{"id":316363,"date":"2025-11-27T08:05:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T08:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/316363\/"},"modified":"2025-11-27T08:05:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T08:05:11","slug":"heltec-wifi-lora-32-v4-an-esp32-s3-off-grid-lora-meshtastic-communicator-with-solar-input-gnss-and-28dbm-tx-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/316363\/","title":{"rendered":"Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 (V4) – An ESP32-S3 off-grid LoRa\/Meshtastic communicator with solar input, GNSS, and 28dBm Tx Power"},"content":{"rendered":"

While searching AliExpress, I found the WiFi LoRa 32 (V4) shell set, another ESP32-S3-based off-grid LoRa\/Meshtastic communicator designed for long-range wireless applications. Compared to devices like Blackout Comms<\/a>,\u00a0Wio Tracker L1 Pro<\/a>, and ThinkNode M2<\/a>, this device features built-in solar charging, optional GNSS, a removable battery, and a higher transmit power.<\/p>\n

The device features a high-power SX1262 LoRa transceiver with up to 28 \u00b1 1 dBm transmit power, along with integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5\/Mesh connectivity. It adds solar charging, an 8-pin GNSS connector, upgraded battery management, gold-plated 40-pin headers, and a fully protected 0.96-inch OLED, as well as a few I\/Os for expansion. The USB-C port includes ESD and short-circuit protection, while dual IPEX connectors support both LoRa and 2.4 GHz antennas.<\/p>\n

\"Heltec<\/a><\/p>\n

Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 (V4) specifications:<\/p>\n

SoC \u2013 Espressif Systems ESP32-S3<\/a><\/p>\n

CPU \u2013 Dual-core 32-bit microcontroller @ 240MHz
\nMemory \u2013 512KB SRAM, 2MB PSRAM
\nStorage \u2013 384KB ROM
\nWireless \u2013 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 (LE)<\/p>\n

Storage \u2013 16MB flash
\nDisplay<\/p>\n

0.96-inch OLED with 128\u00d764 resolution
\nConnected via onboard soldered interface + B2B connector (Protected by a full plastic bracket)<\/p>\n

Wireless<\/p>\n

WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 on the ESP32-S3 module
\nLoRa<\/p>\n

Semtech SX1262 LoRa transceiver supports 433 \/ 470\u2013510 \/ 863\u2013928 MHz (depending on version)
\nTX Power<\/p>\n

High-power version: 28 \u00b11 dBm
\nLow-power version: 21 \u00b11 dBm<\/p>\n

Sensitivity \u2013 -137 dBm @ SF12, BW 125 kHz<\/p>\n

Antenna<\/p>\n

LoRa IPEX 1.0 connector
\n2.4 GHz Wi-Fi\/BLE antenna (FPC side-mounted)
\nOptional external 2.4 GHz antenna (IPEX 1.0 pad provided; requires circuit mod)<\/p>\n

USB \u2013 USB 2.0 Type-C port
\nExpansion<\/p>\n

2x 20-pin headers, mostly compatible with V3<\/p>\n

7-channel ADC1 + 2-channel ADC2
\nUART, I2C, SPI
\n7\u00d7 touch sensor pins
\nPWM
\n28x GPIO<\/p>\n

8-pin GNSS connector for optional GNSS module<\/p>\n

Misc<\/p>\n

User and Reset buttons
\nWhite LED, Orange LED<\/p>\n

Power Supply<\/p>\n

5V\/1A via USB-C port
\n2-pin 1.25mm pitch lithium battery connector (3.3\u20134.4V)
\n2-pin 1.25mm pitch solar panel connector (4.7\u20136V input)
\nConsumption \u2013 <20 \u03bcA in deep sleep
\nPMIC for Li-ion battery charging and solar input<\/p>\n

Dimensions \u2013 51.7 \u00d7 25.4 \u00d7 10.7 mm (board dimension without antenna)<\/p>\n

\"LoRa<\/a>Differences between LoRa 32 V3 and V4
\n\"Heltec<\/a>Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 (V4) Pinout
\n\"Heltec<\/a>Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 (V4) Hardware Overview<\/p>\n

The device can be programmed with Arduino IDE, the ESP-IDF framework, or PlatformIO, with Heltec providing an updated ESP32 board package, LoRa\/LoRaWAN libraries, and example projects for rapid deployment. You can also use the native USB for easier flashing and debugging, thanks to the removal of the CP2102 bridge. More information is available on Heltec\u2019s GitHub<\/a>. Schematic, datasheet, 3D model, and other resources are attached to the docs and resources section of the product page<\/a>. The company also mentions compatibility with Meshtastic<\/a> on that page, but the V4 is not listed on the official website<\/a> just yet. So we checked on the Flasher website, and Meshtastic (Beta) is indeed supported on the \u201cHeltec V4\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Heltec<\/a><\/p>\n

Heltec officially refers to the board as WiFi LoRa 32 (V4), but the \u201cWiFi LoRa 32 V4 Shell Set\u201d is what I found on AliExpress, and it appears to be a third-party accessory bundle rather than an official Heltec product, which explains why it doesn\u2019t show up on the company\u2019s website. I also want to point out some FAQ highlights that may come in handy. For instance, if you plan to use an external IPEX 2.4 GHz antenna, the onboard inductor must be removed and replaced with a 0-ohm jumper to switch the RF path correctly. Heltec also notes that the V4 is compatible with the V3, since it uses the same ESP32-S3 family, OLED interface, and similar pinout, though the V4\u2019s higher transmit power may require minor firmware adjustments in some applications.<\/p>\n

\"Heltec<\/a><\/p>\n

The WiFi LoRa 32 (V4) Shell set is available on both Amazon<\/a> and AliExpress<\/a> for $46 \u2013 $50. Alternatively, Heltec also provides its own \u201cWiFi LoRa 32 (V4) expansion housing\u201d solution for $49.90 to\u00a058.90<\/a>. It\u2019s based on the board covered in this article, but with a different case.<\/p>\n

\ufeff<\/p>\n

\"Debashis<\/p>\n

Debashis Das is a technical content writer and embedded engineer with over five years of experience in the industry. With expertise in Embedded C, PCB Design, and SEO optimization, he effectively blends difficult technical topics with clear communication<\/p>\n

Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies<\/a>, become a Patron<\/a> on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon<\/a> or Aliexpress<\/a>. We also use affiliate links in articles to earn commissions if you make a purchase after clicking on those links.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While searching AliExpress, I found the WiFi LoRa 32 (V4) shell set, another ESP32-S3-based off-grid LoRa\/Meshtastic communicator designed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":316364,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[162473,54389,54390,35748,54393,165,14087,74,10416],"class_list":{"0":"post-316363","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mobile","8":"tag-development-board","9":"tag-lora","10":"tag-low-power","11":"tag-mesh-networking","12":"tag-meshtastic","13":"tag-mobile","14":"tag-oled","15":"tag-technology","16":"tag-wireless"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=316363"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316363\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/316364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=316363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=316363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=316363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}