Summary of Particle Mesh – A Mesh-Enabled IoT Development Kits.
Particle Mesh is a new IoT development kit featuring mesh networking capabilities for sensor data collection and cloud connectivity. The platform includes three main boards—Argon, Boron, and Xenon—all built on the Nordic nRF52840 MCU and compatible with Adafruit FeatherWings. These devices offer Wi-Fi, BLE, or LTE options to act as nodes, routers, or gateways within a mesh network.
Parts used in the Particle Mesh Project:
- Argon Board
- Boron Board
- Xenon Board
- Nordic nRF52840 MCU
- ESP32 2.4G Wi-Fi SoC
- Adafruit FeatherWing hardware accessories
- Li-Po Battery
Particle, which has been known for its collection of IoT focused development boards, and its Internet of Things (IoT) platform (Particle Cloud) has launched a new set of mesh network-enabled IoT development kits called Particle Mesh. Particle Mesh is expected to provide developers more insight into implementing mesh networking technology. They help to collect sensor data, exchange local messages, and share their connection to the cloud.
Particle Mesh features a new family of mesh-ready devices with Wi-Fi, BLE and LTE connectivity and also integrated with the Particle device cloud. Particle mesh consists of three main boards: The Argon, The Boron, and the Xenon. Each of these Particle Mesh boards has at least one form of outside connectivity option (LTE/3G/2G, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth) and an onboard mesh network hardware to facilitate setting up a mesh network for local communications between sensors and other particle mesh boards. All three devices are built around the Nordic nRF52840 MCU + BLE + mesh radio and follow the Adafruit Feather specification making it compatible with most Adafruit FeatherWing hardware accessories.
The Argon
Argon is the first of mesh-enabled board family; it’s a Wi-Fi-enabled board with mesh functionality that can act has node or router in a mesh network, and also as the mesh network gateway to the cloud or outside world. On the heart of it is the Nordic nRF52840 SoC which also powers the other boards and an Expressif ESP32 2.4G Wi-Fi SoC. The processor is based on the 32-bit 64MHz ARM Cortex-M4F, with 1MB flash and 256kB of RAM. Like other feather boards, it has a built-in battery charging circuitry, so it’s easy to connect a Li-Po battery and easily build standalone devices with it. Some other features of the Argon include a 20 GPIO pin, Bluetooth 5 and NFC. The Argon board is available for sale at $19 and currently at $15 for pre-order which are expected to be shipped by July 2018.
Read more: Particle Mesh – A Mesh-Enabled IoT Development Kits.
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What is Particle Mesh?
It is a new set of mesh network-enabled IoT development kits designed to help developers implement mesh networking technology. -
Which boards are included in the Particle Mesh family?
The family consists of three main boards: The Argon, The Boron, and the Xenon. -
What connectivity options do the boards support?
The boards feature Wi-Fi, BLE, and LTE connectivity along with onboard mesh network hardware. -
How can the Argon board function in a network?
The Argon can act as a node, a router, or the mesh network gateway to the cloud. -
What microcontroller powers these devices?
All three devices are built around the Nordic nRF52840 MCU. -
Are these boards compatible with other hardware accessories?
Yes, they follow the Adafruit Feather specification making them compatible with most Adafruit FeatherWing hardware. -
Does the Argon board have battery charging capabilities?
Yes, it has built-in battery charging circuitry to easily connect a Li-Po battery for standalone devices.
