LILYGOLoRa32 433Mhz ESP32 Development Board OLED 0.96 Inch SD Card BLE WiFi TTGO Module

I bought a pair of this boards to try out Meshtastic. I had zero experience with these devices, so I just followed the steps in the video bellow. But1. It is old, the firmware version in it is not longer available.2. I tried firmware-tbeam-2.2.11.10265aa, but it stuck at the splash screen.3. Then I tried firmware-tbeam-2.1.23.04bbdc6, but after the setup I got a Critical Fault #6.4. Tried the other board, same result5. At this point, I was very close to send the boards back. But I started to wonder that maybe the video is wrong and the boards are OK.6. Long story short, this device is sometimes referred as "Lilygo Lora", sometimes as "Lilygo TTGO Lora V2.1-1.6" and the right firmware is: firmware-tlora-v2-1-1.6-X.X.X.xxxxxxx.binIn hindsight, I can see that the video was made for a "related product". Anyway, adding a few lines to the description would have saved me (and probably for others too) some time.However, the product works and it does what it supposed to do.

I have used the LilyGo TTGO with good antenna for two fun radio projects - a tiny satellite ground station and a 433 MHz LoRa APRS ground station.1) TinyGS: After being reflashed with with G4lile0 firmware (Github) the 433 MHz LilyGo TTGO plus a 433 MHz antenna makes a low-cost ground station to receive low-earth orbit LoRa CubeSats. TinyGS ground stations all over the world collect telemetry from various LoRa CubeSat projects. I would highly recommend this build for kids in high school interested in STEM. It may take a bit of assistance. The project does not require a license because it's receive only.2) iGate: After being reflashed with CA2RXU firmware from github the 433 MHz LilyGo TTGO and a good antenna, the TTGO makes a really nice iGate. An iGate give packets from trackers and comunication devices to be mapped on the internet as well as connect all over the world. This second project requires an Amateur Radio license because it transmits as well as receives. The LilyGo T-Beam is nearly the same board but it adds a GPS chip. Please note that in ITU region 2 (North and South America), there is no ISM band on 433MHz. 433 MHz is an Amateur Radio band. In the US, that's an Amateur Radio Technician license.What I liked: It's the basis for very fun, low cost LoRa-based radio projects. There are many more projects, but these two stand out. The possibilities for hardware expansion and software development are wide open.What I think could be improved: I think the display on the LilyGo TTGO is very small and difficult to read. A larger display would allow more information display area as well as larger fonts for easier reading.

This LoRa board works well. I especially like the on-board on/off mini slide switch that controls whether battery voltage is applied or not, i.e., you don't need an external power switch to keep it from running continuously if a battery is connected. Also nice is the on-board antenna connector which is solidly attached to the board. The quality appears to be good. Nothing on the board is out of alignment, for example. I prefer this board over my Heltec one.

My first one of these had a bad display. Yet was functional. So dropping a star.Since have bought two more and they work well. Also will work as Meshtastic radios.

love this board

Hardware works as designed. One of the reference implementations of the RNode modem. Firmware as shipped was interesting and seemed to function as intended, but was not tested.

I do not think this board is worth the money ($30) compared to other options out there. The model I received is T3_v1.6.1 20210104 . If you do some research you'll see that it's not recommended for meshtastic, that previous versions of this board had issues with overcharging, and that firmware support is iffy. They should lower the price or bundle in a battery and case if they want to sell at this price point. Buy the T3S3 or a heltecv3 instead. This board just isn't worth the headache when there are so many better options in a similar price range.

I flashed this with OpenMQTTGateway and I can control my 433MHz devices with ease.