using the nrf7002 without Zepher on a custom host CPU

We are hoping to replace and atmel WINC1500 with a Nordic nrf7002 on an existing design. This will make our product WiFi 6 compatible. We use the WINC1500 in passthrough mode so it should operate just like a nrf7002.  It seems a lot of the driver code for the nrf7002 is buried in general Zepher wifi driver code.  I am hoping someone can point me to all the code that is needed to operate the nrf7002, and also point me to all the threads and work queue usages that gets generated at compile time. My hope is if I can send the same commands from our host micro, I can make it work.  The only functions we will need is the ability to connect to a known WiFi SSID, and then the ability to transmit and receive ethernet frames. The rest of the stack runs already on our micro.   Note, we will be trying to use the nrf7002 using an SPI interface, not a QSPI interface. I don't know how much different this may make initialization. 

Right now I am running code on the nrf7002-DK to help understand how the chip functions.  We are evaluating if this can be done. 

Any thoughts, ideas and general knowledge of how the WiFi chips are spun up in Zepher would be greatly appreciated.

  • HI,

    You can take a look at the nRF Wi-Fi driver and this post on how the nRF7002 is initialized. 

    To use nRF7002 via SPI, it needs to establish a connection between the nRF7002 and the host MCU (like nRF5340 or nRF9160). The nRF7002 Development Kit (DK) uses QSPI, whereas the nRF7002 Evaluation Kit (EK) uses SPI. To connect the nRF7002 EK to the System on a Chip (SoC), the nrf7002ek shield is required.

    If you are using the nRF5340DK with the nRF7002, you can configure it with the board nrf5340dk_nrf5340_cpuapp, with -DSHIELD=nrf7002ek

    Regards,
    Amanda H.

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