solder-down SPI module, UART radio, MCU development board, complete RS232/RS485 terminal, antenna or adapter.
2. Lock silicon and frequency: SX1276 versus SX1278, SX1262/SX1268 or SX1280; 433/470/868/915/923 MHz and the associated antenna and local regulatory limits.
3. Confirm interfaces: pinout/footprint, SPI versus UART versus RS232/RS485, host processor, board revision and connector style.
4. Calculate electrical and RF margins: actual supply and logic levels, transmit current, regulated supply, antenna match, installation loss, expected path loss and legal output power.
5. Validate software and package contents: driver and firmware support for the exact silicon, whether LoRaWAN/Meshtastic/ExpressLRS applies, and whether antenna, OLED, GNSS, battery connector or adapter is included in the chosen variant and quantity.

Common questions

Is every product here an SX1276 LoRa IC? No. Some are populated radio modules, complete boards or terminals; multi-model pages also contain other RF chips, accessories and non-LoRa components.

Does a module sold as “ESP32 compatible” include an ESP32? Not necessarily. Many SPI modules need an external host; only a product explicitly sold as an ESP32 development board includes that MCU.

Does a 433 MHz variant work with an 868/915 MHz node? Not as a normal matched RF link. Confirm both endpoints' actual operating band, antenna and regional restrictions.

Will any LoRa module join LoRaWAN out of the box? No universal guarantee. Check host firmware, supported regional plan, gateway/network availability and device provisioning for the selected hardware.

Is an advertised 8 km link guaranteed? No. Treat it as a claim under particular test conditions; engineer and test the real link budget for your installation.

When a headline combines several chips or contradicts the selectable option, verify the delivered part number and the relevant manufacturer's documentation before committing to an RF design or deployment.