The HiHope_NearLink_DK_WS63E_V03 is a low-power NearLink dev board built around the HiHope HH-SPARK-WS63E module, which features the HiSilicon NearLink WS63E SoC with 2.4GHz Wi-Fi 6, BLE 5.2, and SparkLink (SLE) 1.0 support. It’s designed for Smart Home and AIoT applications requiring low power and high security.
The NearLink WS63E SoC features a 240MHz 32-bit CPU, 606KB SRAM, and a 4MB flash. The board exposes various interfaces like SPI, QSPI, I2C, UART, ADC, PWM, and GPIOs through GPIO headers. Security features include hardware AES, RSA, ECC, and FIPS140-2-compliant RNG. Target applications include Smart Home appliances, wearables, medical monitoring, industrial testing, energy management, and Smart Agriculture.
HiHope NearLink_DK_WS63E specifications:
- SoC – HiSilicon NearLink WS63E
- 32-bit microprocessor up to 240 MHz
- 606 KB SRAM, 300 KB ROM
- 4MB embedded Flash
- Wireless (2.4GHz)
- Wi-Fi
- IEEE 802.11b/g/n/ax (ch1–ch14), 20/40MHz (n), 20MHz (ax)
- Data rates: up to 150 Mbps (HT40), 114.7 Mbps (HE20)
- MAC: 802.11d/e/i/k/v/w; Features: A-MPDU, A-MSDU, Block ACK, QoS, STBC, LDPC, RF self-calibration, radar detection
- Security: WPA/WPA2/WPA3-Personal, WPS 2.0
- Modes: STA, AP (6 clients), Sniffer
- Integrated: PA, LNA, TX/RX switch, RF balun
- Bluetooth LE
- BLE 4.0 to 5.2; PHY: 125Kbps, 500Kbps, 1Mbps, 2Mbps
- BLE Mesh, BLE Gateway, multicast, Class 1
- Output power: up to 20 dBm
- SparkLink Low Energy (SLE)
- SLE 1.0 support
- Frequencies: 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz
- Max air rate: 12 Mbps
- Polar channel coding
- Supports SLE Gateway
- Antennas
- Onboard PCB antenna
- u.FL connector for external SLE antenna (optional)
- u.FL connector for the radar external antenna
- Wi-Fi
- USB – 1x USB Type-C port for power and programming
- Expansion – 12-pin and 16-pin GPIO headers with SPI, I2C, I2s, UART, G{IO ADC and PWM
- Security
- Hardware support for AES-128/256, SHA256, HMAC, RSA, ECC
- TLS/DTLS hardware acceleration
- True random number generator
- National crypto support: SM2, SM3, SM4
- EFUSE for secure boot and hardware ID
- MPU for memory isolation
- Misc
- User and reset button
- Power LED
- Status LED (Tri-color)
- Power Input – 5V
- Dimensions – 53 x 22.8 mm
- Temperature Range – -40°C to +85°C
I first found out about this development board on Youyeetoo’s website, where it’s listed as the HH-D02 NearLink Dev Board. However, a closer look at the back of the board mentions “HOPERUN HiHope_NearLink_DK_WS63E_V03”. This means that while Youyeetoo mentions it as HH-D02, the board is officially developed by Hoperun under the HiHope brand, and its proper model designation appears to be DK_WS63E_V03. I also found a product listing under the HiHope website, but at the time of writing, the page is empty. Youyeetoo provides some documentation, which is available on Google Drive.
This low-power NearLink dev board can be programmed with Hispark Studio compiler, which supports an OpenHarmony-based operating system with efficient, secure, and real-time performance. A dedicated SDK is available for application development, and firmware can be downloaded via UART. More information about software support, the setup process, and example code can be found on the CSDN blog.
This is the first time I have heard about NearLink and SparkLink technology, so let’s break it down to simplify things. NearLink is a China-led wireless standard developed to overcome the limitations of traditional standards like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi in smart IoT applications. It combines the low-power, low-latency design of Bluetooth and the high bandwidth and reliability of Wi-Fi.
SparkLink is the core protocol stack behind NearLink and is divided into two types — SparkLink Low Energy (SLE) for ultra-low-power devices like wearables and sensors, and SparkLink Basic (SLB) for high-speed, high-reliability applications such as industrial control and real-time video transmission. Together, it’s a low-latency communication framework designed for future smart home, industrial, and AIoT applications.
This is not the first development board that has support for OpenHarmony OS, as we have written about the HiSilicon Hi3861V100 32-bit RISC-V MCU-based Big Brother board with edge connector, built-in sensors, NFC connectivity, and a 0.96-inch OLED display for learning and prototyping with the OpenHarmony ecosystem.
The HiHope_NearLink_DK_WS63E_V03, or as Youyeetoo calls it, HH-D02 NearLink dev board, can be purchased from the Youyeetoo store for $7.10. We were unable to find this specific board on AliExpress, but the CDEBYTE E105-BS21-TB showed up for about $8 with a BS21 Nearlink chip supporting the SPE protocol stack, and it’s also listed on Amazon, albeit unavailable there.
Debashis Das is a technical content writer and embedded engineer with over five years of experience in the industry. With expertise in Embedded C, PCB Design, and SEO optimization, he effectively blends difficult technical topics with clear communication
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