nRF7120 Wireless Chipset by Nordic Semiconductor

The nRF7120 from Nordic Semiconductor is a Multiprotocol Wi-Fi 6 Wireless SoC that operates in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. It is designed to provide low-power wireless connectivity for battery-operated IoT devices. This SoC integrates a 20 MHz dual-band Wi-Fi 6 radio, an independent 2.4 GHz multiprotocol radio, a 256 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 application processor, and a 256 MHz RISC-V coprocessor for real-time tasks and peripheral emulation. It has 4 MB of non-volatile memory and 1 MB of RAM, allowing wireless protocol stacks and customer applications to run without a separate host MCU.

The nRF7120 supports Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth Low Energy, Thread, Zigbee, Matter, and proprietary 2.4 GHz protocols. Its proprietary 2.4 GHz radio supports data rates of up to 4 Mbps for low-latency applications. The SoC delivers Wi-Fi transmit output power of up to +22 dBm and BLE transmit output power of up to +10 dBm, with BLE receiver sensitivity of −99 dBm. It also incorporates Arm TrustZone, CRACEN hardware cryptographic acceleration, and tamper detection to protect applications and sensitive data.

The nRF7120 supports Target Wake Time and Wi-Fi power-saving operation using a dedicated low-power receiver. It requires a supply voltage of 2.8 to 5.5 V and draws 14 µA (2.4 GHz mode) & 8 µA (5 GHz mode) of current. This SoC can be controlled via USB and serial peripheral interfaces. It is available in a WLCSP package measuring 4.9 × 4.6 mm.

Key Highlights

• Multi-Protocol Versatility: Full support for Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax), Bluetooth Low Energy, Thread, Zigbee, Matter, and high-throughput 2.4 GHz proprietary protocols up to 4 Mbps.
• Dual-Core Architecture: 256 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 application processor paired with a 256 MHz RISC-V coprocessor for peripheral emulation and real-time operations.
• On-Chip Memory: 4 MB non-volatile memory alongside 1 MB RAM.
• Advanced Low-Power Modes: Features Target Wake Time (TWT) and a dedicated ultra-low-power receiver, drawing just 14 µA (2.4 GHz) and 8 µA (5 GHz) in power-saving operation.
• Enterprise-Grade Security: Integrated Arm TrustZone, CRACEN hardware crypto engine, and physical tamper detection.

Technical Specifications

Get in touch for orders or any queries: sales@rfdesign.co.za / +27 21 555 8400

Courtesy of Nordic Semiconductor