[PAID JOB] Arduino Developer Needed – LoRa, GPS, Sensor Integration

Community Jobs and Paid Consultancy
1

Hi all,

I'm looking for a skilled Arduino developer to help build a low-cost IoT prototype for a real-world monitoring project. The aim is to gather data from distributed sensor units and transmit it wirelessly to a central location using LoRa and then forward it via 4G.

:wrench: Scope of Work:

Sensor Node (Device on Site):

  • Arduino Nano or ESP32
  • Ultrasonic distance sensor (e.g., HC-SR04 or JSN-SR04T)
  • RYLR998 LoRa module
  • NEO-6M GPS module
  • 18650 Li-ion battery powered (with TP4056 charger module)
  • Device should sleep between transmissions to conserve power
  • Sends data packet with fill level, GPS location, battery status via LoRa

Base Station:

  • Arduino or Raspberry Pi
  • RYLR998 LoRa receiver
  • SIM7600G-H (4G module)
  • Forwards received data to online endpoint (e.g., API or database)

:white_check_mark: Deliverables:

  • Fully working, documented Arduino code for both node and base station
  • Wiring diagrams or Fritzing/Schematics
  • Any suggestions for improving reliability, range, or battery life
  • Guidance through initial testing if needed

:brain: Ideal Candidate:

  • Experience with LoRa communication (especially RYLR998)
  • Familiarity with GPS parsing
  • Understanding of low-power design (sleep modes, voltage monitoring)
  • SIM7600 or cellular module integration
  • Bonus: experience sending data via HTTP/MQTT to remote servers

:money_bag: Payment:

This is a paid job. Please PM me:

  • Your rate (fixed or hourly)
  • An overview of how you'd approach the project
  • Any relevant past work or examples (if available)

Looking to get started as soon as possible.
Thanks!

2

Keep in mind that a competent engineer would likely recommend much better choices than these unreliable, inflexible hobby modules or long obsolete components, like the NEO-6M GPS module.

3

Absolutely correct.

For instance, I always recommended going with stm32wl series based transceivers for any LoRa based application these days.

4

I would be happy to entertain better alternatives if there is reason to and thank you for the insight.

5

If you are not familiar with the available equipment (as seems to be the case), your job is to carefully and completely describe the project details, the data to be collected, analyzed and stored, plus the field conditions to be encountered.

A professional will make recommendations based on his or her experience and understanding of the project requirements, and that may be subject to several rounds of design, pricing and negotiation before an agreement can be reached.

6

Given your post, I wouldn't touch that project for 10x my standard rate. It is a bear trap.
The ONLY way forward with a professional is to start the clock on payments at the same time the client and contractor begin the design process. During that process, the required hardware will be discovered.
I have seen many books on system design start with a statement similar to Do NOT pick the hardware first. Start with a problem statement.
The other consideration you have is you probably have no idea what the best developers make these days. Even entry level is $150,000/yr or $75/hr while the avg is closer to $250k/$125/hr and the very best are several million a year or $1,000s/hr.
A contractor gets MUCH more. I last worked for $ back in 2000, being paid $150/hr, that rate would now be 3 to 4 times higher at least.
Your best approach might be an open-source project. That will take a lot longer, and you will have to be extremely careful that you act as an 'intelligent' user, not the project leader. Very hard to do.
Good luck with your project, if I understand, it is not that complex or difficult other than the power requirements (btw by stipulating tp4056 you are already demonstrating out of date/incorrect information)

7

Just to give you a small sample of how a professional developer approaches a project, your opening statement has the following issues.

  1. IoT nowhere in the details is IoT mentioned or used and no way to use.
  2. prototype - so this is not finished production work? Bad for you as this makes it hard to determine completeness.
  3. Many technical issues especially missing detail like how many batteries, what is recharging the batteries, why Is a GPS needed.
  4. Since you ask for GPS data in each data packet, this implies the remote unit is moving. Much more information is needed about how it is moving, whether it can move into a radio or GPS dead zone, this requires a lot more information.
  5. Since the battery life is partly dependent on the LoRa packet size, what is meant by battery status, an actual voltage, or a single bit for ok/not ok. The former uses much more battery power.
  6. Similarly for GPS data, this is big data, can delta's be used with full data only sent hourly?
8

It sounds like this is a capstone project you're trying to get to work. Feel free to msg me to discuss, however like the people above me have mentioned you'll need to be clear with your objective and end goal first because not every module can be used for the same goal

9

I'll take BTC .005 for a finders fee...

10

That immediatly raises the question: what is the budget?

11

I agree that the scope of work is not clear enough. A detailed requirements document would be needed. I agree as well as GPS is mentioned, that calls for moving objects, and thus wonder if there is not a misunderstanding about LoRa versus LoRaWan?

25 years later you have WW competition for projects and some solid engineers from remote places that can deliver at a fraction of the cost.

I know many small and large companies outsourcing some work to Eastern Europe, India, .. whilst keeping project management and some key engineering resources (the expensive ones as you stated) in house.

When it comes to needs such as the one described succinctly by @25jajarb, this has been done many many times already and so there are companies out there with the know how.

There are even consumer commercial modules embedding all this like the TTGO T-Beam or Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 V3 which embed an ESP32 and Wi-Fi, BLE, LoRa radio capabilities and possibly an OLED display as well as battery charging. I think TTGO has also GPS capabilities (EDIT ➜ T-Beam SUPREME)

Thingiverse or Printables probably have ready to use 3D model for a project box.

12

I wondered that also.

The project details suggests LoRa PTP only, but it would be extremely wise to have the hardware capable of using LoRaWAN too.

No mention of LoRaWAN in the RYLR998 reference manual, not an issue with a SPI based LoRa module of course, but the RYLR998 has a custom UART interface.

13

Hi all,

Thanks to those who’ve taken the time to respond with constructive insights, particularly those who offered suggestions around improved hardware choices and scalability considerations. I truly appreciate thoughtful and solution-oriented feedback, especially from those who recognize the project’s intent and constraints.

To clarify the project scope:

This is a prototype for a smart waste monitoring system once built to be scaled to production. The aim is to place sensor units inside bins (often at high-density locations like apartment blocks or venues) to track fill levels, GPS position (if available), and battery status. These units transmit their data via LoRa to a local base station, which forwards it over 4G to a cloud endpoint. This reduces the need for individual SIMs in every bin a key cost driver we’re avoiding.

Why GPS?
GPS helps in understanding the last known location of bins for routing, collections, and deployment planning. Even if the GPS signal is unavailable at times, last-known or periodic location data is useful in our model — and saves us from manually inputting and tracking every bin’s location.

Why LoRa (not LoRaWAN)?
At this stage, a point-to-point LoRa setup is sufficient and simpler for our goals, though I'm open to LoRaWAN-capable hardware where it makes sense. The key is to remain cost-effective and scalable nd would welcome any advice arond hardware.

I’m well aware that there are full-suite commercial options on the market that offer similar solutions but they’re either too expensive or involve subscription fees that aren’t viable at scale. Hence, the custom development approach.

As for my own background - I’ll say it plainly: I’m not the technical one here. That’s why I’m hiring. And while some people here have highlighted their hourly rates with pride, I’d just like to add - I’m the one who pays them :wink:

If you're interested in collaborating professionally, I’d love to hear how you'd approach the project, what technologies you'd suggest, and your availability and rate. I’m not looking for a lecture. I’m looking for a partner in delivery.

Thanks again to those offering value and clarity.

14

These 3 lines sentences are enough to drive off anybody with a professional background.

15

These two lines don't help either, but it is good that the terms are clear and openly stated.

I’m not looking for a lecture. I’m looking for a partner in delivery.

16

I think it sets the stage.. Reminds me of the saying « Best friend money can buy »…

But Fair enough - you pay, you are entitled to driving it the way you want.

Just that any pro willing to accept such control will definitely go time and materials, ask for detailed requirements with a fixed upfront retainer. Might end up costly and the « partner » dropping off…

17

I apologize if this was already covered and I missed it, but I was reading quickly to try to cut through the (very considerable) noise.

  • What is your target Bill of Materials cost? At what quantity?
  • What country will this be deployed in (less relevant ATM, but helpful)?
  • Is this a request for a production-ready design, or a Proof of Concept?
  • Approximately what battery life do you expect? Days? Weeks? Months?
  • What is your desired delivery timeframe?

It's in interesting project and well within my capabilities, but I do need a bit more info before I decide if I want to bite. Asking publicly because it's useful information for others who may want to bid.