Nordic Semiconductor: Expanding nRF70® Series Wi-Fi 6 ICs

June 19, 2023 - Nordic Semiconductor, a leading provider of electronic components, has announced the expansion of its nRF70® series Wi-Fi 6 coexistence ICs with the introduction of the nRF7001™. This new addition offers a secure and low-power Wi-Fi 6 solution specifically designed for terminal products that require connectivity in the 2.4GHz frequency range. It complements the existing nRF7002™, which supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands. By utilizing the nRF7001, distributors can now provide their customers with a cost-effective alternative for designs that only need a single-frequency Wi-Fi connection, reducing the Bill of Materials (BoM) costs.

The nRF70 series Wi-Fi 6 coexistence ICs are known for their robust and secure low-power Wi-Fi connections. Additionally, they offer Wi-Fi assisted positioning based on Service Set Identifiers (SSIDs). These ICs are designed to be compatible with Nordic System-on-Chips (SoCs) and System-in-Package (SiP) products, including the award-winning nRF52® and nRF53® series multi-protocol SoCs, as well as the nRF9160™ cellular IoT (LTE-M/NB-IoT) SiP. Furthermore, they can also be used with non-Nordic host devices, providing flexibility for their customers.

Ioannis Glaropoulos, Technical Product Manager at Nordic Semiconductor, explained the benefits of the nRF7001, stating, "The nRF7001 perfectly complements the nRF7002 by offering a single-frequency solution that can directly replace dual-frequency coexistence ICs for products operating solely in the 2.4GHz band. With the nRF7001, we aim to provide highly reliable 2.4GHz connectivity along with all the Wi-Fi capabilities of the nRF7002, including compliance with the latest standards and power-saving features, at a more affordable cost. When combined with the Nordic nRF52840 as the host processor, the nRF7001 delivers a cost-effective and high-performance Wi-Fi solution."

The nRF7001 coexistence IC supports various Wi-Fi operations such as Station (STA), Software-based Access Point (SoftAP), and Wi-Fi Direct. It complies with IEEE 802.11b, g, n ("Wi-Fi 4"), and ax ("Wi-Fi 6") standards, ensuring broad compatibility. Moreover, it coexists seamlessly with other wireless technologies like Bluetooth® Low Energy, Thread, and Zigbee, enabling versatile applications. Notably, the nRF7001 incorporates a key Wi-Fi 6 power-saving feature called Target Wake Time (TWT), which can be connected to the nRF52840 or another host processor through Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) or Quad SPI (QSPI). With features like single spatial stream, 20 MHz channel bandwidth, 64 QAM (MCS7), OFDMA, and up to 86 Mbps PHY throughput, as well as BSS coloring, the nRF7001 offers excellent performance.

To facilitate the development process, Nordic provides the nRF Connect SDK, a comprehensive software development kit that simplifies the integration of their wireless devices into products. Designers can quickly start their nRF7001-based projects using this scalable SDK. For product development using the nRF7001, designers can utilize the nRF7002 Development Kit (DK) for simulation purposes since the nRF Connect SDK supports emulating the nRF7001 IC on this kit. By leveraging the nRF7001 coexistence IC, the nRF7002 DK, and the nRF Connect SDK, designers can effortlessly incorporate 2.4GHz Wi-Fi functionality into their products. This allows for seamless connectivity to Nordic's cloud services and enables efficient communication with other devices over Wi-Fi networks.