The dual-band Wi-Fi 6 nRF7002 is the first Wi-Fi chip announced by Nordic Semiconductor.

With the addition of Wi-Fi, Nordic's ultra-low-power wireless IoT product line now includes Bluetooth and cellular IoT.

Nordic Semiconductor today announced the launch of the nRF7002, an ultra-low power, dual-band Wi-Fi 6 companion IC, marking the company's debut into the Wi-Fi® wireless IoT market.

With the introduction, Nordic Semiconductor is now one of the few businesses in the world to provide products for Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi, and cellular IoT—the three most widely used wireless IoT technologies.

The nRF7002 is referred to as a "companion IC," which implies it is intended to work in tandem with Nordic's current products to offer seamless Wi-Fi connectivity and Wi-Fi-based location (SSID sniffing of nearby Wi-Fi hubs). These include the multiprotocol nRF52® and nRF53® Series Systems-on-Chip (SoCs) and the cellular nRF91® Series IoT Systems-in-Package (SiPs). Additionally, the nRF7002 may be utilized with non-Nordic host devices.

The nRF7002 was released in response to Nordic's 2020 acquisition of Imagination Technologies Group's development team, key Wi-Fi expertise, and Wi-Fi IP intellectual assets.

Wi-Fi 6's efficiency enhancements promote long-life, battery-powered wireless IoT operation, and Nordic Semiconductor brings decades of experience in ultra-low-power wireless IoT and silicon design to the standard with the nRF7002.

Wi-Fi is a crucial component of the Matter protocol for smart homes, which is supported by Apple, Amazon, Google, Samsung, and hundreds of other consumer IoT firms. Nordic will now support all three wireless protocols used in Matter by including Wi-Fi in its product lineup. Specifically: Thread for low-power mesh networking, Bluetooth LE for commissioning, and Wi-Fi for high-speed wireless applications.

According to Svein-Egil Nielsen, Nordic CTO/EVP of R&D and Strategy, "We were able to bring our first Wi-Fi IC to market very fast as a result of purchasing an exceptionally strong Wi-Fi team together with a portfolio of Wi-Fi assets that team had already built." The same development tools and nRF Connect SDK are used to create Nordic-based Wi-Fi 6 apps, making them just as easy to create as any other Nordic wireless IoT application.

Mike Davis, Nordic's Director of Wi-Fi Systems & Software, says, "The new Wi-Fi team's tireless effort deserves tremendous appreciation for enabling Nordic to introduce its first Wi-Fi product so quickly. "They were aware that Wi-Fi was the most often requested feature by Nordic clients. And they were aware that Nordic's clients need this right away. ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Nordic Semi nRF7002 key features specifications:

• Complies with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax
• 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz dual-band
• Wi-Fi 6 Station (STA)
• 1 Spatial Stream (SS)
• 20 MHz channel bandwidth
• 64 QAM (MCS7), 86 Mbps PHY throughput
• OFDMA (Downlink and Uplink)
• BSS coloring
• Co-existence interfaces, including Bluetooth LE
• Low-power and secure Wi-Fi for the IoT
• Target Wake Time (TWT)
• Host interface – SPI / QSPI
• Package – 6×6 mm QFN

 The nRF7002 is now being sampled, according to Nordic Semi, and customers who are interested may get in touch with their local Nordic distributor for additional information. On the product website or in the press release, you might be able to find a few more specifics. Additionally, the business will exhibit the nRF7002 during the next Nordic Tech Tours occurring in North America and EMEA.