Adafruit
Adafruit FONA 808 - Mini Cellular GSM + GPS Breakout
All Products
Breakouts
New Arrivals
Adafruit
Brands and Manufacturers
LoRa & Cellular Modules
Wireless & Connectivity
Connectivity
$97.45
|
Only 1 left
The Adafruit FONA 808 combines 2G cellular connectivity with integrated GPS tracking in a compact 1.75 × 1.6-inch breakout. Built around the SIM808 module wi...
Estimated Delivery
Arrives
Disclaimer
Secure checkout
The Adafruit FONA 808 combines 2G cellular connectivity with integrated GPS tracking in a compact 1.75 × 1.6-inch breakout. Built around the SIM808 module with an MT3337 GPS chipset, it provides voice calling, SMS, GPRS data, and GPS geolocation — all controlled over a single serial port via AT commands.
The GPS module offers significantly better performance than the FONA 3G's GPS, with −165 dBm tracking sensitivity, 22 tracking / 66 acquisition channels, and a 32-second cold start. The board includes LiPo battery charging, level shifting (2.8–5 V logic), a TRRS headphone jack, vibration motor driver, and uFL antenna connectors for both GSM and GPS antennas.
Key Features
- SIM808 Quad-Band GSM + GPS – 850/900/1800/1900 MHz 2G + integrated MT3337 GPS
- Voice, SMS, and Data – Make/receive calls, send/receive SMS, GPRS data (TCP/IP, HTTP)
- LiPo Battery Charging – On-board charger via Micro-USB; requires 500 mAh+ battery
- Level Shifting – Works with 2.8–5 V logic levels
- uFL Antenna Connectors – Separate uFL ports for GSM and GPS antennas
- TRRS Headphone Jack – Standard 4-pole jack for Android/iPhone-compatible headsets
- Speaker + Mic Breakouts – Pads for external 32 Ω speaker and electret microphone
- Vibration Motor Driver – PWM/buzzer output for silent notifications
- Standard SIM Slot – Accepts a 2G mini SIM card
- AT Command Interface – Auto baud detection; controllable via UART from any 3–5 V microcontroller
GPS Specifications
- Channels: 22 tracking / 66 acquisition
- Signal: GPS L1 C/A code
- Tracking Sensitivity: −165 dBm
- Cold Start Sensitivity: −147 dBm
- TTFF Cold Start: ~32 s typical
- TTFF Warm Start: ~5 s typical
- TTFF Hot Start: ~1 s typical
- Accuracy: ~2.5 m
Also Available
- FONA 808 Shield – GSM + GPS for Arduino (shield form factor)
- FONA 800 Shield (without GPS)
- FONA Mini Cellular GSM Breakout – uFL Version (without GPS)
- FONA 3G – European Version (3G + GPS)
Required Accessories (Not Included)
- 2G mini SIM card
- LiPo battery – 500 mAh or larger
- Micro-USB cable for charging
- External uFL GSM antenna
- External uFL passive GPS antenna
Ideal For
- GPS asset tracking and geolocation with cellular reporting
- IoT projects requiring 2G data + GPS
- Voice and SMS-enabled embedded devices
- Remote monitoring and telemetry
Package Contents
- 1× Adafruit FONA 808 Mini Cellular GSM + GPS Breakout
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- baud
- Baud is the signalling rate of a serial connection, often used as the speed setting for UART communication. Matching the baud rate matters because both connected devices must use the same setting for readable data.
- breakout
- A breakout is a small circuit board that makes a tiny or hard-to-solder component easier to connect to with standard pins. It matters because this OLED module can be wired into a microcontroller project without needing to solder directly to the display’s fine contacts.
- GPS
- The US satellite navigation system used by GNSS receivers to calculate position and time. Support for GPS is important because it is widely available and often used together with other constellations for more reliable positioning.
- IoT
- Short for Internet of Things, meaning physical devices that connect to networks or the internet to send data or be controlled remotely. It matters if you want projects such as connected sensors, remote controls or classroom data-logging activities.
- LiPo
- A lithium polymer rechargeable battery commonly used in portable electronics projects. It matters because LiPo batteries need correct charging circuitry and care, and this board includes hardware intended for that battery type.
- microcontroller
- A microcontroller is a small computer on a chip that runs your program and controls connected inputs and outputs. For this product, it is the part that reads buttons and sensors, drives the display and speaker, and communicates over Bluetooth.
- motor driver
- An electronic circuit that lets a low-power controller switch and control a motor that needs more current than the controller pins can safely provide. Checking motor driver support matters because pumps and motors usually cannot be connected directly to a microcontroller output.
- PWM
- Pulse Width Modulation is a way for a digital pin to simulate variable output power by switching on and off very quickly. It matters for controlling things like LED brightness, motor speed, or servo-style signals from a microcontroller pin.
- Shield
- An add-on board that plugs into a main controller board to give it extra features such as sensing, motor control or communication. Knowing a product supports shields helps you judge whether it can connect neatly into an existing maker-board setup.
- UART
- UART is a simple serial connection that sends data over separate transmit and receive wires, often labelled TX and RX. It matters because this module is designed to replace a wired UART cable with a wireless link while keeping the same serial data format.
Find this product in
Brands
Connectivity
Related Tutorials
Free guides on learn.littlebird.com.au
