--- title: Announcing the Blues Wireless for OPTA Expansion description: Add wireless connectivity to your micro PLC projects with the new Blues Wireless for OPTA—available today! source_url: https://dev.blues.io/blog/announcing-blues-opta-expansion/ canonical_url: https://dev.blues.io/blog/announcing-blues-opta-expansion/ markdown_url: https://dev.blues.io/blog/announcing-blues-opta-expansion.md --- # Announcing the Blues Wireless for OPTA Expansion ![Announcing the Blues Wireless for OPTA Expansion banner](https://dev.blues.io/images/blog/posts/announcing-blues-opta-expansion/banner.jpg?v=6601974f) September 4, 2024 ## Add wireless connectivity to your micro PLC projects with the new Blues Wireless for OPTA—available today! - [Announcement](https://dev.blues.io/blog/tag/announcement) [![TJ VanToll](https://dev.blues.io/images/blog/authors/tj-vantoll.jpg?v=c3d7f336)](https://dev.blues.io/blog/author/tj-vantoll/) [TJ VanTollPrincipal Developer Advocate](https://dev.blues.io/blog/author/tj-vantoll/) Today is a big day at Blues, as we’re releasing the [Wireless for OPTA](https://blues.com/wireless-for-plc/), an expansion module that can quickly add cellular connectivity to any Arduino OPTA PLC. ![A Wireless for OPTA connected to an Arduino OPTA](https://dev.blues.io/images/blog/posts/announcing-blues-opta-expansion/combo.png?v=8624097a) In this article we’ll break down what this new hardware does in detail, and how you can get started building with it today. ## What is the Arduino OPTA? Made by our friends at Arduino, the [Arduino OPTA](https://docs.arduino.cc/hardware/opta/) is a secure, easy-to-use micro PLC with industrial IoT capabilities. Designed for flexibility and ease of integration, the OPTA is an ideal platform for deploying connected IoT solutions that enable real-time monitoring, cloud connectivity, and a myriad of edge AI scenarios. ![The OPTA Lite](https://dev.blues.io/images/blog/posts/announcing-blues-opta-expansion/arduino-opta.png?v=ce7bb195) The Arduino OPTA comes in three flavors, providing either Ethernet, Bluetooth, or WiFi capabilities—but none of the OPTAs have a built-in way of providing cellular- or LoRa-based connectivity. That’s where we at Blues come in. ## What is the Blues Wireless for OPTA? A year in the making, the Blues Wireless for OPTA is an expansion module that can quickly add cellular capability to any Arduino OPTA PLC (powered by the Notecard and Notehub!). ![The Blues Wireless for OPTA](https://dev.blues.io/images/blog/posts/announcing-blues-opta-expansion/opta-expansion.png?v=bf2f66d5) More specifically, the Wireless for OPTA offers: - Cellular communication powered by the Notecard (LTE Cat 1 North America or LTE Cat 1 EMEA) including 500 MB of data and 10-years of service with no activation fees or monthly commitments. (For the cellular version.) - LoRa communication powered by the Notecard and The Things Network. (For the LoRa version.) - Network backhaul via [Blues Notehub](https://dev.blues.io/notehub.md), with support for AWS, Azure, GCP and [dozens of other cloud services](https://dev.blues.io/notehub/notehub-walkthrough.md#available-route-types). - [Power outage detection](https://dev.blues.io/quickstart/wireless-for-opta-quickstart.md#power-outage-detection) and notification via an integrated lithium-ion capacitor. - A communication test button and Neopixel for connectivity status. - An external SIM slot for bringing your own cellular connectivity. ![A list of features of the Blues Wireless for OPTA](https://dev.blues.io/images/blog/posts/announcing-blues-opta-expansion/features.png?v=2f120cb9) ## How do the two work together? The Arduino OPTA connects to the Blues expansion with a standard AUX connector (it’s at easy as connecting two LEGO pieces), and the Arduino OPTA uses that connection to communicate with the expansion’s Notecard via I2C. ![A Blues Wireless for OPTA connected to an Arduino OPTA](https://dev.blues.io/images/blog/posts/announcing-blues-opta-expansion/combo.png?v=8624097a) Once connected, you can leverage either the [Arduino IoT Cloud SDK](https://www.hackster.io/tjvantoll/bringing-arduino-cloud-to-every-device-with-blues-notecard-a666f7) or the [note-arduino library](https://dev.blues.io/tools-and-sdks/firmware-libraries/arduino-library.md) to configure the Notecard and its backhaul. With everything connected, this workflow allows you to add seamless cellular or LoRa connectivity to your PLC-based applications. ![A typical Blues Wireless for OPTA application](https://dev.blues.io/images/hardware/opta-expansion/opta-typical-application.png?v=f7df9f1d) ## How do you get started? New today in our shop is the [Blues Wireless for OPTA Bundle](https://shop.blues.com/products/wireless-for-opta-bundle?utm_source=dev-blues\&utm_medium=web\&utm_campaign=store-link), a kit that includes both an Arduino OPTA Lite and a Blues OPTA Expansion at a temporarily discounted price of $299. *Note: Only the cellular expansion is currently available. The LoRa-based expansion will be available in our shop in the near future.* Once you have your hardware, we have a [comprehensive new quickstart tutorial](https://dev.blues.io/quickstart/wireless-for-opta-quickstart.md) that will guide you through connecting your hardware and building your first project. If you have any questions along the way, our [community forum](https://discuss.blues.com/) is a great place to reach out and let us know. We can’t wait to see what you build!