CC2530 Zigbee Module
Mesh-networking Zigbee radio module for home-automation sensors.
The CC2530 is a system-on-chip combining an 8051 microcontroller core with a IEEE 802.15.4-compliant 2.4GHz radio, purpose-built for Zigbee mesh networking. Because the radio, MCU, and Zigbee protocol stack support all live on one chip, a CC2530 module can act as either a Zigbee coordinator, router, or end-device sensor node, letting DIY home-automation builds create self-healing mesh networks of battery-powered sensors that route data through each other back to a central hub.
Specifications
| Chipset | Texas Instruments CC2530 SoC (8051 core + IEEE 802.15.4 radio) |
| Frequency band | 2.4GHz ISM band, IEEE 802.15.4 / Zigbee |
| Operating voltage | 2.0V–3.6V DC (3.3V typical) |
| Operating current | ~24-29 mA RX, ~34 mA TX, µA-level in sleep modes |
| Flash / RAM | Common variants: 256KB flash / 8KB RAM (CC2530F256) |
| Range | ~30-100m line-of-sight depending on antenna and power amp variant; mesh routing extends effective network range further |
| Network role | Can function as Zigbee coordinator, router, or end-device depending on firmware |
| Interface | UART or SPI to a host microcontroller; standalone modules are usually flashed with a Zigbee stack (e.g. Z-Stack) and act autonomously on the mesh |
Pinout
| Pin | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VCC | Power, 3.3V DC |
| 2 | GND | Ground |
| 3 | TX | UART transmit, used for host communication or firmware flashing |
| 4 | RX | UART receive |
| 5 | RESET | Active-LOW reset pin |
| 6 | P0.x / P1.x / P2.x GPIO | General-purpose I/O pins broken out on most modules for sensors or debugging (count varies by board) |
| 7 | DD / DC (debug) | Debug data/clock pins used for flashing firmware via a CC-Debugger or compatible programmer |
Flashing a CC2530 with a Zigbee stack (like Z-Stack or the open-source zigbee2mqtt-compatible firmware) requires a dedicated CC-Debugger connected to the DD/DC debug pins — it cannot be programmed over plain UART like an Arduino. All I/O is strictly 3.3V; do not connect 5V logic directly.
Variants
For a budget Zigbee sensor mesh, the plain CC2530 is the cheapest entry point, while the CC2530+CC2591 variant is worth the small extra cost for a coordinator that needs to reach farther. If starting a new project from scratch, the newer CC2652P/R gives Zigbee 3.0 and multi-protocol support and is increasingly the recommended choice over the older CC2530.
| Variant | Temp range | Hum range | Accuracy | Protocol | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CC2530 bare module (with PCB antenna) | ~$2-5 | ||||
| CC2530 + CC2591 (power amplifier) | ~$4-8 | ||||
| CC2652P / CC2652R | ~$8-15 |