Tutorial on Setting Up the LORA SX1278 Module with ESP32

Let’s see how to use the LoRa SX1278 module chips!

Features of the LORA RA-02 Transceiver Module

In many cases, electronic devices need to connect wirelessly. For such situations, Radio Frequency (RF) technology is used. RF includes all radio waves, which can travel different distances depending on their frequency and amplitude to reach the receiver.

LoRa is a popular technology suitable for IoT projects that require long-range and wide-area communication. The RA-02 module is developed by Ai-Thinker, the manufacturer of the well-known ESP32 series. This module is based on the SX1278 chip and operates at a 433 MHz frequency.

Key Features:

• Supports UART, GPIO, LoRa Radio Layer, SPI, and I2C interfaces.
• Microcontrollers communicate with the LoRa transmitter via UART for control and monitoring.
• The LoRa module can be connected to boards like ESP32 and Raspberry Pi via SPI protocol.

This module is highly useful for wireless IoT applications that require stable and long-range communication.

LORA Module Pinout

The LoRa module has 16 pins, described as follows:

Power & Ground:

• 3V: Power supply for the module
• GND: Ground

SPI Communication Pins:

• MOSI (Master Out Slave In): Data input line for SPI protocol
• MISO (Master In Slave Out): Data output line for SPI protocol
• SCK (Serial Clock): Synchronization clock for SPI protocol
• NSS (Slave Select): Chip select for SPI communication

Control & Data Pins:

• RESET: Resets the module
• DIO0 to DIO5: Data input/output pins for various module functions
  • DIO0: Data line 0
  • DIO1: Data line 1
  • DIO2: Data line 2
  • DIO3: Data line 3
  • DIO4: Data line 4
  • DIO5: Data line 5

These pins allow the LoRa SX1278 module to communicate efficiently with microcontrollers such as ESP32 and Raspberry Pi, making it a powerful choice for IoT applications and long-range wireless communication. 🚀

Required Components:

Required Components:

To set up and use the LoRa SX1278 module with an ESP32, you will need the following components:

Essential Hardware:

✔ ESP32 Development Board – The main microcontroller for handling communication.
✔ LoRa SX1278 Module (RA-02) – The transceiver module for long-range communication.
✔ Antenna – Improves signal strength and range.
✔ Jumper Wires (Male to Female / Male to Male) – For connecting the LoRa module to ESP32.
✔ Breadboard (Optional) – For easy prototyping and testing.
✔ Power Supply (3.3V & GND from ESP32) – To power the LoRa module.

Software & Tools:

✔ Arduino IDE / PlatformIO – For programming the ESP32.
✔ LoRa Library for Arduino – Required for LoRa communication.
✔ FTDI Adapter (Optional) – If using a separate module that needs UART flashing.

Once you have these components ready, you can begin wiring and programming your LoRa + ESP32 setup for wireless IoT communication! 🚀

Setting Up the LoRa Module with ESP32

Step 1: Wiring (Connections)

To establish communication between the LoRa SX1278 module and ESP32, wire each LoRa module to an ESP32 according to the following table:

LoRa SX1278 to ESP32 Connection:

Circuit Diagram:

Connect each LoRa module to an ESP32 following this wiring. If you’re using two ESP32 boards for communication, wire them identically to separate LoRa modules.

✅ Once the wiring is complete, move on to the next step: Installing Libraries & Writing Code! 🚀

Step 2: Installing the Required Library

To use the LoRa SX1278 module with ESP32, you need to install the LoRa library in the Arduino IDE

https://github.com/sandeepmistry/arduino-LoRa

Step 3: Receiver Code for ESP32 (LoRa SX1278)

Upload the following LoRa receiver code to your ESP32 to receive data from the transmitter

#include <SPI.h>
#include <LoRa.h>

#define ss 15
#define rst 4
#define dio0 2

void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
while (!Serial);
delay(500);
Serial.println(“LoRa Receiver”);
LoRa.setPins(ss, rst, dio0);
if (!LoRa.begin(433E6)) {
Serial.println(“Starting LoRa failed!”);
while (1);
}
Serial.println(“Starting LoRa failed!”);
}

void loop() {
// try to parse packet
int packetSize = LoRa.parsePacket();
if (packetSize) {
// received a packet
Serial.print(“Received packet ‘”);

// read packet
while (LoRa.available()) {
Serial.print((char)LoRa.read());
}

// print RSSI of packet
Serial.print(“‘ with RSSI “);
Serial.println(LoRa.packetRssi());
}
}

click to Code Download 

Upload the following code to your ESP32 on the transmitter side:

#include <SPI.h>
#include <LoRa.h>

int counter = 0;

#define ss 15
#define rst 4
#define dio0 2

void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
while (!Serial);

Serial.println(“LoRa Sender”);
LoRa.setPins(ss, rst, dio0);
if (!LoRa.begin(433E6)) {
Serial.println(“Starting LoRa failed!”);
while (1);
}
}

void loop() {
Serial.print(“Sending packet: “);
Serial.println(counter);

// send packet
LoRa.beginPacket();
LoRa.print(“hello “);
LoRa.print(counter);
LoRa.endPacket();

counter++;

delay(1000);
}

click to Code Download 

This code is for testing the communication between the LoRa modules. Now open the Serial Monitor to see the information related to the module’s communication.