Update Brings Bluetooth to Raspberry Pi Pico W

The Raspberry Pi Foundation (RPF) has enabled Bluetooth support for its popular Raspberry Pi Pico W microcontroller.

The popular device – which costs only $6 and has sold more than half a million units in the year since its release –  is designed to interface with real-world objects, “from singing fish to web servers to communicative houseplants,” according to an RPF blog post. It’s built around an RP2040 microcontroller and features an Infineon CYW43439 chip, which is compatible with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Upon release, however, the Pico W was Wi-Fi only.

An update – arriving by way of a new version of the Pico W’s C SDK and a new firmware build – changes that, unlocking the chips’ ability to communicate with both Bluetooth and Bluetooth LE devices. Users can opt to individually enable Bluetooth Classic or BLE, or use both simultaneously, with a full list of supported protocols and profiles available on Github.

The update will undoubtedly be much appreciated by many, given the enhanced connectivity and flexibility Bluetooth support brings to an already-versatile device like the Pico W. The fact that it’s a free update, rather than a new product release, is another layer of icing on the cake.

For all the details, check out the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s blog, which provides a bit more insight into the subject and points readers to documentation and a guide to getting started using Bluetooth LE on the device.

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