NEWRACOM NRC7394 WiFi HaLow SoC delivers higher power efficiency and cost-effectiveness

NEWRACOM has just introduced the NRC7394 Wi-Fi HaLow Arm Cortex-M3 SoC with higher power efficiency and lower cost than the previous generation NRC7292 Cortex-M3/M0 HaLow SoC and available in a 6x6mm package.

I first wrote about the 802.11ah standard in 2014. Also known as the WiFi HaLow (consumers name), it operates in the 900 MHz band, offers a longer range and lower power consumption for items like IP cameras, and the first products came to market in 2021. I was expecting a flood of new WiFi HaLow devices in 2022 in my year 2021 round-up and it was not exactly a prescient prediction as it never happened. But maybe the new NRC7394 SoC will help make WiFi HaLow devices more popular by lowering the costs and further improving battery life.

NEWRACOM NRC7394 key features:

• CPU – Arm Cortex-M3 core @ 32 MHz for IEEE 802.11ah WLAN and application
• Connectivity
  • Full IEEE 802.11ah (Wi-Fi HaLow) compatibility with enhanced performance
  • 1, 2, and 4 MHz channels within a frequency range of 750-950 Mhz
  • Range up to 1.5km
• Package – 6x6mm

NEWRACOM says the NRC7394 will be integrated into IoT devices for the Smart Home, Building Automation, Smart City, Smart Grid, Healthcare, Surveillance, Drones, and more. The Arm Cortex-M3 core in the chip is used both to handle the 802.11ah radio and the user application, so an external microcontroller or microprocessor is not needed and further lowers the cost and power consumption of the designs based o the new chip.

We have limited information about software support and development kit, but it should be using the same SDK as the NRC7292 available on GitHub as references to NRC7394 show up in the code. Evaluation kits are said to be available now, but no details have been shared publicly. A company representative told CNX Software the NRF7394 EVK is comprised of the following items:

• NRC7394 EVB (NRM7394 module mounted)
• Raspberry Pi 4 board
• SD card with Linux OS, NRC7394 firmware, Wi-Fi driver, and scripts
• DC 12V (1.5A) Power Adaptor
• Antenna
• mini-B cable

There’s no product page just yet, so most information was obtained from the press release and a few extra details by email communication.

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