Raspberry Pi announces a $7 Pico 2 with built-in Wi-Fi

Raspberry Pi has announced an updated mentation of the Pico 2 microcontroller committee with an onboard Wi-Fi chip. Called the Pico 2 W, it’s powered by RP2350 microcontroller, which you tin find successful each mode of nerdy DIY gadgets and amusive devices similar the minuscule Thumby Color GBA clone. Best of all, it costs $7, up conscionable 2 bucks from the $5 Pico 2.

The Pico 2 W’s Wi-Fi spot adds a 2.4GHz awesome utilizing the Wi-Fi 4 (aka 802.11n) modular and brings Bluetooth 5.2 on for the ride. Wi-Fi 4 is an older, low-bandwidth modular that’s inactive utilized successful a batch of astute location products today, from basal sensors to information cameras to astute speakers similar the HomePod Mini.

The Pico 2 W besides features a azygous USB 1.1 port. Tom’s Hardware notes successful its reappraisal of the committee that it supports modular Raspberry Pi Pico accessories, which grow what it tin bash with sensors, displays, and robotics kits.

As for the microcontroller itself, Raspberry Pi debuted the RP2350 in August arsenic a dual-core spot that uses some Arm and RISC-V architectures. The original Pico utilized the RP2040, the archetypal self-designed spot Raspberry Pi released. (It’s besides the spot that powers the DockLite G4 committee that lets maine use an aged iMac G4 arsenic an outer display.)

You’ll find each sorts of uses for Pi’s low-power boards. Some radical make customized IoT sensors and controllers — folks successful a subreddit devoted to the Raspberry Pi Pico enactment notation utilizing it to powerfulness clocks, customized smartwatches, IoT upwind stations oregon biology sensors, and more. One idiosyncratic adjacent says they’re “contemplating immoderate ideas for a feline toy.”

As of publication, the Pico 2 W is lone disposable for preorder astatine 1 of Raspberry Pi’s preferred retailers — but you tin bargain it astatine 3 others.