Moteino selection

[PeterLaren]

Hi,

I've been playing around with RFM69 transceivers on Arduino boards. RFM69HW to be specific.
But there are just to many quirks and I would really like a working, stable and reliable system. So I'm looking into Moteino boards.

I hope to get some advise and answers, thanks in advance.

TLDR version: I would like a programmable, reliable wireless sensor network on 868Mhz


Small size is essential and I'm considering:

1. Moteino            http://lowpowerlab.com/shop/product/99
2. Moteino USB     http://lowpowerlab.com/shop/product/100
3. Moteino M0       http://lowpowerlab.com/shop/product/184


I'm at this point not sure how they compare.

- I will be ordering from Welectron (Germany)

- I would like to use 868Mhz, not sure if I can use 915Mhz in Europe.

- Are the Moteino and Moteino USB actually both R6 versions with the only difference being FTDI programming vs USB programming?

- On the Moteino USB product page (product/100) this is mentioned:
"there are no 868Mhz specific units offered, but will ship 915Mhz units for 868Mhz orders"
This is not mentioned on the Moteino (product/99) product page.
So does can Moteino work at both 868 and 915 while the Moteino USB is only fitted with 915?
Ah, does this answer my question: "testing reveals no significant signal strength difference using 915Mhz units with 868Mhz settings", meaning that I can oparate the 915 units at 868?

- What would be major advantages of using the Moteino M0?
I know it's a very general question but what are the general major differences between the Moteino R6 (USB) and Moteino M0


Thanks for reading!

[Felix]

Hi Peter,
You are correct about 868/915, you can program them at any frequency (or in between those frequencies and up to about 928mhz) and they will work the same, just adjust the antenna to try to match the frequency range you use as close as you can.
The MoteinoUSB is the same but has the USB programmability and is a little bigger for that reason. Otherwise when powered from VIN it should be just as low power as the Moteino which needs a separate FTDI adapter for programming.
The M0 has a more powerful processor and more peripherals but is more complex to master. Needless to say there are great libraries which you can use to achieve almost anything without you having to really write the low level code to access most features. It also comes with the convenience of USB programming and can be battery powered
In my opinion, if the tasks you are after are not memory and computing intensive, and you just deal with sensors and wireless transmission, then the AVR Moteinos are really great.

[PeterLaren]

Hi,

I think I'll go with the Moteino R6 USB then for development.

- Adjusting antenna to 1/4 wavelength
- For development convenience I'll go with USB version, for production the FTDI

The M0 is a bit bigger, if I need the extra processing I could consider it. But for now I don't think I need it.


Thanks for now.