NORA-W36 series - System integration manual
UBX-22021120 - R01
Module overview
Page 6 of 48
C1-Public
1
Module overview
NORA-W36 series are small, stand-alone dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy microcontroller
unit (MCU) modules
–
perfect for integrating wireless connectivity in end products.
With Wi-Fi 4 (802.11a/b/g/n) in the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands, NORA-W36 can be used as Wi-Fi station
that connects to a remote access point or otherwise act as an access point. NORA-W36 is qualified
for Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity and can assume peripheral or central roles, or both simultaneously. It
can also be a GATT client or server.
Including pre-flashed u-connectXpress software, end-product integration is simplified, and time-to-
market reduced. The host controller configures and controls the wireless communication using high-
level AT commands without need for expertise in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth protocols stacks.
The module embeds a dual-core MCU with a powerful Arm® Cortex®-M33 compatible processor for
the main application and an Arm Cortex-M23 compatible core for low power operation.
The NORA-W36 series includes hardware security features like secure boot, trusted execution
environment with Arm TrustZone®, encrypted flash, protection of debug port, and a crypto
acceleration engine. Wireless communication is secure with WPA2/WPA3 authentication, TLS
1.2/1.3 encryption, Bluetooth LE secure connection pairing.
NORA-W36 modules have the same size and position of critical pads and interfaces as other NORA
modules. This offers maximum flexibility for the development of similar end-devices with different
radio technologies. The modules support operation in an extended temperature range of
–
40°C to
+105°C and are qualified for professional grade applications.
1.1
Module architecture
NORA-W36 series modules are based on the Realtek RTL8720DF chip. Module variants allow
developers to select either an external antenna with NORA-W361 or an on-module antenna with
NORA-W366.
These compact modules include the MCU, flash memory, crystal, and other components for
matching, filtering, antenna, decoupling, and antenna operation.
The two variants of NORA-W36 series are described in
Variant / Ordering code
Antenna configuration
Antenna type
NORA-W361-00B
RF_ANT0: 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz Wi-Fi, 2.4 GHz Bluetooth LE
Antenna pad
NORA-W366-00B
Combined 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz Wi-Fi, 2.4 GHz Bluetooth LE
Single embedded PCB antenna
Table 1: Supported configurations of the NORA-W36 series
