SX1276 LoRa Module 915MHz Long Range Transceiver

The SX1276 LoRa module opens up long-range IoT communication at a fraction of cellular costs. With theoretical ranges up to 10km line-of-sight on the 915MHz ISM band, it's ideal for agricultural sensors, environmental monitoring, and smart city deployments.

LoRa's spread spectrum modulation trades data rate for range and interference resistance. Don't expect to stream video — typical data rates are 0.3 to 50 kbps. But for transmitting sensor readings, GPS coordinates, and status messages, it's perfect.

The SPI interface requires more wiring than I2C modules (MISO, MOSI, SCK, NSS, plus DIO pins) but libraries like RadioHead and LMIC abstract the complexity. Pairing two modules for point-to-point communication takes under an hour with example code.

Real-world range depends heavily on antenna quality and environment. Urban areas with buildings typically see 1-3km, while open rural terrain can exceed 5km with decent antennas. Upgrading from the included wire antenna to a proper 915MHz antenna is strongly recommended.

For LoRaWAN network connectivity (The Things Network), you'll need a gateway, but for simple point-to-point or star topologies, two modules are all you need.