Nordic's nRF9161 SiP and DK Add Additional LTE Bands and Reduce Power Consumption

Nordic Semiconductor has announced the availability of their updated nRF91 system in package (SiP) and development kit. Developers can use these cellular-based devices to enable IoT products to connect to LTE-M, NB-IoT, and DECT NR+ networks.

The nRF9161 SiP is an iteration of the existing nRF9160. This commonality means the new SiP contains nRF9160 features like an Arm Cortex-M33 application processor with 1 MB of flash, 245 KB of RAM, and Arm TrustZone technology. That core has generic interfaces like SPI, I2C, UART, PWM, and a 12-bit ADC. The SiP also contains a GNSS receiver, full LTE modem, RF Front End (RFFE), and power management system.

Nordic's newer nRF9161 extends support for global coverage by adding the B65 and B85 LTE bands. It also adds support for DECT NR+, a non-5G cellular protocol. Nordic says DECT NR+ can enable long-range, scalable mesh applications.

Another improvement is power savings. The nRF9161 has updated firmware that reduces the modem's power consumption. Nordic says that in addition to Power Saving Mode (PSM) for roaming, the nRF9161 saves power with a PSM-like sleep mode when connected to networks that do not support PSM.

You can get started with the nRF9161 SiP with the nRF9161 DK. This pre-certified development kit contains the SiP, antennas for cellular and GNSS, SWF connectors for measurements, SIM options, and onboard SEGGER J-link for programming and debugging.

The nRF9161 DK ships with a SIM card pre-loaded with free data. Other SIM options include a built-in nano/4FF SIM card slot, a footprint to plug in or solder (e)SIMs, or support for Software SIMs.

If you want to add Wi-Fi 6 capability to the nRF9161 DK, Nordic's nRF7002 EK (evaluation kit) connects to the Arduino Uno-style pin headers. This evaluation kit has a dual-band nRF7002 Wi-Fi 6 companion IC. It can also emulate the SSID location-only nRF7000 IC.

Nordic's nRF Connect for Desktop includes a Quick Start tool and support in the nRF Connect SDK. The SDK also includes examples of the nRF91 connected to an nRF70 chip.

Both products are now available for shipment from electronics distributors, including Avnet which has stock and lists the nRF9161-DK for $128.77. Check out this nRF9161 DK product page for more information on the design kit and links to the SiP.