Configure and Connect nRF7002 to nRF52840 on SDK 2.2.2

[Yimin Tang]

I am using nRF52840 as host processor. Now I need to connect to nRF7002 for WiFi usage. I am using ncs 2.2.2 SDK. I have a few questions?
1. Does nRF7002 work on v2.2.2? I created the nRF7002 device on the device tree with "nordic,nrf7002-spi" compatible . However, I cannot link to it. The CONFIG_NRF700X_SPI=y is not supported.

error: undefined reference to `__device_dts_ord_133'

2. Can you provide an example of configure and link nRF7002 to nRF52840 on v2.2.2 SDK?

3. If I have to move to higher version of SDK, what is the steps to do the upgrade?

My device tree:

&spi1 {
compatible = "nordic,nrf-spim";
status = "okay";
cs-gpios = <&gpio0 20 GPIO_ACTIVE_LOW>;
pinctrl-0 = <&spi1_default>;
pinctrl-1 = <&spi1_sleep>;
pinctrl-names = "default", "sleep";

nrf7002: nrf7002@0 {
compatible = "nordic,nrf7002-spi";
status = "okay";
reg = <0>; /* SPI chip select index */
spi-max-frequency = <8000000>; /* 8 MHz */
/*duplex = "full";*/ /* required for SPI_CONFIG_DT */
/*frame-format = "motorola";*/ /* required for SPI_CONFIG_DT */
label = "nrf7002";

/* GPIOs for control signals */
iovdd-ctrl-gpios = <&gpio0 10 GPIO_ACTIVE_HIGH>;
bucken-gpios = <&gpio0 11 GPIO_ACTIVE_HIGH>;
host-irq-gpios = <&gpio1 1 GPIO_ACTIVE_HIGH>;

/* Optional: COEX interface */
coex {
compatible = "nordic,nrf700x-coex";
grant-gpios = <&gpio1 2 GPIO_ACTIVE_HIGH>;
req-gpios = <&gpio1 3 GPIO_ACTIVE_HIGH>;
/*prio-gpios = <&gpio1 2 GPIO_ACTIVE_HIGH>;*/

status0-gpios = <&gpio1 5 GPIO_ACTIVE_HIGH>;
/*status1-gpios = <&gpio1 4 GPIO_ACTIVE_HIGH>;*/
};
};
};

My code:
const struct device *nrf7002_dev = DEVICE_DT_GET(DT_NODELABEL(nrf7002));

if (!device_is_ready(nrf7002_dev))
{
LOG_ERR("SPI device not ready\n");
return -1;
}
else
{
LOG_INF("SPI device READY\n");
}

Thank you.

[Håkon Alseth]

Hi,

 

I am using nRF52840 as host processor. Now I need to connect to nRF7002 for WiFi usage. I am using ncs 2.2.2 SDK. I have a few questions?
1. Does nRF7002 work on v2.2.2? I created the nRF7002 device on the device tree with "nordic,nrf7002-spi" compatible . However, I cannot link to it. The CONFIG_NRF700X_SPI=y is not supported.

I assume you mean ncs v3.2.2?

nRF7002 shall be supported in this version.

In your device tree, try to add these sections (taken from the nrf7002eb device tree files):

/*
 * Copyright (c) 2024 Nordic Semiconductor ASA
 *
 * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 */

#include <freq.h>

/ {
	chosen {
		zephyr,wifi = &wlan0;
	};
};

&spi1 {
	status = "okay";

	nrf70: nrf7002@0 {
		compatible = "nordic,nrf7002-spi";
		status = "okay";

		wlan0: wlan0 {
			compatible = "nordic,wlan";
		};

		wlan1: wlan1 {
			compatible = "nordic,wlan";
		};

		wifi-max-tx-pwr-2g-dsss = <21>;
		wifi-max-tx-pwr-2g-mcs0 = <16>;
		wifi-max-tx-pwr-2g-mcs7 = <16>;
		wifi-max-tx-pwr-5g-low-mcs0 = <13>;
		wifi-max-tx-pwr-5g-low-mcs7 = <13>;
		wifi-max-tx-pwr-5g-mid-mcs0 = <13>;
		wifi-max-tx-pwr-5g-mid-mcs7 = <13>;
		wifi-max-tx-pwr-5g-high-mcs0 = <12>;
		wifi-max-tx-pwr-5g-high-mcs7 = <12>;
		...rest of your configuration..
	};
};

 

I suspect that the issue is the chosen "zephyr,wifi = &wlan0" is missing from your overlay.

Could you check if this works as intended?

 

Kind regards,

Håkon

[Yimin Tang]

Sorry, I am using nRF Connect S?DK v2.2.0. I am still seeing the same issue. Where can I find the complete example of nRF7002 used in nRF52840?

Thanks!

[Turbo J]

No chance in SDK 2.2.0. I don't see DTS bindings in my 2.6.1 SDK installation either.

I do see bindings in the SDK 2.9.2 version here, so this is probably close to the minimum required SDK version. But you should probably upgrade all the way to a recent 3.x version here while you are at it.

[Håkon Alseth]

Hi,

 

You should use a newer NCS version.

  

Yimin Tang said:

Sorry, I am using nRF Connect S?DK v2.2.0. I am still seeing the same issue. Where can I find the complete example of nRF7002 used in nRF52840?

We recommend that you look into pairing the nRF7002 with nRF5340 or nRF54L15/nRF54LM20:

https://nrfconnectdocs.nordicsemi.com/ncs/latest/nrf/releases_and_maturity/software_maturity.html#wi-fi-feature-support

 

This is due to RAM requirements for running the hostap/wpad.

 

Kind regards,

Håkon

[Yimin Tang]

Thank you Turbo and Hakon for your help.

Finally, I upgraded my ncs SDK from v2.2.0 to v2.9.3.  Can you point me an example of using nRF7002 on nRF52840 (or nRF5340 if not available on nRF52840)? I basically need to connect the WiFI network and retrieve the location information from the network.

Appreciate your help!

[Håkon Alseth]

Hi,

 

You will likely run into issues with overflowing RAM when running nRF52840+nRF7002, especially if you require a secure connection (HTTPS/secure MQTT), but wifi/sta sample can be a starting point:

https://nrfconnectdocs.nordicsemi.com/ncs/latest/nrf/samples/wifi/sta/README.html

 

As mentioned; we recommend that you combine nRF7002 with a device that has a bit more RAM.

 

Kind regards,

Håkon

[Yimin Tang]

Thanks Hakon,

Our current hardware is using nRF52840 with nRF7002. It takes time for a new hardware with different nRF processor with large RAM. For now, I am just using our current hardware to bring up the WiFi. So removed all other components in our application to save resources. 

I ported over the "sta" sample. However, I could not get valid wifi interface.   

struct net_if *iface = net_if_get_first_wifi();

if (!iface)
{
LOG_ERR("Failed to get Wi-Fi interface");
return -1;
}

Here is my devicetree configuration.

chosen {
...
zephyr,wifi = &wlan0;
};

&spi1 {
compatible = "nordic,nrf-spim";
status = "okay";
cs-gpios = <&gpio0 20 GPIO_ACTIVE_LOW>;
pinctrl-0 = <&spi1_default>;
pinctrl-1 = <&spi1_sleep>;
pinctrl-names = "default", "sleep";

nrf70: nrf7002@0 {
compatible = "nordic,nrf7002-spi";
status = "okay";

reg = <0>;
spi-max-frequency = <DT_FREQ_M(8)>;

bucken-gpios = <&gpio1 13 (GPIO_ACTIVE_HIGH | GPIO_PULL_DOWN)>;  => not used. high always
iovdd-ctrl-gpios = <&gpio1 14 (GPIO_ACTIVE_HIGH | GPIO_PULL_DOWN)>;  => same as above
host-irq-gpios = <&gpio1 1 GPIO_ACTIVE_HIGH>;
//srrf-switch-gpios = <&gpio1 13 GPIO_ACTIVE_HIGH>;

wifi-max-tx-pwr-2g-dsss = <21>;
wifi-max-tx-pwr-2g-mcs0 = <16>;
wifi-max-tx-pwr-2g-mcs7 = <16>;
wifi-max-tx-pwr-5g-low-mcs0 = <13>;
wifi-max-tx-pwr-5g-low-mcs7 = <13>;
wifi-max-tx-pwr-5g-mid-mcs0 = <13>;
wifi-max-tx-pwr-5g-mid-mcs7 = <13>;
wifi-max-tx-pwr-5g-high-mcs0 = <12>;
wifi-max-tx-pwr-5g-high-mcs7 = <12>;

wlan0: wlan0 {
compatible = "nordic,wlan";
};

wlan1: wlan1 {
compatible = "nordic,wlan";
};
};
};

I looked into the Zephyr net_if.c file.

struct net_if *net_if_get_first_wifi(void)
{
printk("\nnet_if_get_first_wifi is called\n");  ===> Reached here

STRUCT_SECTION_FOREACH(net_if, iface)
{
printk("\nnet_if_get_first_wifi inside");   ==> NOT reached here.
if (net_if_is_wifi(iface)) {
return iface;
}
}
return NULL;
}

I copied over all the kconfig from "sta" example.

CONFIG_NETWORKING=y
CONFIG_NET_SOCKETS=y
CONFIG_NET_LOG=y
CONFIG_NET_IPV4=y
CONFIG_NET_UDP=y
CONFIG_NET_TCP=y
CONFIG_NET_DHCPV4=y
CONFIG_NET_PKT_RX_COUNT=8
CONFIG_NET_PKT_TX_COUNT=8

# Zephyr Network Management API
CONFIG_NET_MGMT=y
CONFIG_NET_MGMT_EVENT=y
CONFIG_NET_MGMT_EVENT_INFO=y

# Wi-Fi Core Drivers and Supplicant
CONFIG_WIFI=y
CONFIG_WIFI_NRF70=y

# WPA supplicant
CONFIG_WIFI_NM_WPA_SUPPLICANT=y
CONFIG_WIFI_READY_LIB=y
CONFIG_NRF_WIFI_RPU_RECOVERY=y

CONFIG_WIFI_MGMT_EXT=y
CONFIG_WIFI_CREDENTIALS=y
CONFIG_WIFI_CREDENTIALS_STATIC=y
CONFIG_WIFI_CREDENTIALS_STATIC_SSID="RMED-AP"
CONFIG_WIFI_CREDENTIALS_STATIC_PASSWORD="Rmed24Ghz"

# Memory Optimizations for Wi-Fi Stack
CONFIG_SYSTEM_WORKQUEUE_STACK_SIZE=4096
CONFIG_NET_MGMT_EVENT_STACK_SIZE=4096
CONFIG_MAIN_STACK_SIZE=4096

CONFIG_NET_CONFIG_MY_IPV4_ADDR="192.168.1.99"
CONFIG_NET_CONFIG_MY_IPV4_NETMASK="255.255.255.0"
CONFIG_NET_CONFIG_MY_IPV4_GW="192.168.1.1"

CONFIG_NET_IF_LOG_LEVEL_DBG=y
CONFIG_WIFI_LOG_LEVEL_DBG=y
CONFIG_NET_L2_ETHERNET=y

#=================================
# Networking
CONFIG_NET_BUF_RX_COUNT=8
CONFIG_NET_BUF_TX_COUNT=16
CONFIG_NRF70_RX_NUM_BUFS=16
CONFIG_HEAP_MEM_POOL_IGNORE_MIN=y
CONFIG_NET_TC_TX_COUNT=1

CONFIG_NET_IF_UNICAST_IPV4_ADDR_COUNT=1
CONFIG_NET_MAX_CONTEXTS=5
CONFIG_NET_CONTEXT_SYNC_RECV=y

CONFIG_INIT_STACKS=y

CONFIG_NET_L2_ETHERNET=y

CONFIG_NET_CONFIG_SETTINGS=y
CONFIG_NET_CONFIG_INIT_TIMEOUT=0

CONFIG_NET_SOCKETS_POLL_MAX=10

# Memories
CONFIG_NET_TX_STACK_SIZE=4096
CONFIG_NET_RX_STACK_SIZE=4096

# Debugging
CONFIG_STACK_SENTINEL=y
CONFIG_DEBUG_COREDUMP=y
CONFIG_DEBUG_COREDUMP_BACKEND_LOGGING=y
CONFIG_DEBUG_COREDUMP_MEMORY_DUMP_MIN=y
CONFIG_SHELL_CMDS_RESIZE=n

# Kernel options
CONFIG_ENTROPY_GENERATOR=y

# Logging
#CONFIG_POSIX_CLOCK=y

# printing of scan results puts pressure on queues in new locking
# design in net_mgmt. So, use a higher timeout for a crowded
# environment.
CONFIG_NET_MGMT_EVENT_QUEUE_TIMEOUT=5000

Anything I missed?
Do I have to have a flawless hardware to grap the wifi interface?

Can you give me a clue?

Thank you.

Yimin

  

 

[Håkon Alseth]

Hi Yimin,

 

Yimin Tang said:

I ported over the "sta" sample. However, I could not get valid wifi interface.   

you shouldn't have to change the code at all; the only thing you need is to define the pin-out/connection towards the nRF7002.

The sample intended to work for nRF52840DK + nRF7002EK.

 

I assume you got a RPU error message on the console?

 

I do not see any specific issue with your overlay:

Yimin Tang said:

&spi1 {
compatible = "nordic,nrf-spim";
status = "okay";
cs-gpios = <&gpio0 20 GPIO_ACTIVE_LOW>;
pinctrl-0 = <&spi1_default>;
pinctrl-1 = <&spi1_sleep>;
pinctrl-names = "default", "sleep";

nrf70: nrf7002@0 {
compatible = "nordic,nrf7002-spi";
status = "okay";

reg = <0>;
spi-max-frequency = <DT_FREQ_M(8)>;

bucken-gpios = <&gpio1 13 (GPIO_ACTIVE_HIGH | GPIO_PULL_DOWN)>;  => not used. high always
iovdd-ctrl-gpios = <&gpio1 14 (GPIO_ACTIVE_HIGH | GPIO_PULL_DOWN)>;  => same as above
host-irq-gpios = <&gpio1 1 GPIO_ACTIVE_HIGH>;
//srrf-switch-gpios = <&gpio1 13 GPIO_ACTIVE_HIGH>;

 

Are you testing on a DK or your own hardware? If using DK, P0.20 is connected to the external flash.

What is the pins used for spi1_default?

Yimin Tang said:

bucken-gpios = <&gpio1 13 (GPIO_ACTIVE_HIGH | GPIO_PULL_DOWN)>;  => not used. high always
iovdd-ctrl-gpios = <&gpio1 14 (GPIO_ACTIVE_HIGH | GPIO_PULL_DOWN)>;  => same as above

The comments here, what do you mean by "not used, high always"?

 

Kind regards,

Håkon

[Yimin Tang]

Hi Hakon,

I am testing on my our hardware. I do not have a DK board. Here is the SPI pin configuration:

/* For new design: Need to add a WIFI SPI
SCK 0, 6
MISO 0, 7
MOSI 0, 4 */
spi1_default: spi1_default {
group1 {
psels = <NRF_PSEL(SPIM_SCK, 0, 6)>,
<NRF_PSEL(SPIM_MISO, 0, 7)>,
<NRF_PSEL(SPIM_MOSI, 0, 4)>;
};
};

spi1_sleep: spi1_sleep {
group1 {
psels = <NRF_PSEL(SPIM_SCK, 0, 6)>,
<NRF_PSEL(SPIM_MISO, 0, 7)>,
<NRF_PSEL(SPIM_MOSI, 0, 4)>;
low-power-enable;
};
};
};

The error I got is:

struct net_if *iface = net_if_get_first_wifi();

if (!iface)
{
LOG_ERR("Failed to get Wi-Fi interface");  ==> Got this....
return -1;
}

We used a GPIO from an IOExpander for bucken-gpios.

Is iovdd-ctrl-gpios the pin48 of NRF7002-QFAA-R? If so, we pulled it high. 

Thanks, 

Yimin

[Yimin Tang]

I also found that there are some debug/warning messages before the application starts. I believe they are from net intialization during  POST_KERNEL stage.

Net MGMT initialized: queue of 5 entries, stack size of 4096
[00:00:01.124,084] <dbg> net_if: net_if_init: (main):
[00:00:01.124,603] <err> net_if: There is no network interface to work with!
[00:00:01.125,091] <dbg> net_if: net_if_post_init: (main):
*** Booting nRF Connect SDK v2.9.3-6961c01f95c2 ***
*** Using Zephyr OS v3.7.99-aa34a5632971 ***
[00:00:01.126,037] <wrn> net_config: No auto-started network interface - network-bound app initialization skipped.

For some reasons, I see  STRUCT_SECTION_FOREACH(net_if, iface) never get run into because:

 the _net_if_list_start = 20001B70, _net_if_list_end 20001B70. They are the same.