The smallest raspberry pie gets a newer version with built-in Wi-Fi

The Raspberry Pi Zero series is the smallest version of the popular single-board computer that most have experienced, but there is a Pi that is even smaller: the Raspberry Pi Pico. Launched in January 2021 for just $ 4, Pico’s RP2040 microcontroller includes a 133MHz Arm Cortex-M0 + CPU core and 264 kilobytes (no megabytes) of memory. The low specs and low cost make it suitable for single-purpose devices that do not require much processing power, rather than running general-purpose software such as large Pi boards.

To help companies looking to use Pico as a base for Internet-connected smart devices, the Raspberry Pi Foundation is introducing some new varieties of Pico today. Most notably, the Raspberry Pi Pico W adds built-in Wi-Fi connectivity to the board, raising the price from $ 4 to $ 6.

Eben Upton, founder of Raspberry Pi, writes that the Infineon CYW43439 Wi-Fi chip used for the Pi Pico uses the older 2.4 GHz-only 802.11n (or Wi-Fi 4) protocol. That chipset also includes built-in Bluetooth support like other wireless Pi products, but Bluetooth support is currently disabled. Adding Bluetooth to devices typically requires a second level of Federal Communications Commission certification in the US, and other territories have their own rules, which may provide an explanation for the omission. Upton says Bluetooth support could be enabled “in the future”.

There will be two additional versions of the Pico with pre-installed header pins and a three-pin debug connector attached to the original Pico board. Called the “Pico H”, the non-Wi-Fi version will cost $ 5 instead of $ 4 and the Pico WH version with Wi-Fi will cost $ 7 instead of $ 6.