Raspberry Pi Zero W Announced with Wireless LAN and Bluetooth for $10

The Raspberry Pi Zero was first launched back in November of 2015, almost two and a half years ago. It was meant to be an entry-level Raspberry Pi as it was only priced at $5. This was used in a bunch of various projects from mini arcade cabinets to electric skateboards. However, there was a demand for these to have wireless connectivity so many used the official wireless dongle. This caused many to add a USB hub though, so they could connect other peripherals like keyboards, a mouse, and even network adapters.

In some cases these USB hubs could cost more than the Raspberry Pi Zero itself, so there was obvious demand for that type of functionality to be baked into the device. Enter the Raspberry Pi Zero W that was just announced this week. This product comes with both wireless LAN as well as Bluetooth connectivity and it only increases the price of the original Raspberry Pi Zero by $5. Sure, that's double what the original costs, but it could save you money in the long run if wireless connectivity is a concern for your project.

The Raspberry Pi Zero W is actually using the same Cypress CYW43438 wireless chip that we saw in the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B. This means the device provides 802.11n wireless LAN and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity for your project. For those interested in the rest of the specs, the Raspberry Pi Zero W comes with a 1GHz single-core CPU, 512MB of RAM, and the new wireless connectivity. It also has a mini-HDMI and micro USB OTG ports, a HAT-compatible 40-pin header, CSI camera connector, and both composite video and reset headers.

They've also announced an official case for the Raspberry Pi Zero W thanks to a partnership with Kinneir Dufort and T-Zero. It has the same design language as the official case for the Raspberry Pi 3, so it has three interchangable lids with a blank one, one with an aperture to let you access the GPIOs, and one with an aperture and mounting point for a camera.

Source: Raspberry Pi

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