Newest Dual Band Bluetooth/WiFi Modules

If this title caught your eye, you probably already know why you’re here. Whether begrudgingly or smugly, we can all acknowledge that at this point, an IoT product designed to connect to the cloud using your customer’s WiFi router needs to support both 2.4GHz and 5GHz. WiFi routers are now typically broadcasting across both bands for the numerous benefits, and consumer-friendly design means manufacturers are increasingly obfuscating this technical nuance from the end user. Where routers originally required users to manually set up a separately-named 5GHz network and asked them to choose which devices connected to it, modern mesh routers often use a single network name and password and allow devices to freely hop between bands depending on factors like distance from the router and congestion. That’s great news for consumers, but can be a disaster for IoT products that require a 2.4GHz band and anyone tasked with answering the phone about them. A great unfairness in our slice of the world is that we cannot control anything about our customer’s WiFi router or network quality, yet are responsible for their user experience with our device that relies heavily on both of those things. 

The other protocol found in many IoT products and consumer products is Bluetooth. It's often the case that designers have to make a choice as to whether they use an MCU that only contains Bluetooth or WiFi, but some products offer both options in the same package. In this article, we'll present some options that offer Bluetooth and WiFi communication options in a single package, as well as some alternative chipsets which provide both protocols but in an MCU + ASIC architecture.

Dual-Band WiFi/Bluetooth Module Options

Murata LBEE5CJ1XK-687

Murata is known as one of the world's major manufacturers of capacitors, including for ceramic capacitors for RF systems. What readers probably did not realize is that Murata also produces RF modules. The LBEE5CJ1XK-687 module incorporates an NXP chipset that supports 2.4/5GHz WiFi and Bluetooth, and it can be configured to use the same or separate antennas for WLAN and BT (using module SKU LBEE5CJ2XK). The antenna(s) can be a PCB trace antenna, laid out in great detail in the user manual, or one of a handful of u.Fl antennas from Molex such as 146187. Ceramic chip antennas are also compatible with these modules. This antenna versatility makes the module an excellent choice for a larger product family that needs different transmission profiles for various applications.

Murata’s LBEE5CJ1XK-687 with NXP’s IW416 Chipset

Though the product was released recently (in 2023) there is already a nice evaluation kit created by Embedded Artists that showcases the recommended trace antenna. This evaluation board is compact enough to be used into advanced prototyping and is well-documented. 

The entire Murata module is less than $10 at volume and readily available from multiple distributors, as are the recommended external antennas. To the relief of electrical and mechanical engineers alike, accurate eCAD and 3D models are available on the product page.

Part Insights Experience

Access critical supply chain intelligence as you design.

Learn More

Laird LWB5+

Laird is another company that is best known for their passive components, particularly magnetic components and EMI solutions. Therefore, designers might be surprised to find that Laird has produced the LWB5+ dual-band wireless module based on an Infineon chipset. This SMD module comes in the familiar form factor found in most other WiFi and Bluetooth modules, with antenna options including chip antenna, a pin for connection to a trace antenna, or MHF4 connector option for a coaxial cable/antenna module connection.

Laird’s LWB5+ with Cypress/Infineon’s CYW4373 Chipset

A Laird Connectivity module using a Cypress chipset (Cypress was acquired by Infineon in 2020) is another excellent pairing that supports 1x1 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac + Bluetooth 5.0. This module is available in three flavors: 453-00045 for an integrated chip antenna, 453-00046 with an MHF4 connector, or 453-00047 for a trace pad. The former two have robust development kits (453-00045-K1 and 453-00046-K1 respectively) available from multiple distributors. 

While the datasheet for the module is comprehensive, there are fewer assets and guides publicly available than with other devices making this a better choice for engineers that need specific features of this product (such as 802.11ac support) and are willing to put in a bit of extra legwork.

u-blox JODY-W3

When we say all IoT products should consider using dual band WiFi, that extends to the garage. An “Automotive grade” rating can be useful for any device subjected to extreme conditions regardless of the exact application, so this module may find homes in everything from consumer vehicles to agriculture. While a bit more expensive than the other modules on this list, the JODY-W3 brings the heat with high data rates, cutting edge RF support, and flexible antenna and interface options. The family supports WiFi 6 (802.11ac/ax) and Bluetooth 5.3 BR/EDR and LE, including long range, across a wide operating range. 

Make cents of your BOM

Free supply chain insights delivered to your inbox

Learn More

u-blox’s JODY-W3 with NXP’s Chipsets

The antenna design considerations are laid out in an antenna reference design and in the integration manual, underscoring the comprehensive information available for these products. Robust evaluation kits are available for both the W374 and W377 flavors of the module. 

Note that the automotive-specific SKUs have a “-A” at the end. If you are looking for an operating temperature above 100 °C, check out u-blox’s JODY-W263-01A.

Coming Soon: Espressif ESP32-C5 and ESP32-C6/C61

ESP32 is best known among hobbyists and new designers as an easy-to-use module which integrates 2.4GHz communication in a simple SMD module footprint. The new ESP32-C5 module from Espressif provides a completely new suite of dual-band capabilities with WiFi and Bluetooth in a single package. The ESP32-C5 was originally announced in 2022 and has been in development ever since, and users are expecting the module to be released to market soon. Since the announcement, Espressif has also announced ESP32-C6 and ESP32-C61, both offering dual-band WiFi/Bluetooth capabilities as well as Thread and Zigbee for additional unlicensed IoT applications.

Currently, WROOM modules are available which offer the same form factor as other ESP32 module options. These are available in dev kits, such as the 1965-ESP32-C6-DEVKITM-1-N4-ND from Digi-Key shown below. SoCs are also available from Digi-Key at low volume, such as the ESP32-C6 SoC in QFN package.

ESP32-C6 dev kit with a WROOM-1 module, available from Digi-Key

See, bringing your next IoT product into a world saturated with mesh routers won’t be too bad! The modules above represent only a handful of our options as design engineers, and if your favorite manufacturer is not yet providing a dual-band module then there’s a good chance they’re already working on it. The BOM cost may be a bit higher than a single band solution, but the reviews pouring in praising how your product “just works” will be priceless.