Raspberry Pi has announced an updated version of the Pico 2 microcontroller board with an onboard Wi-Fi chip. Called the Pico 2 W, it’s powered by RP2350 microcontroller, which you can find in all manner of nerdy DIY gadgets and fun devices like the minuscule Thumby Color GBA clone. Best of all, it costs $7, up just two bucks from the $5 Pico 2.
The Pico 2 W’s Wi-Fi chip adds a 2.4GHz signal using the Wi-Fi 4 (aka 802.11n) standard and brings Bluetooth 5.2 along for the ride. Wi-Fi 4 is an older, low-bandwidth standard that’s still used in a lot of smart home products today, from basic sensors to security cameras to smart speakers like the HomePod Mini.
As for the microcontroller itself, Raspberry Pi debuted the RP2350 in August as a dual-core chip that uses both Arm and RISC-V architectures. The original Pico used the RP2040, the first self-designed chip Raspberry Pi released. (It’s also the chip that powers the DockLite G4 board that lets me use an old iMac G4 as an external display.)
You’ll find all sorts of uses for Pi’s low-power boards. Some people create custom IoT sensors and controllers — folks in a subreddit devoted to the Raspberry Pi Pico line mention using it to power clocks, custom smartwatches, IoT weather stations or environmental sensors, and more. One person even says they’re “contemplating some ideas for a cat toy.”
As of publication, the Pico 2 W is only available for preorder at one of Raspberry Pi’s preferred retailers — but you can buy it at three others.
