This board supports Wirepas Connectivity Suite for 5G mesh networking.
Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF9160 is a highly integrated System-in-Package (SiP) with an integrated multimode wireless modem for LTE-M, NB-IoT, and GNSS. This device is pre-certified for global operation and allows designers access to the latest LTE technology for a wide range of applications.
The nRF9160 integrates an Arm Cortex-M33 application processor supported by 1 MB of flash and 256 KB RAM, multimode LTE-M/NB-IoT/GNSS modem, RF front-end (RFFE), and power management system in a 10 x 16 x 1.04 mm package, making it the most compact solution for cellular IoT on the market. The device also includes power saving features, including including eDRX and PSMm for power-efficient operation.
To ensure the most secure IoT, Nordic’s SiP includes Arm TrustZone technology for isolation and protection of firmware and elements of hardware, including memory and peripherals. Arm CryptoCell further enhances security by offering cryptographic and security resources to help protect your IoT from attacks.
The nRF9160 has built-in support for nRF cloud location services that provide GNSS and LTE location support with assisted GPS, predicted GPS, single-cell, and multi-cell location services. The device also supports both SIM and eSIM for connection and authentication with mobile network operators. A full list of specifications can be found in this product brief.
The nRF9160 DK is an affordable, pre-certified single-board development kit for evaluating the nRF9160 SiP. Included in the kit is an nRF52840 board controller that, for example, can be used to build a Bluetooth LE gateway. All GPIOs and interfaces are available via connectors, and Arduino Uno Rev3 compatibility means that the kit can be easily interfaced with external shields.
A dedicated LTE-M and NB-IoT antenna supports a wide range of bands for global operation. A second antenna for GNSS, and another for 2.4 GHz, are included on the board. SWF RF connectors are available for the LTE-M/NB-IoT and 2.4 GHz antennas, and an external GNSS antenna can also be connected.
The board features 4 user-programmable LEDs, 2 buttons, 2 switches, and both a 4FF SIM card slot and an MFF2 SIM footprint, to support both plug-in and soldered (e)SIMs. The kit comes bundled with an eSIM card from iBasis preloaded with 10 MB.
The nRF9160 DK is supported by a full suite of development software and tools, including nRF Connect SDK, for getting started with development, and nRF Cloud, Nordic’s cloud solution. This software is free to download and use commercially.
Further details about this evaluation/development platform can be found in this development kit product brief. If you have a commercial application and would like to test the nRF9160, please fill out the form below, specifying whether you are pairing it with Wirepas Connectivity Suite.
