NORA-W2 series - Hardware integration manual
UBX-22005177 - R01
Product overview
Page 6 of 61
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Product overview
The NORA-W2 series of stand-alone, multiradio modules integrate a powerful 32-bit, dual-core
microcontroller unit (MCU) and a radio for wireless communication. The radio supports Wi-Fi
802.11b/g/n in the 2.4 GHz ISM band and Bluetooth Low Energy 5.
The embedded AWS IoT ExpressLink-compliant software includes the required and pre-installed,
security certificates for
“out of the box” connectivity with Amazon Web Services (AWS).
NORA-W2
modules also support secure over-the air (OTA) updates of both the module firmware and the host
application. Control and data communication with the module is managed using stateless AT-
commands over the serial interface.
The NORA-W2 AWS IoT ExpressLink grants OEM ownership of the end-product when activated using
the AWS Multi Account Registration (MAR) process. Fleet management, monitoring, and security
auditing are supported with AWS IoT Device Management and AWS IoT Device Defender.
The wireless MCU, flash memory, crystal, and other integrated components used for antenna
matching, filtering, and decoupling, make NORA-W2 a compact, stand-alone, multiradio module.
Featuring Secure Boot for protection against malicious access, NORA-W2 runs only in the presence
of authenticated software.
The small size and the embedded security capabilities make NORA-W2 modules ideal for critical IoT
applications, where security is important. Intended applications include consumer products,
telematics, low power sensors, connected factories, connected buildings (appliances and
surveillance), point-of-sales, and health devices.
The NORA-W2 series is globally certified, which reduces time to market for the end-product. To
ensure operation in harsh professional environments, the modules are industrial grade and qualified
according to AEC-Q104, supporting an extended temperature range of
–
40 °C to +85 °C.
1.1
Module architecture
Integrating the ESP32-S3 MCU, NORA-W2 is the second generation of u-blox modules based on
Espressif Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chipsets. NINA-W1/B2 modules, representing the first generation, are
based on the Espressif ESP32 chip
. The simple device design allows developers to use an external
antenna (NORA-W251AWS) or utilize the internal antenna (NORA-W256AWS) in the application
design.
These compact modules include the wireless MCU, flash memory, crystal, and other components for
matching, filtering, antenna, decoupling, and antenna operation.
Model
Description
NORA-W251AWS Includes an antenna RF pin for use with an external antenna
NORA-W256AWS Supports an internal PCB trace antenna that is specifically designed for embedded devices
Table 1: Supported configurations of the NORA-W2 module series
