The nRF9151 SMA DK from Nordic Semiconductor is a specialised development kit designed to give engineers maximum flexibility and performance when researching, prototyping, and optimising cellular IoT, satellite (NTN), GNSS, and DECT NR+ applications. Built around Nordic’s nRF9151 System-in-Package (SiP), the SMA DK replaces internal antennas with SMA connectors for direct connection to lab equipment or high-performance external antennas, making it the ideal platform for precise RF characterisation and demanding field testing.
RF flexibility is also a strength of the kit: developers can test and test the modem and RF performance with high exercise by connecting external high-quality antennas or measurement equipment to the kit, at both real-world conditions and in the laboratory and can more accurately test both than when conventional boards with inbuilt antennas are used. It has a wide selection of supported radio technologies, such as LTE-M, NB-IoT, NB-NTN (Non-Terrestrial Networks), DECT NR+, and GNSS, including a wide range of globally useful frequency bands.
To facilitate flexible development processes, nRF9151 SMA DK has both nano/4FF SIM card pads and an MFF2 pad to fixed SIM cards, soldered eSIMs or software iSIMs, which allows it to have flexible connections to both cellular and satellite networks. On-board SEGGER J-Link debugger (is used for debug and development) and is also capable of programming external targets. Making of general prototyping and user interaction. Four programmable LEDs and four buttons were provided, and all the GPIOs and interfaces were accessible.
The board is compatible with virtually any shield and expansion module, and its form factor is an Arduino Uno Rev3, allowing the addition of the Nordic nRF7002 EK to give it additional Wi-Fi functionality. The nRF Connect SDK provides a single software stack that enables developers of models with cellular and IoT applications to quickly start using Nordic, composed of extensive tutorials and tooling to support the rapid creation and test of these models.
Not too long ago, I covered the Nordic nRF7002 EBII, an expansion board ideal for RF engineers, advanced IoT designers, and satellite connectivity researchers. The nRF9151 SMA DK empowers precise measurement, optimisation, and rapid prototyping across a broad spectrum of modern wireless IoT technologies. You can find more information on the official product page and press release.
At this point, Nordic nRF9151 SMA DK costs an estimated 120-130 dollars, depending on the distributor. Stock depends on the area, and the user may state unavailable in the stock or supplied upon request, thus the availability may change. It is usually available in the inventory of major distributors such as DigiKey, Mouser and Symmetry Electronics, but lead times might be involved.