Hi,
I'm new at the forum as well as with Moteino so please excuse my (probably) very basic question. I've searched for the answer on the forum an elsewhere, but I haven't found the confirmation I was looking for. Here goes:
I'm really intrigued by the Moteino product as I have been thinking of making my own wireless temperature sensing system. The Moteino appears to suit my needs perfectly. However, as I live in Europe, I would like to use the 868MHz version of RFM69. In the shop it's said that the 915MHz version can be operated with 868MHz settings with insignificant loss of performance.
My question: Does this mean that the 915MHz version can be set (via a firmware parameter) to transmit and receive with a carrier frequency of 868MHz? (And if so, why are there different versions in the first place?) This is how I interpret the information in the shop, but I would love it if someone could confirm my interpretation before a order it. (I would hate to cause interference at 915MHz in my neighborhood just because I misunderstood.)
EU users commonly use 868mhz ISM band but with some duty cycle limitations. As long as you only transmit a few packets per second and not stream/flood the spectrum with data, you will be fine.
Now at LowPowerLab shop there is only 1 hardware version of the RFM69 for both 868/915mhz and they can be used in both bands and anywhere in between. Simply use the RF69_868Mhz setting. The radios in fact can be set to ANY frequency but the are tuned in hardware to work better in a specific frequency range. Hence if you want 868mhz operation, choose the 868/915mhz version and use that setting in software. I hope this helped.
Thank you, Felix, for the clarification.