Swiss firm U-Blox has introduced a versatile Wifi 6 module for the mass market.

The Nora-W4 single-band Wifi 6 module is suitable for battery-operated devices in IoT applications such as smart home, asset tracking, healthcare and industrial automation.

It has a range of wireless technologies – Wifi 6, Bluetooth LE 5.3, Thread and Zigbee – and measures 10.4 by 14.3 by 1.9mm.

The single-band tri-radio module is built on the Espressif ESP32-C6 system-on-chip. It enables battery-powered IoT nodes to operate directly over wifi. This simplifies implementation and reduces system-level costs by limiting the need for a Bluetooth gateway, making it suitable for applications using wireless battery-operated sensors.

The Wifi 6 technology is optimised for IoT and reduces network congestion in environments such as factories, workplaces or warehouses, thereby improving throughput and reducing latency. Backwards compatible with Wifi 4, the module can also be used in cases where the wifi infrastructure has not been upgraded.

The module supports Matter, Thread, and Zigbee technologies that are designed for applications in the smart home environment. Consequently, it allows interoperability with other Matter smart home devices.

Designers can adapt the module to device size constraints. Its compatibility with other Nora modules is key to technology migration, such as transitioning from Wifi 4 to Wifi 6. In addition, the module has security features, including secure boot, trusted execution environment and flash encryption.

There are six variants: open CPU or U-ConnectXpress, antenna pin or PCB antenna, and either 4Mbyte or 8Mbyte flash memory. Early samples are available, with volume production scheduled for the second half of this year.

Headquartered in Thalwil, Switzerland, U-Blox (www.u-blox.com) employs 1400 experts.