nRF9161 DK Development kit

Cellular IoT development kit for LTE-M, NB-IoT, GNSS and DECT NR+

The nRF9161 DK is an affordable, pre-certified single board development kit for evaluation and development on the nRF9161 System-in-Package (SiP) for LTE-M, NB-IoT, GNSS and DECT NR+. It has a dedicated LTE-M, NB-IoT and DECT NR+ antenna that supports a wide range of bands to operate globally. The nRF9161 DK has the same coverage as the nRF9161 SiP. LTE bands B1-B5, B8, B12, B13, B17-B20, B25, B26, B28, B65, B66 and B85 are supported.

An integrated patch antenna for GNSS is also included on the PCB, while SWF RF connectors are available for measuring the performance of the RF signals. Both antenna connectors also allow for the use of external antennas.

All GPIOs and interfaces are available via connectors. The kit is Arduino Uno Rev3 compatible, meaning it can easily interface with external device shields, such as the nRF7002 EK, which can be used for Wi-Fi locationing. User-programmable LEDs and buttons (4 each) are available for output and input. 

The nRF9161 DK has both a nano/4FF SIM card slot and an MFF2 SIM footprint, to support plug-in and soldered (e)SIMs. The kit is shipped with a SIM card that is pre-loaded with free data. It also supports the use of Software SIM, further reducing power consumption.

Programming and debugging are enabled through the on-board SEGGER J-Link, which also supports programming and debugging external targets.

The nRF9161 DK is supported by a full suite of development software, tools and resources, including the Nordic Developer Academy’s Cellular IoT Fundamentals course. 

The nRF9161 DK comes pre-flashed with our Serial LTE Modem application for interfacing through AT Commands. Getting started with other firmware samples is available in the Quick Start tool, found in nRF Connect for Desktop. 

 

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Key features
  • Global LTE-M/NB-IoT antenna
  • GNSS antenna
  • Supports DECT NR+ 
  • Arduino Uno form factor
  • 4 LEDs user-programmable
  • 4 buttons user-programmable
  • SEGGER J-Link OB Debugger with debug out support
  • UART interface through VCOM port
  • USB connection for debug/programming and power
  • Bundled with a SIM card, preloaded with data
Documentation
Downloads

nRF9161 DK application and modem firmware

Selected version
nrf9161dk_mfw-2.0.2_sdk-2.8.0 [Latest version]

Changelog:

nrf9161dk_mfw-2.0.2_sdk-2.8.0 [Latest version]

Changelog:

  • Includes FW from nRF Connect SDK 2.8.0
  • Includes Modem Firmware v2.0.2

The following samples and applications are part of the package:

 

nrf9161dk_mfw-2.0.1_sdk-2.7.0

Changelog:

  • Includes FW from nRF Connect SDK 2.7.0
  • Includes Modem Firmware v2.0.1

The following samples and applications are part of the package:

 

nrf9161dk_mfw-2.0.1_sdk-2.6.1

Changelog:

  • Include the nRF Cloud multi-service sample
    • Enabled overlay_coap.conf and overlay-coap_nrf_provisioning.conf
  • Includes FW from nRF Connect SDK 2.6.1
  • Includes Modem Firmware v2.0.1

The following samples and applications are part of the package:

nrf9161dk_mfw-2.0.1_sdk-2.6.0

Changelog:

  • Include the nRF Cloud multi-service sample (Default settings)
  • Includes FW from nRF Connect SDK 2.6.0
  • Includes Modem Firmware v2.0.1

The following samples and applications are part of the package:

nrf9161dk_mfw-2.0.0_sdk-2.5.0

Changelog:

  • Includes FW from nRF Connect SDK 2.5.0
  • Includes Modem Firmware v2.0.0

The following samples and applications are part of the package:

nrf9161dk_mfw-2-0-0-BETA_sdk-2-5-0

First release for nRF9161DK

Changelog:

  • Includes FW from nRF Connect SDK 2.5.0
  • Includes Modem Firmware v2.0.0-77.beta

The following samples and applications are part of the package:

Hardware files

Selected version
1.0.0 Layout and BOM resources

Changelog:

1.0.0 Layout and BOM resources

  • Power supply changes:
    • Replaced 2 x nPM1100 with 1xnPM1300 PMIC
    • Added connection from PMIC to the debugger.
    • Voltage on the development board can be controlled through the Board Controller tool.
  • Reference layout for the nRF9161
    • FB3 has been added for extra filtering on the VDD2 line.
  • The SiP part number has been updated to nRF9161-LACAA0A.
  • Updated: 28.08.2024 .IntLib file w/ correct footprint

0.9.1 Layout and BOM resources

  • First release for nRF9161 

Board controller firmware

Selected version
v1.1.0 nRF91 firmware binaries

Changelog:

v1.1.0 nRF91 firmware binaries

Changelog:

  • First release for nRF9161DK v1.0.0

 

To update board controller on the nRF9161DK, download nrfutil and follow the README.txt in the .zip download file