RAK5802 WisBlock RS485 Interface Module — Modbus Bridge for LoRaWAN & IoT

New product, shipping starts 8 april. 

Connect industrial RS485/Modbus sensors to your WisBlock IoT project. The RAK5802 is a WisBlock interface module that adds an industry-standard RS485 serial port to any WisBlock base board. Bridge the gap between industrial sensors — soil moisture, wind speed, water quality, energy meters — and your LoRaWAN or Meshtastic network.

Based on the 3PEAK TP8485E RS485 transceiver, the module plugs into a WisBlock IO slot and is supported by ready-to-use Arduino libraries and example code. Low power consumption makes it ideal for battery-powered field deployments.

Key Features

• RS485 to serial converter — standard RS485 half-duplex interface for Modbus RTU and other industrial protocols
• 18kV ESD protection — robust against electrostatic discharge, essential for industrial and outdoor installations
• Low power consumption — designed for battery-powered IoT nodes. The WisBlock system can power down the module completely when not in use
• Battery and 3.3V output — built-in power output to supply connected RS485 sensors directly from the WisBlock
• I2C interface — additional I2C connection available on the crimping terminal
• Plug-and-play WisBlock format — slides into an IO slot on any WisBlock base board (RAK19007, RAK19003, RAK19001)
• Based on 3PEAK TP8485E — reliable, industry-proven RS485 transceiver IC

Use Cases

• Smart agriculture — connect RS485 soil moisture, soil pH, soil EC, or weather sensors to a WisBlock LoRaWAN node and transmit data wirelessly over long distances
• Environmental monitoring — bridge industrial-grade water quality, air quality, or wind speed sensors to a LoRa mesh or LoRaWAN network
• Energy metering — read Modbus-compatible energy meters remotely via LoRa
• Building automation — integrate RS485-based HVAC, lighting, or access control systems into an IoT dashboard
• Industrial IoT — any application where you need to read data from RS485/Modbus sensors and transmit it wirelessly

How It Works

The RAK5802 plugs into the IO slot of a WisBlock base board. Combined with a WisBlock Core module (like the RAK4631 for LoRa/BLE or RAK3312 for ESP32-S3), it creates a wireless bridge between RS485 sensors and your IoT network. Wire your Modbus sensor to the RAK5802's terminal, upload the example code, and your sensor data flows over LoRaWAN, LoRa point-to-point, or BLE to your gateway or application.

RAKwireless provides ready-to-use Arduino example code for common applications including soil monitoring, wind speed, and PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) measurement.

Compatible With

• All WisBlock base boards with an IO slot (RAK19007, RAK19003, RAK19001, RAK19010)
• WisBlock Core modules: RAK4631 (nRF52 + LoRa), RAK3312 (ESP32-S3 + LoRa), RAK11200 (ESP32), RAK11300 (RP2040)
• Any RS485/Modbus RTU sensor or actuator

Specs

• Interface: RS485 half-duplex (1 port)
• Transceiver IC: 3PEAK TP8485E
• ESD protection: 18kV
• Power output: Battery voltage + 3.3V for sensors
• Additional interface: I2C on crimping terminal
• WisBlock slot: IO slot
• Form factor: Standard WisBlock IO module (25 × 35 mm)
• Product code: RAK5802

What's in the Box

• 1 × RAK5802 WisBlock RS485 Interface Module

Pair It With

• WisBlock Meshtastic Starter Kit (from €27.99) — add the RAK5802 to create a wireless RS485 sensor node
• WisMesh RAK3312 Starter Kit (from €28.75) — ESP32-S3 based core with WiFi support for MQTT integration

Documentation

Full technical documentation, quick start guide, and example code are available at the RAKwireless Documentation Center.