Introduction of the nRF7000 Wi-Fi Companion IC
Nordic Semiconductor, a leader in IoT wireless solutions, has announced the launch of its innovative nRF7000 Wi-Fi companion IC. This marks a significant milestone as Nordic becomes the world’s first sole supplier to offer a comprehensive silicon-to-cloud locationing solution. The nRF7000, a low-power Wi-Fi 6 chip, is optimized for network scanning across both 2.4- and 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands and, when paired with Nordic’s nRF91 Series cellular IoT system-in-package (SiP), enables SSID-based Wi-Fi locationing.
Enhanced Locationing Capabilities
Nordic’s SSID-based Wi-Fi locationing technology provides efficient and accurate location fixes indoors and outdoors, including urban and suburban environments. This method, which scans nearby Wi-Fi access points, is especially effective in areas with signal fading or interruptions. This technology is more power-efficient than GNSS and nearly as efficient as cellular-based locationing, offering a unique balance between power consumption and location precision.
Optimized for Low Power and Precision
The nRF7000 IC is specifically optimized for ultra-low power Wi-Fi SSID scanning without supporting data communication via Wi-Fi. This optimization enables Nordic’s Wi-Fi locationing formula to achieve a balance between power consumption and location accuracy.
Comprehensive Solutions and Support
Kjetil Holstad, EVP for strategy and product management at Nordic Semiconductor, highlights the company’s commitment to low-power wireless technology and the fusion of Wi-Fi, cellular, and GNSS capabilities in the nRF91 Series SiP. This integration streamlines the development process, saving time and resources.
Single Development Environment
Nordic’s SSID-based Wi-Fi locationing solution is supported by the nRF Connect SDK, a unified software development environment. Paired with Nordic’s nRF Cloud Services, the SDK facilitates over-the-air updates and ensures secure and reliable update procedures. Ville-Veikko Helppi, product director of cloud solutions at Nordic Semiconductor, emphasizes the convenience of a one-stop-shop solution for developers.
Hardware Availability and Developer Support
The nRF9160 SiP and nRF7000 IC together create a compact and power-efficient solution for Wi-Fi, cellular IoT, and GNSS locationing. To aid developers, Nordic has launched the nRF7002 Evaluation Kit (EK) in an Arduino shield form factor, compatible with the nRF9160 Development Kit (DK). The nRF7000 Wi-Fi Companion IC and the nRF7002 EK are currently available through Nordic’s distribution partners.
