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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I guess the official long term commitment would make this viable for large product lines. Seems expensive in the short term, though
So far espressif probably had the best long term commitments beside great software support and (very) competitive prices.
https://www.espressif.com/en/products/longevity-commitment
So an old Broadcom BCM43439, which then ended up with Cypress and now Infineon. This is on other words a pre 2016 chip, as that’s when Cypress bought this device division from Broadcom.
It’s amazing they couldn’t have found anything more recent.
I hate “standards” with optional features, like Bluetooth 5.0’s long range/high speed PHYs, and LE Audio in 5.2. RPi was able to rebrand this as Bluetooth 5.2 because Blue Man Group sucks.
Yeah, I don’t get this either. But it does follow the RPI habbit of shipping wildly outdated silicon with lots of bugs.
But why when there is $2 ESP32?
I think there are several reasons for this. From a business perspective, the new U.S. import tariffs on Chinese products may be a factor. Technically, using a certified Wi-Fi and Bluetooth module simplifies compliance and integration, especially for PCBs with rpi microcontroller like RP2040 or RP2350. This is probably the primary use case. Additionally, I have to double check but I think there is another technical advantage: the RM2 module uses the CYW43439 chip, which has an existing Linux driver (unlike the ESP32). So it is a low-cost option for for adding Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to cheap (or older) single-board computers.
Didn’t they use the $1 esp12 (esp82xx) a decade ago to add WiFi to arduinos? The same should be visible for SBC’s via SDIO for example…
Wi-Fi radio for $2! Too expensive. No one will buy. I can get similar chip from China for $0.0000001!!!
“They took our jobs” the Chinese worker screams after the USA started to produce made in China
They should instead make an all-in-one radio module that has both the RP2350 and WiFi + Bluetooth on the same module.
Now you have to combine a RP2350 and this radio module to get something that is larger and a lot more expensive than an ESP32-S3.
Why not choose the obvious/easy solution and go with a esp32 of choice?
No reasen to choose overpriced hardware just because it’s branded raspberry, watermelon vor whatever!
Absolutely. The ESP32 chips come in similar modules and support all the same features–and are cheaper and better supported.
I do not really get the hate, as long as we can have I2S for BT audio streams over those 3 GPIOs where is any major downside to this module?
Ask yourself the opposite: What more does this module offer compared to widely available ones from espressif (for example) to justify its high price.