Smart home
Low power wireless connectivity solutions for smart home
Nordic-powered Wi-Fi 6 module delivers high throughput, low power connectivity
Raytac’s AN7002Q module employs Nordic’s nRF7002 Companion IC to provide design flexibility for IoT application developers
IoT solutions company Raytac has launched a range of Wi-Fi modules designed to deliver high throughput, low power wireless connectivity for developers of Industrial IoT, smart home, healthcare, consumer electronics, and automotive products. The ‘AN7002Q’ series pre-certified modules integrate Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF7002 Wi-Fi 6 Companion IC, and are designed for use in tandem alongside Raytac’s existing Bluetooth® Low Energy (Bluetooth Le) ‘MDBT53’ series of modules, which use Nordic’s nRF5340 high-end multiprotocol System-on-Chip (SoC). Together the modules simplify development of dual Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE solutions.
Compact design
“Raytac designed the AN7002Q and MDBT53 as separate but compatible modules,” says Lyon Liu, President of Raytac. “This approach provides greater flexibility for customers, allowing them to maneuver and figure out the placement of the two modules to maximize RF performance. Furthermore, if customers implement our bundle and later decide to upgrade the Bluetooth LE module to one based on Nordic’s revolutionary nRF54 Series they can do so seamlessly, without further management.
“We have also pre-certified the module to the Wi-Fi Alliance and various global regulatory bodies saving both budget and time-to-market for designers and end users.”
The nRF7002’s compliance with several versions of Wi-Fi and its superb power efficiency made it the obvious option
Lyon Liu, President of Raytac
Measuring just 10.7 by 17.1 by 2.2 mm, the compact AN7002Q module offers three antenna options—u.FL connector, PCB antenna, and chip antenna—providing the developer with design flexibility depending on the range requirements of their application. The nRF7002 provides low-power, secure Wi-Fi for the IoT, offering dual-band (2.4 and 5 GHz) connectivity and a seamless interface with the nRF5340 SoC’s host Arm® Cortex®-M33 application processor on the MDBT53 series. The nRF7002 also supports Target Wake Time (TWT), a key Wi-Fi 6 power-saving feature.
Multiprotocol compatibility
The nRF5340 integrates dual Arm Cortex-M33 processors providing a high performance application processor alongside a fully programmable, ultra low power network processor. The SoC also incorporates Arm CryptoCell-312, Arm TrustZone® technology, and Secure Key Storage for the highest level of security. It incorporates a power-optimized multiprotocol 2.4 GHz radio with a TX current of 3.4 mA (0 dBm TX power, 3 V, DC/DC) and RX current of 2.7 mA (3 V, DC/DC). Sleep current is as low as 0.9 µA.
“The nRF7002’s compliance with several versions of Wi-Fi and its superb power efficiency made it the obvious option to choose as the IC for our AN7002Q module,” continues Liu. “Also the ample memory allocation of the nRF5340 SoC ensures smooth operation for dual Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE applications.
“The technical support and marketing assistance provided by Nordic were also crucial factors in our decision to work with Nordic solutions.”
