Raspberry Pi, the company best known for its single-board computers, just revealed its first standalone Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radio module. The new Raspberry Pi Radio Module 2 can add wireless capabilities to embedded electronics, and it’s available now for just $4.
The Raspberry Pi Radio Module 2 uses the same Infineon CYW43439 radio used on Raspberry Pi Pico W and Pico 2 W boards. It’s primarily built for hardware using Raspberry Pi’s own RP2040 and RP2350 microcontrollers, but it could be adapted to other hardware that supports the SPI host interface.
The module supports single-band 2.4GHz Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) and Bluetooth 5.2, the latter of which includes standard Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy. That’s definitely not the cutting edge of wireless networking—we’re up toWi-Fi 7now–but it’s enough to get online or communicate with local devices.
Raspberry Pi said in its blog post, “Its compact 16.5mm × 14.5mm form factor and minimal external component requirements (just a host CPU and power) drive down mass-production costs. And, like all our recent Raspberry Pi computers, Radio Module 2 comes with full modular certification, making it an ideal choice for designers who wish to avoid the tricky and expensive radio certification process.”
Importantly, the Radio Module 2 isn’t something most people would buy as a standalone product. It’s a chip designed to be used in embedded hardware and hobbyist projects that need low-cost wireless connectivity. PicoGUS creator Ian Scottpointed out on Blueskythat it’s a great option for projects based around the older Raspberry Pi Pico W and Pico 2 W, such asBlueSCSIandPicoMEM. It’s already integrated into “a number of partner products,” including theSparkFun Thing Plus RP2350andPimoroni Pico Plus 2 W.
If there’s a tech device that needs basic Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support, it could end up using the Radio Module 2. You probably wouldn’t have a need to buy one on its own, though.
