Waspmote: where our IoT revolution began

Waspmote wasn’t just a product. It was a spark. The spark that ignited a revolution in how we connect the physical and digital worlds. It gave birth to Libelium and became our flagship for years: an open, powerful, and versatile platform that inspired thousands of developers, researchers, and pioneers to explore the possibilities of the Internet of Things.

Scroll Down

Today, we carry that same spirit forward—towards something even greater.

We’ve evolved into a company delivering end-to-end solutions, built for the real world—not just for labs. We now design and deploy environmental digital twins, powered by hyperlocal, reliable data captured by our own devices and processed on platforms engineered for real-time insights and decision-making.

Waspmote was our first step. At present, we walk further—with the same belief: that technology is a powerful tool to make the world a better place.

Explore what Libelium has become

While Waspmote was ideal for prototyping and research environments, Libelium now offers integrated, production-ready IoT solutions for real-world challenges.

Go to Success Stories

Features

Ultra low power (7µA)
120+ sensors integrated on 7 Sensor Boards
12 radio technologies:
Long range: LoRaWAN/LoRa/Sigfox/ 868 MHz / 900 MHz
Medium range: ZigBee 3 / 802.15.4 / DigiMesh / WiFi PRO v3
Short range: RFID-NFC / Bluetooth 2.1 / BLE

Over the Air Programming (OTA)
Open source SDK and API
Encryption libraries (AES, RSA, MD5, SHA Hash)
Certified encapsulated line (Plug & Sense!)
Industrial Protocols: RS-485, Modbus, CAN Bus, 4-20 mA

Elements and Models

There are more than 120 sensors to connect to Waspmote: CO, CO2, soil moisture, wind, IR presence, humidity, temperature, pH, liquid, luminosity, etc. Our Sensor Boards allow developers to easily use sensors in Waspmote.

Gases PRO

Applications

City pollution
CO, NO, NO₂, O₃, SO₂, Particle Matter – Dust
Air Quality Index calculation
SO₂, NO₂, Particle Matter – Dust, CO, O₃, NH₃
Emissions from farms and hatcheries
CH₄, H₂S, NH₃
Greenhouse management
CO₂, CH₄, humidity
Control of chemical and industrial processes
CH₄, SO₂, CO₂
Indoor air quality
CO₂, CO, Particle Matter – Dust, O₃
Forest fires
CO, CO₂

Sensors

Carbon Monoxide – CO
Carbon Dioxide – CO₂
Molecular Oxygen – O₂
Ozone – O₃
Nitric Oxide – NO
Nitric Dioxide – NO₂
Sulfur Dioxide – SO₂
Ammonia – NH₃
Methane – CH₄ – and other combustible gases
Hydrogen Sulfide – H₂S
Particle Matter (PM1 / PM2.5 / PM10) – Dust Sensor
Temperature
Humidity
Pressure

Events

Applications

Security
Vibration, hall effect (doors and windows), person detection PIR
Emergencies
Presence detection and water level sensors, temperature
Control of goods in logistics
Vibration and impact sensors
Actuation
Control DC units such as irrigation valves, thermostats, illumination systems, motors, PLC’s, etc.

Sensors

Pressure/Weight
Vibration
Impact
Hall Effect
Tilt
Liquid Presence
Liquid flow
Water leakages
Liquid Level
Luminosity (Luxes)
Presence (PIR)
Ultrasound
Relay to control external DC units. (<30VDC, 1A)

Smart Agriculture

Applications

Precision Agriculture
Leaf wetness, fruit diameter
Irrigation Systems
Soil moisture, leaf wetness
Greenhouses
Solar radiation, humidity, temperature
Weather Stations
Anemometer, wind vane, pluviometer

Sensors

Air Temperature, Humidity and Pressure
Soil Temperature / Moisture
Leaf Wetness
Solar Radiation – PAR (SQ-100x)
Ultraviolet Radiation – UV
Trunk Diameter
Stem Diameter
Fruit Diameter
Anemometer
Wind Vane
Pluviometer
Luminosity (Luxes)
Ultrasound (distance measurement)

Smart Water

Applications

Potable water monitoring
pH, ORP, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Nitrates
Chemical leakage detection in rivers
Extreme pH values signal chemical spills, Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
Swimming pool remote measurement
pH, Oxidation-Reduction Potential (ORP)
Pollution levels in the sea
Temperature, Conductivity (Salinity), pH, Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and Nitrates

Sensors

pH
Oxidation-Reduction Potential (ORP)
Dissolved Oxygen (DO)
Conductivity
Temperature

Smart Cities PRO

Applications

Noise maps
Monitor in real time the acoustic levels in the streets of a city
Air quality
Detect the level of gases and particulates in the air
Waste management
Measure the garbage levels in bins to optimize the trash collection routes

Sensors

Noise Level (dBA / LeqA)
Carbon Monoxide – CO
Carbon Dioxide – CO₂
Molecular Oxygen – O₂
Ozone – O₃
Nitric Oxide – NO
Nitric Dioxide – NO₂
Sulfur Dioxide – SO₂
Ammonia – NH₃
Methane – CH₄ – and other combustible gases
Particle Matter (PM1 / PM2.5 / PM10) – Dust Sensor
Temperature, Humidity and Pressure
Ultrasound (distance measurement)
Luminosity (Luxes)

4-20 mA

Applications

Sensors and Instruments
Remote transducers
Monitoring processes
Data transmission in industrial scenarios

The user can choose among a wide variety of standard sensors

Features

Type: Analog
Media: Twisted Pair
No. of devices: 1
Distance: 900m
Supply: 5-24V

There are 12 different wireless interfaces for Waspmote including long range (LoRaWAN / LoRa / Sigfox / 868 MHz / 900 MHz), medium range (ZigBee / 802.15.4 / DigiMesh / WiFi) and short range (RFID-NFC / Bluetooth 2.1 / Bluetooth Low Energy). They can be used solely or in combination of 2 by using the Expansion Radio Board

802.15.4 / ZigBee

Radio version: XBee 3 802.15.4 EU || Protocol: IEEE 802.15.4 || Frequency: 2.4 GHz || Tx power: 8 dBm || Sensitivity: -103 dBm || Range*: 750 m

Radio version: XBee-PRO 802.15.4 || Protocol: IEEE 802.15.4 || Frequency: 2.4 GHz || Tx power: 18 dBm || Sensitivity: -100 dBm || Range*: 1600 m

Radio version: XBee-PRO DigiMesh || Protocol: DigiMesh || Frequency: 2.4 GHz || Tx power: 18 dBm || Sensitivity: -100 dBm || Range*: 1500 m

Radio version: XBee ZigBee 3 || Protocol: ZigBee 3.0 || Frequency: 2.4 GHz || Tx power: 8 dBm || Sensitivity: -102 dBm || Range*: 1200 m

Radio version: XBee 868LP || Protocol: RF || Frequency: 863 – 870 MHz || Tx power: 14 dBm || Sensitivity: -106 dBm || Range*: 8.4 km

Radio version: XBee-PRO 900HP US || Protocol: RF || Frequency: 902 – 928 MHz || Tx power: 24 dBm || Sensitivity: -110 dBm || Range*: 15.5 km

Radio version: XBee-PRO 900HP BR || Protocol: RF || Frequency: 902 – 906.8 MHz 915.6 – 928 MHz || Tx power: 24 dBm || Sensitivity: -110 dBm || Range*: 15.5 km

* To determine your range, perform a range test under your operating conditions.

Antenna 2.4GHz: 5 dBi 868 / 900MHz: 4.5dBi
Connector: RP-SMA

Encryption AES 128 bits

Signal Control RSSI

Standards XBee-PRO 802.15.4: IEEE 802.15.4-compliant
XBee ZigBee: ZigBee-Pro v2007 – Compliant

Sigfox

Frequency:
Sigfox EU module: ISM 868 MHz
Sigfox US module: ISM 900 MHz
Sigfox AU / APAC / LATAM module: ISM 900 MHz

TX Power:
Sigfox EU module: 16 dBm
Sigfox US module: 24 dBm
Sigfox AU / APAC / LATAM module: 24 dBm

Receive sensitivity: -126 dBm

ETSI limitation: 140 messages of 12 bytes, per module per day (EU case)

Range: Typically, each base station covers some km. Check the Sigfox Network

Sigfox certificate: Class 0u (the highest level)

Sigfox service available in these territories:

EU module: RC1 zone (Europe, Oman, Iran, South Africa, Tunisia, UAE)
US module: RC2 zone (USA, Mexico, Brazil)
AU / APAC / LATAM module: RC4 zone (Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, El Salvador)

Note: 0dB antenna picture with representative purposes only. The provided antenna is bigger and with better performance: 4.5dB.

LoRaWAN

Protocol: LoRaWAN 1.0.2, Class A

LoRaWAN-ready

Frequency:
LoRaWAN EU/433 modules: ISM 868 MHz and 433 MHz bands
LoRaWAN US module: ISM 900 MHz band
LoRaWAN AU module: ISM 900 MHz band
LoRaWAN IN module: ISM 868 MHz band
LoRaWAN ASIA-PAC / LATAM module: ISM 900 MHz band
LoRaWAN JP / KR module: ISM 900 MHz band

TX Power:
LoRaWAN EU/433 modules: 14 dBm
LoRaWAN US module: 18.5 dBm
LoRaWAN AU module: 18.5 dBm
LoRaWAN IN module: 18.5 dBm
LoRaWAN ASIA-PAC / LATAM module: 18.5 dBm
LoRaWAN JP / KR module: 16 dBm

Sensitivity: -136 dBm

Range: > 15 km at suburban and >5 km at urban area. Typically, each base station covers some km. Check the LoRaWAN Network in your area.

Receiver: purchase your own base station or use networks from LoRaWAN operators

Compatibility with territories:

LoRaWAN EU module: Europe (EU863-870 protocol)
LoRaWAN US module: US, Canada, Mexico (US902-928 protocol)
LoRaWAN AU module: Australia (AU915-928 protocol)
LoRaWAN IN module: India (INDIA865-867 protocol)
LoRaWAN ASIA-PAC / LATAM module: Asia, Pacific and Latinamerica (AS923 ASEAN protocol)
LoRaWAN JP / KR module: Japan and South Korea (AS923-JP and KR920-923 protocol)

Note: 0dB antenna picture with representative purposes only. The provided antenna is bigger and with better performance: 4.5dB.

LoRa 868 - 900/915MHz

Frequencies Available: 860-1000 MHz, fits both 868 (Europe) and 900 MHz (USA) ISM bands

Max TX Power: 14dBm

Sensitivity: -134dBm

Range: Line of Sight: 21+ km / 13.4+ miles (LoS and Fresnel zone clearance)
Non Line of Sight: 2+ km / 1.2+ miles (nLoS going through buildings, urban environment)

Antenna: 868 / 915 MHz: 4.5 dBi
Connector: RP-SMA

Encryption: AES 128/192/256 bits (performed by Waspmote API)

Note: 0dB antenna picture with representative purposes only. The provided antenna is bigger and with better performance: 4.5dB.

WiFi

TX Power: 18 dBm

RX Sensitivity: -80dBm

Internet protocols: ICMP, IP, UDP, TCP, DHCP, DNS, HTTP, HTTPS, MQTT

Security protocols: SSL3/TLS1, HTTPS, RSA, AES-128/256, 3DES, RC-4, SHA-1, MD-5, WEP, WPA and WPA2.
Accelerated in hardware: AES, RSA, RNG and SHA

Wireless specifications:

Standards: IEEE 802.11b/g/n
Frequency: 2.4 – 2.485 GHz
Channels: 1 to 14
Antenna: 0dBi (on Board)

Actions:

TCP/IP – UDP/IP socket connections
HTTP and HTTPS (secure) web connections
Connects with any commercial WiFi router
802.11 roaming capabilities

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 4.0

Protocol: Bluetooth v.4.0 / Bluetooth Smart

Chipset: BLE112

RX Sensitivity: -103 dBm

TX Power: [-23 dBm, +3 dBm]

Antenna: 5 dBi (RP-SMA)

Security: AES 128

Range: 100 meters

Actions:

Send broadcast advertisements (iBeacons)
Connect to other BLE devices as Master / Slave
Connect with smartphones and tablets
Set automatic cycles sleep / transmission
Calculate distance using RSSI values
Perfect for indoor location networks (RTLS)

Note: 2 dB antenna picture with representative purposes only. The provided antenna is bigger and with better performance: 5 dB.

Bluetooh PRO

Protocol: Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR. Class 2

TX Power: 3 dBm

Antenna: 5 dBi (RP-SMA)

Max scan: Up to 250 unique devices in each inquiry

Power levels: 7 [-27 dBm, +3 dBm]

Features:

Received Strength Signal Indicator (RSSI) for each scanned device
Scan devices with maximum inquiry time
Scan devices with maximum number of nodes
Scan devices looking for a certain user by MAC address
Class of Device (CoD) for each scanned device

RFID/NFC

Compatibility:

Reader/Writer mode supporting ISO 14443A / MIFARE /
FeliCaTM / NFCIP-1

Distance: 5 cm

Max capacity: 4 kB

Tags: Cards, keyrings, stickers

Applications:

Located based services (LBS)
Logistics (assets tracking, supply chain)
Access management
Electronic prepaid metering (vending machines, public transport)
Smartphone interaction (NFCIP-1 protocol)

GPS

Model: JN3 (Telit)

Sensitivity:

Acquisition: -147 dBm
Navigation: -160 dBm
Tracking: -163 dBm

Sensitivity in motion: -159dBm

Sensitivity acquisition: -142dBm

Hot Start Time: < 1s

Cold Start Time: < 35s

Antenna connector: UFL

External Antenna: 26dBi

Positional accuracy error: < 2.5m

Speed accuracy: < 0.01m/s

EGNOS, WAAS, GAGAN and MSAS capability

Available information:

Latitude
Longitude
Altitude
Speed
Direction
Date/time
Ephemerids management

Waspmote Gateway

Communication: 802.15.4/ZigBee/DigiMesh/868

/900/LoRa/Bluetooth/BLE –
USB PC

Programmable buttons and LEDs

This USB Gateway is thought for laboratory tests.

For real deployments, we recommend the use of our multiprotocol router for the IoT, Meshlium.

Expansion Radio Board

The Expansion Board allows to connect 2 communication modules at the same time in the Waspmote sensor platform. This means a lot of different combinations are possible using any of the wireless radios available for Waspmote: 802.15.4, ZigBee, DigiMesh, 868 MHz, 900 MHz, LoRa, WiFi, Sigfox, LoRaWAN, Bluetooth Pro, Bluetooth Low Energy and RFID/NFC.

Some of the possible combinations are:

802.15.4 – Sigfox
RS-485 – WiFi
Sigfox – RFID/NFC
etc.

Applications:

Multifrequency Sensor Networks: (2.4 GHz – 868/900 MHz)
Bluetooth – ZigBee hybrid networks
NFC (RFID) applications with LoRaWAN
ZigBee – WiFi hybrid networks

Waspmote hardware architecture was specially designed to work with extremely low consumption. Digital switches allow to turn on and off any of the sensor interfaces as well as the radio modules. Three different sleep modes make Waspmote the lowest consumption IoT platform in the market (7 µA).

General Characteristics

Microcontroller: ATmega1281
Frequency: 14.74 MHz
SRAM: 8 kB
EEPROM: 4 kB
FLASH: 128 kB
SD card: 16 GB
Weight: 20 g
Dimensions: 73.5 x 51 x 13 mm
Temperature range: [-30 ºC, +70 ºC]*
Clock: RTC (32 kHz)

* Temporary extreme temperatures are supported. Regular recommended usage: -20, +60ºC.

Power consumption
On: 17 mA
Sleep: 30 µA
Deep Sleep: 33 µA
Hibernate: 7 µA

Input / Output
7 analog inputs, 8 digital I/O
2 UARTs, 1 I2C, 1 SPI, 1 USB

Sensors embedded on board
Accelerometer: ±2g/±4g/±8g
Low power: 0.5 / 1 / 2 / 5 / 10 Hz
Normal mode: 50 / 100 / 400 / 1000 Hz

Electrical characteristics
Battery voltage: 3.3-4.2 V
USB charging: 5 V – 100 mA
Solar panel load: 6-12 V – 300 mA

Connect any sensor in industrial environments. Compatible with RS-485, Modbus, CAN Bus and 4-20 mA.

Main applications

The set of Industrial Protocol modules for Waspmote allows the user to interface with different industrial buses:

1º- Connect any sensor to an existing industrial bus

Waspmote can be configured to work as a node in the network, inserting sensor data into the industrial bus already present. Waspmote can obtain information from more than 70 sensors currently integrated in the platform by using specific sensor boards (e.g: CO, CO₂, temperature, humidity, acceleration, pH, IR, luminosity, vibration, etc). This way, the sensor information can be read from any industrial device connected to the bus.

2º- Add wireless connectivity to wired buses

Waspmote can be configured to read the information from the bus and send it to the Libelium IoT Gateway using any of the wireless radio modules available: 802.15.4, 868 MHz, 900 MHz, WiFi, 4G, Sigfox and LoRaWAN.

3º- Connect to the Cloud industrial devices

Waspmote can be configured to read the information coming from the bus and send it via wireless directly to the Cloud using WiFi, GPRS, GPRS+GPS, 3G or 4G radio interfaces.

RS-485

Standard: EIA RS-485

Physical media: Twisted pair

Connector: DB9

Network topology: Point-to-point, Multi-dropped, Multi-point

Maximum devices: 32 drivers or receivers

Mode of operation: Differential signaling

Maximum speed: 460800 bps

Voltage levels: -7 V to +12 V

Mark(1): Positive voltages (B-A > +200 mV)

Space(0): Negative voltages (B-A < -200 mV)

Available signals: Tx+/Rx+, Tx-/Rx-(Half Duplex)Tx+,Tx-,Rx+,Rx-(Full Duplex)

Applications:

Industrial equipment
Machine to Machine (M2M) communications
Industrial Control Systems, including the most common versions of Modbus and Profibus
Programmable logic controllers
RS485 is also used in building automation
Interconnect security control panels and devices

CAN Bus

Standard: ISO 11898

Cabling: Twisted Pair

Connector: DB9

Network topology: Multimaster

Speed: 125 to 1000 Kbps

Signaling: Differential

Voltage levels: 0-5V

Signals: Half Duplex

Applications:

Automotive applications
Home automation
Industrial networking
Factory automation
Marine electronics
Medical equipment
Military uses

Modbus

The Modbus is a software library that can be operated physically on the RS-485 module.

Data area: Up to 255 bytes per job

Interface: Layer 7 of the ISO-OSI reference model

Connector: DB9 (RS-485 module)

Number of possible connections: up to 32 in multi point systems

Frame format: RTU

Applications:

Multiple master-slave applications
Sensors and instruments
Industrial networking
Building and infrastructure
Transportation and energy application

4-20 mA (Current Loop)

Type: Analog

Media: Twisted Pair

No. of devices: 1

Distance: 900m

Supply: 5-24V

Applications:

Sensors and instruments
Remote transducers
Monitoring processes
Data transmission in industrial scenarios

OTAP with GPRS / WiFi via FTP

The concept of Wireless Programming, commonly know as Programming Over the Air (OTAP) has been used in the past years overall for the reprogramming of mobile devices such as cell phones.

However, with the new concepts of Wireless Sensor Networks, M2M and the Internet of Things, where the networks consist of hundreds or thousands of nodes, OTA is taken to a new direction, and for the first time it is applied using both mobile phone technologies such as GPRS and unlicensed protocols such as WiFi.

Benefits

Enables the upgrade or change of firmware versions without physical access.
Upgrades the new firmware by querying a FTP server which helps to keep battery life.
Enables to upgrade an entire network in few minutes

Steps

Waspmote queries the FTP server for a new program version
Checks if program name, path and version are correct
Downloads the new program
Reboots and starts with the new program

Topologies

Protocols which support FTP transmissions are directly connected to the Network Access Point

Radio modules supported

GPRS
WiFi

Storage System

Once the program is downloaded to Waspmote it is stored it in the 2 GB SD card.

Meshlium OTA-FTP plug-in

Meshlium the gateway of the IoT network, hosts the FTP server inside. The user interface of Meshlium, called Manager System, features a plug-in which permits to configure this FTP server automatically by attaching the program binary file to be used.

Documentation

In order to know more about OTAP including how manage Meshlium to act as FTP server for the nodes of the network, download the OTAP guide here.

OTAP with GPRS / WiFi via FTP

The concept of Wireless Programming, commonly know as Programming Over the Air (OTAP) has been used in the past years overall for the reprogramming of mobile devices such as cell phones.

Benefits

Enables the upgrade or change of firmware versions without physical access.
Upgrades the new firmware by querying a FTP server which helps to keep battery life.
Enables to upgrade an entire network in few minutes

Steps

Waspmote queries the FTP server for a new program version
Checks if program name, path and version are correct
Downloads the new program
Reboots and starts with the new program

Topologies

Protocols which support FTP transmissions are directly connected to the Network Access Point

Radio modules supported

GPRS
WiFi

Storage System

Once the program is downloaded to Waspmote it is stored it in the 2 GB SD card.

Meshlium OTA-FTP plug-in

Documentation

In order to know more about OTAP including how manage Meshlium to act as FTP server for the nodes of the network, download the OTAP here.

Worldwide certified

More than 18 years of experience behind us

If you still need advice to carry out your project, we make it easy for you. Fill in the form and get in touch with one of our IoT experts!

Technology tested

Libelium One monitors diverse environmental conditions of the largest fluvial Aquarium in Europe

September 1, 2022
3 Min Read

Libelium has been collaborating with the Aquarium of Zaragoza for nearly a decade, using its diverse ecosystems as a testbed to develop and refine innovative solutions—most recently, the One device.

Controlling quality of irrigation water with IoT to improve crops production

December 21, 2017

The irrigation water quality, as well as the correct management of the water resources, is essential for the productivity and efficiency of the crops.Controlling and analyzing water before irrigating is crucial and its quality may vary significantly depending on the time of year.

Precision Agriculture: Predicting Vineyard Conditions, Preventing Disease

August 17, 2015

Dolphin Engineering, a startup company based in Lugano, Switzerland, monitors vineyard conditions to prevent plant diseases using a wireless sensor network based on Libelium’s Waspmote sensor platform. In Slovenia, Elmitel has developed a Cloud platform core, Elmitel Sensing, to create a Waspmote-based vineyard monitoring solution to cover all three parts of a sensor network: data acquisition, storage, and processing.