The nRF21540 RF Front End Module is a range extender optimized to boost the link budget of Nordic’s nRF52 and nRF53 Series advanced multiprotocol wireless SoCs. When combined with an nRF52 Series SoC, the nRF21540 RF FEM’s +21 dBm TX output power and 13 dB RX gain ensure a superior link budget for up to 16x range extension
Nordic Semiconductor recently announced the nRF21540TM RF Front End Module (FEM), its first power amplifier/low noise amplifier (PA/LNA) product. The nRF21540 has been developed to perfectly complement Nordic’s nRF52 and nRF53 Series multiprotocol Systems-on-Chip (SoCs). The RF FEM’s PA offers a highly adjustable TX power boost up to +21 dBm, with the LNA providing +13 dB RX gain. The LNA’s low noise figure (NF) of only 2.5 dB also ensures increased RX sensitivity for Nordic’s Bluetooth® 5/Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE), Thread, Zigbee, and 2.4GHz RF low power wireless solutions. When combined with an nRF52840 SoC running Bluetooth LE at 1 Mbps, for example, the nRF21540 improves the RX sensitivity by 5 dBm. Coupled with the increased output power, the connection link budget is raised by 18 dBm. For other devices with less than +8 dBm TX power on-chip, the improvements are even larger. The resulting increase in connection link budget offers significantly longer range and helps lower the number of retransmissions due to corrupt packages. The nRF21540 is a valuable addition for all applications that may require increased range or robust coverage. Some example applications are asset tracking, audio, smart home, or industrial use cases.
FEATURES
- Supports Bluetooth® Low Energy, 802.15.4, and proprietary applications
- Max output power 22 dBm
- Adjustable output power to ±1 dB from 5 to 21 dBm
- User programmable modes for TX gain
- Support for two antenna interfaces
- Receive gain +13 dB
- Single-ended 50 Ω matched input and output
- 115 mA @ +20 dBm output power
- 42 mA @ +10 dBm output power
- Control interface via IO, SPI, or a combination of both
- Supply voltage 1.7 to 3.6 V, suitable for 1.8+/-5% systems
- Operating temperature -40°C to 105°C
- Package variant QFN16 4 x 4 mm
APPLICATIONS
- Smart Home applications
- Industrial and factory automation
- Asset tracking
- Advanced CE remote controls
- Sports and Fitness
- Toys
- Medical
- Beacons
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