Comparison of 802.15.4 radio modules


An 802.15.4 radio module is a small device used to communicate wirelessly with other devices according to the Institute of [Electrical and Electronics Engineers|IEEE] 802.15.4 protocol.
This table lists production ready-to-use certified modules only, not radio chips. A ready-to-use module is a complete system with a transceiver, and optionally an MCU and antenna on a printed circuit board. While most of the modules in this list are Zigbee, Thread, ISA100.11a, or WirelessHART modules, some do not contain enough flash memory to implement a Zigbee stack and instead run plain 802.15.4 protocol, sometimes with a lighter wireless protocol on top.

Transceiver-only modules

These modules only include the RF transceiver and do not include a microprocessor. As a result, the protocol stack will need to be handled by an external IC. They are lower in price than modules which contain a microprocessor and enable the integrator to choose any microprocessor. However, potentially more work is required for integrating the MCU and module.
The following table lists vendor by alphabetical order:
ManufacturerModuleTransceiver ChipAntennaSleepTXRXTX PowerSensitivityPCB SizeReleasedInterfacingProtocol stacks
FlexiPanel LtdEasyBeeTexas Instruments CC2420integral18 mA20 mA0 dBm26 mm × 20 mmMar, 2008?Zigbee stack
EmbitEMB-TRX169PA, 169 MHzCC1120U.FL connector<1 μA400 mA @ +27 dBm27 mA 27 dBm-122 dBm16 mm × 26 mm2013UART, SPI, JTAGWireless M-Bus stack
Microchip TechnologyMRF24J40MAMRF24J40PCB trace2 μA23 mA19 mA0 dBm–94 dBm17.8 mm × 27.9 mmJun, 2008SPIMicrochip Zigbee
MiWi
MiWi P2P

Integrated MCU and transceiver modules

The following table lists vendor by alphabetical order:

List of Zigbee company acquisitions

  • 2016, Apr - Cypress acquires Broadcom's IoT Business
  • 2016, Jan - Silicon Labs acquires Telegesis
  • 2016, Jan - Microchip acquires Atmel
  • 2015, Dec - NXP acquires Freescale Semiconductor
  • 2012, Jul - Murata acquires RF
  • 2012, May - Silicon Labs acquires Ember
  • 2011, Dec - Linear technology acquires Dust Networks
  • 2010, Jul - NXP acquires Jennic
  • 2009, Feb - Atmel acquires Meshnetics
  • 2008, Nov - Telit acquires One RF technology
  • 2007, Aug - Texas Instruments acquires Integrated Circuit Designs
  • 2006, Jan - Texas Instruments acquires Chipcon
  • 2005, Jan - Chipcon acquires Figure 8

    Other companies manufacturing 802.15.4 ready-to-use modules

The following is a list of companies producing modules yet to be added to the table.