Pycom FiPy

Overview

The Pycom FiPy is the most connectivity-rich board in the Pycom ecosystem, combining five distinct wireless networks on a single compact module: WiFi, Bluetooth LE, LoRa, SigFox, and dual LTE-M (CAT-M1 and NB1). The "Fi" in FiPy stands for five — a nod to its five-network capability that makes it uniquely versatile for LPWAN IoT development.

Built on the Espressif ESP32 SoC with dual-core Xtensa LX6 processors at 240 MHz, the FiPy provides 4MB PSRAM and 8MB flash for running complex MicroPython applications with data buffers and file storage. The module exposes up to 22 GPIO pins with 8x 12-bit ADC, 2x DAC, UART, SPI, I2C, and a microSD card slot. A ULP co-processor enables wake-from-sleep sensor monitoring at microamp-level current draw.

The radio capability is impressive in scope: LoRa operates at 868MHz (Europe) or 915MHz (Americas/ANZ) with ranges up to 40km; SigFox covers multiple RCZ regions with ranges up to 50km; LTE-M handles wide-area cellular on four frequency bands from 699-2690 MHz; WiFi extends to 1km; and BLE handles short-range connections. SSL/TLS 1.2, WPA Enterprise, AES encryption, and SHA/MD5/DES are supported in firmware.

The FiPy is ideal for developers evaluating multiple LPWAN technologies simultaneously, running network comparative tests, or building multi-redundant communication systems that can fall back from one protocol to another based on local coverage. All networks are accessible via MicroPython using Pycom's open-source firmware.