2.4 GHz transceiver — what it is, what it does
The Texas Instruments CC2500-RTR1 is a low-power 2.4 GHz RF transceiver (TxRx Only) designed for the ISM band above 1 GHz. It handles modulation formats 2FSK, GFSK, MSK, and OOK, making it suitable for proprietary and standard protocols like Zigbee or BLE at data rates up to 500 kBaud. The part is controlled entirely through an SPI interface, so the host MCU handles the protocol stack — this is a radio front-end, not a full wireless SoC.
Receiver sensitivity and link budget
Sensitivity is -104 dBm at 2.4 GHz.
Current draw and power budget
Transmit current is 11.1 mA to 21.5 mA; receive current is 13.3 mA to 19.6 mA.
marks the CC2500-RTR1 as Active — no end-of-life or last-time-buy risk for current designs. The base part number CC2500 is a long-running TI product line, so supply continuity is stable.