Raspberry Pi has just announced the general availability of the Radio Module 2 (RM2) wireless module with WiFi 4 and Bluetooth LE connectivity for $4.
The Raspberry Pi RM2 wireless module was already available to some select partners, which explains why the Raspberry Pi RM2 was found in the Pimoroni Pico Plus 2 W and SparkFun Thing Plus – RP2350 since the end of last year. The latest announcement just means it’s available to anybody, and documentation like the datasheet has been released publicly.
Raspberry Pi Radio Module 2 (RM2) specifications:
- Chipset – Infineon CYW43439 combo chip
- 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 4 (802.11b/g/n) up to 96 Mbps PHY rate, support for 20 MHz channels
- Bluetooth 5.2 Classic and LE
- SISO (Single Input, Single Output) configuration (1×1)
- Castellated edge pads
- 3x GPIO
- gSPI (general SPI) interface to Raspberry Pi microcontroller using PIO
- Power On/Reset pins
- Antenna – Shared 2.4 GHz antenna for both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth signals
- Misc
- Integrated internal PA and LNA for signal range and reliability.
- RF shield to reduce EMI and protect RF integrity
- Supply Voltage
- Core power supply – 3.0 V to 4.8 V; 3.3V default
- IO power supply – 1.8V or 3.3V (default)
- Power consumption
- IEEE Power Save PM1 DTIM1 average rate 1 – 1.19 mA
- Receive active rate MCS7 (at –50 dBm) – 43 mA
- Transmit active rate MCS7 (at 16 dBm) – 271 mA
- Dimensions – 16.5 x 14.5mm
- Temperature Range – −30°C to +70°C
- Certifications – Modular wireless certification (region-specific) for simplified compliance with regulatory requirements.
The Radio Module 2 is fully compatible with the Raspberry Pi Pico W and Pico 2 W SDK, which may be an advantage over cheaper ESP32 series of modules, although those are already well supported by the ESP-IDF framework, the Arduino IDE, MicroPython, and so on. Espressif Systems wireless MCUs can be used in standalone mode or as a coprocessor similar to the RM2 using the ESP Hosted firmware. I’m not convinced firmware support is that big of an advantage. Time will tell whether the Radio Module 2 becomes popular in new RP2xxx boards.
The datasheet also provides more details about the Raspberry Pi Radio Module 2 nomenclature. The current model is named RMC20452T with castellated holes, 2.4 GHz WiFi 4, Bluetooth 5.2, and Tape & Reel packaging. That means we could potentially get an RMC256554T module in the future with dual-band WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4 connectivity.
The Raspberry Pi Radio Module 2 will also be suitable for applications with a long life cycle, as Raspberry Pi guarantees availability until January 2036. More details can be wireless module can also be found on the product page. You’ll find the Raspberry Pi RM2 for sale from your favorite resellers, although right now it’s only available in specific countries and regions like the US, UK, some EU countries, etc…
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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