Raspberry Pi3 with Built-in WiFi and Bluetooth LE

Raspberry Pi3 with Built-in WiFi and Bluetooth LE, an iterative update on the popular Pi2, sports a 64-bit processor, embedded Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. With its built-in wireless connectivity, Raspberry Pi3 opens up even more possibilities for IoT and embedded projects; clearly positioned as a low-cost hub for Internet of Things devices, or as the flexible, low-cost basis of new types of connected gadgets. Raspberry Pi3 boasts off improved power management and an upgraded switched power source — up to 2.5 Amps — means it will be able to power more complex USB devices without the need for a second power cable.

The inbuilt wireless connectivity provisions frees up its four USB ports for other purposes. The Raspberry Pi3 upgrades to quad-core 64-bit ARM Cortex A53 clocked at 1.2GHz. The device is about 50 percent faster than the previous version due to the increase in clock speeds and architectural improvements. Raspberry Pi3 also has a graphics upgrade, using Broadcom’s 400MHz VideoCore IV, rather its previous 250MHz version. The new hardware will support 1080p video at 60fps using the H.264 format, up from 30fps. The new Pi also gains H.265 support for the first time, limited to 1080p at 30fps.

The good news is that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE work pretty much out of the box and if you’re booting into the Raspbian graphic interface, setting up both work just like they would on any modern operating system. Right-click the Wi-Fi Network icon in the top right corner of Raspbian, then enter your network information. As far as setting up Wi-Fi from the command line goes, that’ll work the same as it always has, but you won’t need to track down drivers for that adapter anymore. The Raspberry Pi3 looks nearly identical to the Raspberry Pi2, with the ports and pins all in the same places. The Pi now supports a wider range including Ubuntu MATE and even a version of Windows 10 IoT.

Raspberry Pi 3 Advancements:

• BCM43438 WiFi
• Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
• 1.2 GHz of Processor Speed
• Videocore IV GPU @ 400MHz
• Broadcom BCM2837 64Bit Quad Core ARM Cortex A53 at 1.2GHz
• Upgraded switched power source up to 2.5 Amps

Raspberry Pi 3 Specifications:

• Broadcom BCM2837 chipset running at 1.2 GHz
• 64-bit quad-core ARM Cortex-A53
• 802.11 b/g/n Wireless LAN
• Bluetooth 4.1 (Classic & Low Energy)
• Dual core Videocore IV® Multimedia co-processor
• 1 GB LPDDR2 memory
• Peripheral Support:
  • 1 x 10/100 Ethernet port
  • 1 x HDMI video/audio connector
  • 1 x RCA video/audio connector
  • 4 x USB 2.0 ports
  • 40 x GPIO pins
• CSI camera port for connecting the Raspberry Pi camera
• Video/Audio Out via 4-pole 3.5mm connector, HDMI, or Raw LCD (DSI)
• Upgraded switched Micro USB power source (now supports up to 2.5 Amps)
• Micro SD port for loading your operating system and storing data
• Same form factor as the Pi2 Model B, - the only difference is the location of the onboard LEDs
• Supports all the latest ARM GNU/Linux distributions and Windows 10 IoT

Raspberry Pi 3 Dimension: 85 x 56 x 17 mm

Raspberry Pi 3 Resources:

• Getting Started with WiFi & BLE
• Raspberry Pi3 with Built-in WiFi and Bluetooth LE: First Look
• rhydoLABZ-wiki
• Raspberry Pi3 Datasheet
• Raspberry Pi FAQs
• Quick start Guide
• OS Download
• Raspberry Pi Foundation