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I am using the nRF24L01 currently on some projects but saw that its being phased out. Any ideas on what would be the best choice to replace these modules in the long run?
Thanks
fnb111:
I am using the nRF24L01 currently on some projects but saw that its being phased out.
Where did you come across that?
...R
Robin2:
Where did you come across that?...R
Not sure if I am correct but this is the link:
Is there a newer and better transceiver out there? I am trying to find something that will be on the market for the next couple of years.
Would it be possible to incorporate a 2.4 G Hz transceiver onto an UNO board? Anybody tried this before?
fnb111:
Not sure if I am correct but this is the link:
I reckon that just means the Digikey are not stocking those particular modules. They have 1,000s of nRF24L01+ chips for sale
The modules seem to be plentiful on Ebay.
...R
Thanks Robin2. I have researched more into this and found this
"nRF24 Series
Not recommended for new designs
2.4 GHz RF System-on-Chip, Transceivers and Audio Streamer"
This is from Nordic web page. I am not sure what to use.
Lots of options from TI using the CC2500 modules. Take a look at Pololu's Wixel, which can be used as a pretty decent microcontroller, as well as a 2.4 GHz radio transceiver. You don't even need an Arduino to use it with sensors, a small robot, etc.
There are also 2.4 GHz LoRa modules from SemTech.
I found this low power AT86RF233 from MICROCHIP. But it also seems like its an older chip- 2012 or there round about.
It also use SPI and has got a Library on GitHub.
Just wanted to share this with some members:
fnb111:
"nRF24 Series
Not recommended for new designs
2.4 GHz RF System-on-Chip, Transceivers and Audio Streamer"
Are you planning to go into large volume production or do you just want half a dozen units for your current project?
The great advantage of the nRF24L01+ is that you can buy cheap modules with them fitted. Designing and making your own PCB for a 2.4GHz device is potentially very tricky - if it does not work how would you find out what is wrong?
Another current and convenient option is the ESP8266 which is also available as ready-made modules in different form factors. I wrote about its ESP-NOW feature as an alternative to an nRF24. (But don't ask for more advice as I have forgotten it all 
)
...R
Thanks Robin2. The plan is 160-200 units /month. Ill look into the ESP8266. Currently looking at HaLow 802 technology.
I must say it has changed a lot in the last couple of years.
Thanks again for the help.
fnb111:
MembersI am using the nRF24L01 currently on some projects but saw that its being phased out. Any ideas on what would be the best choice to replace these modules in the long run?
Thanks
The thing to keep in mind is that unless you are buying the bare chip from a reputable source then the modules you have been buying are almost certainly not using the genuine NRD24L01, so even if Nordic stop making them then it isn't going to have any effect on you.
BJHenry:
The thing to keep in mind is that unless you are buying the bare chip from a reputable source then the modules you have been buying are almost certainly not using the genuine NRD24L01, so even if Nordic stop making them then it isn't going to have any effect on you.
Ive been using these ones-
Would you say that a non-genuine nRF24L01 chip would work as well?
fnb111:
Thanks Robin2. The plan is 160-200 units /month.
That's a substantial volume -but still incredibly small compared to Nordic's production volumes.
The other question is how many units in total do you plan to make - or how long will production continue?
For long term production where you are not using parts in quantities that would affect a manufacturer's production decisions you will always be at the mercy of changing circumstances.
Can the product you want to create be implemented with different wireless devices without much re-design?
If the supply of parts were to fail would it be more economic just to cease production?
Would it be worth buying (say) 1000 or 2000 units so you could be certain to have parts for several months production. Would the economics / risks of the project justify that level of forward purchasing.
What I like about the nRF24 is that its programming interface (API) is simple. From what I can tell BLE is a lot more complicated. And so is WiFi / web programming - although it is probably more familiar than BLE.
For small production volumes a simple API reduces the time that must be invested in development and recovered over the small volume of sales.
A company producing hundreds of thousands or millions of identical products can afford to invest a lot more in product development in order to save a few cents per product on the hardware cost.
...R
Ive been thinking about all these questions as well. The wi-fi module would be integrated on the Arduino boards. I guess if technology change then I'll have to adapt too.
Buying a substantial amount of nRF chips is something I thought of and might consider.