u-blox MAYA-W2 tri-radio module

The u-blox MAYA-W2 tri-radio module, supporting Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth low energy (LE) 5.2 and IEEE 802.15.4 (Thread and Zigbee) on a compact form factor, brings Wi-Fi 6 technology to industrial and consumer mass-market applications in industrial automation, smart building and energy management, health care, smart home and other applications.

The industrial-grade module offers Wi-Fi 6 technology for a broad range of IoT applications. Wi-Fi 6, also referred to as 802.11ax, is said to offer better network efficiency (especially in congested areas), lower latency and improved range over previous-generation Wi-Fi standards. Common use cases include solar inverters and EV charging infrastructure, as well as wireless hubs and gateways used in health care, smart buildings, smart homes and smart factories. Other potential use cases include professional appliances, asset and fleet management, and retail solutions.

The dual-mode Bluetooth module supports both Bluetooth classic and Bluetooth LE, including Bluetooth LE audio. This allows devices to concurrently transmit several distinct audio streams, simultaneously receive multiple audio streams and broadcast audio streams to multiple users, and paves the way for use cases such as hearing aids. Thread meanwhile paves the way for low-power, IP-based mesh networks commonly used in home automation.

Designed to give developers a fast track to the market, the device is available as a professional-grade module that is qualified for operation from -40 to 85°C. Available in four variants with three antenna options, including antenna pins, U.FL connectors or a PCB antenna, the tri-radio module can easily be designed into any type of IoT device. All required Linux, Android and FreeRTOS software drivers are available open source.