WIO-E5 LoRa Antenna Tool

Hardware

SeeedStudios Wio-E5 chip USB to Serial interface CH340N

The hardware comprises a WIO-E5 chip from Seeedstudio connected to a USB to Serial converter allowing you to plug an antenna into your USB port on your PC / Phone or Raspberry Pi.

You can then send or receive via the USB port on your device with the suitable software, I have included a basic application to allow you to configure, send and receive data, see below for more details.

Software

The Software was written using Gemini AI

A robust Visual Basic .NET Windows Forms application designed to interface with the Seeed Studio Wio-E5 (LoRa-E5) module. This tool allows for real-time LoRa P2P (Point-to-Point) communication, advanced module configuration, and direct AT command diagnostics.

🚀 Key Features

• Automated Configuration: One-click setup for P2P mode, including Frequency, Spreading Factor, Bandwidth, and TX Power.
• Auto Config on Startup: Optional automated initialization that connects and applies settings immediately when the app launches.
• Encryption Support: Optional AES-256-CBC encryption for secure LoRa transmission, designed for compatibility with ESP32 and Arduino hardware.
• Signal Diagnostics: Real-time visual tracking of RSSI and SNR values for link quality analysis.
• Continuous RX Mode: Resilient receiver logic that automatically re-enables listening after every packet to ensure a stable, always-on link.
• Universal Parser: Smart parsing logic that handles multiple Wio-E5 firmware formats (both standard DATA: tags and quoted HEX strings).
• Interactive AT Reference: A built-in "AT Help" window listing common commands with a one-click "Send" button and a direct link to the official specification.
• Designer Compatible: Built using the standard Windows Forms Designer pattern, allowing for easy UI customization in Visual Studio.

🛠️ Hardware Requirements

• WIO-E5 Module: Seeed Studio Wio-E5 (mini, Grove, or breakout).
• USB-to-Serial Adapter: To connect the Wio-E5 UART pins to your PC.
• Connections:
  • PC USB ↔ Serial Adapter ↔ Wio-E5 (RX/TX/GND/3V3).

💻 Software Requirements

• Runtime: .NET 8.0 Runtime.
• Development: Visual Studio 2022 (recommended) or .NET 8.0 SDK.

🚦 Getting Started

1. Build and Run:
   • Open WIOE5_Antenna.sln in Visual Studio and press F5.
   • OR use the CLI: dotnet run --project WIO-E5_Antenna/WIOE5_Antenna/WIOE5_Antenna.vbproj
2. Configure:
   • Options -> Select COM Port: Choose your UART adapter.
   • Options -> Configure LoRa: Set Frequency, SF, BW, etc.
3. Secure Communication:
   • Enable Encryption and enter a key in the LoRa Configuration dialog to secure your data.

🔐 Encryption & Arduino/ESP32 Compatibility

The application uses AES-256-CBC with PKCS7 padding for encryption. To communicate between this tool and a microcontroller, use the following settings:

• Algorithm: AES-256-CBC
• Padding: PKCS7
• IV (16 bytes): All Zeros (0x00, 0x00, ...)
• Key (32 bytes): The raw bytes of your encryption string.
  • If your key string is shorter than 32 characters, pad the remaining bytes with 0x00.
  • If longer, truncate to the first 32 bytes.

Recommended Libraries:

• ESP32: Use the built-in mbedtls/aes.h library (hardware accelerated).
• Arduino (Uno/Mega/Nano): Use the ArduinoCrypto library by Rhys Weatherley.

📄 AT Command Set

The application is pre-configured to work with the standard Seeed Studio firmware. Common commands supported include:

• AT+MODE=TEST: Enter P2P mode.
• AT+TEST=RFCFG,...: Set radio parameters.
• AT+TEST=TXLRPKT,XXXX: Send HEX packet (used for encrypted data).
• AT+TEST=TXLRSTR,"...": Send ASCII string.

📝 License

This project is open-source. Feel free to use and modify it for your own LoRa projects!