RAKwireless Launches the Compact Yet Fully-Featured WisMesh Board ONE for Meshtastic
WisMesh Board ONE Pocket variant includes a bundled case and 1Ah lithium-ion battery, ready-to-run out-the-box.
Internet of Things (IoT) specialist RAKwireless has launched two mode devices aimed at the community-driven Meshtastic mesh network project: the WisMesh Board ONE and WisMesh Board ONE Pocket.
"The WisMesh Board ONE is a new baseboard tailored for Meshtastic," the company writes of its latest WisMesh device design. "It offers Meshtastic compatibility on a smaller footprint while still offering a user button, a 1.3" OLED display, all GPIOs [General-Purpose Input/Output pins], I2C, SPI available on pin headers, and a WisBlock Sensor Slot, which you can use for an optional GNSS module RAK12500 or other WisBlock Sensor Modules."
The device, brought to our attention by CNX Software, is based on a Nordic Semiconductor nRF52840 wireless microcontroller with a Semtech SX1262 LoRa transceiver — a common pairing for Meshtastic, a LoRa-based mesh networking project that uses low-cost low-power hardware to connect people and devices in areas ill-served by traditional cellular or Wi-Fi networks. There's a PCB antenna for Wi-Fi connectivity plus an I-PEX connector for an external LoRa antenna.
For power, the WisMesh Board One can be driven from its USB Type-C connector or from an optional battery, with a separate connector for an optional solar panel. For those looking to take the gadget on the move rather than use it for desk-bound development or in a custom housing, there's the WisMesh Board ONE Pocket — the same device, but pre-installed in a black, white, or green housing and with a bundled 1Ah lithium-ion battery.
This is not RAKwireless' first device designed specifically for the Meshtastic network: back in April the company launched the WisMesh Repeater and WisMesh Repeater Mini, devices designed to be installed outdoors and powered by a solar panel in order to provide a high-reliability fixed node on the network in order to extend its coverage.
The WisMesh Board ONE is now available on the RAKwireless store starting at $29.97 for the board alone rising to $52.97 for a version with a pre-installed OLED display and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver; the WisMesh Board ONE Pocket is listed separately at $46.97 without and $65.97 with GNSS receiver.