Nordic DECT NR+ Gateway
nRF Connect SDK
DECT NR+ Ethernet Backhaul Gateway with W5500
Bridging wireless IoT devices directly to wired LAN and the internet
Overview
This project combines Nordic's DECT NR+ wireless technology with the WIZnet W5500 Ethernet controller to build a Backhaul Gateway — forwarding IPv6 packets from wireless PT nodes to a wired Ethernet network without any data conversion.
The implementation has been submitted as a Pull Request to the Nordic nRF Connect SDK repository.
→ nrfconnect/sdk-nrf #27535
What is DECT NR+? How is it different from BLE?
DECT NR+ (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications New Radio Plus) is an entirely different wireless technology from BLE. PT nodes are not BLE devices, and there is no BLE-to-IPv6 conversion step. The DECT NR+ modem natively generates IPv6 packets from the start and transmits them directly over the air.
| BLE | DECT NR+ | |
|---|---|---|
| IP support | Not native (gateway must convert) | Native IPv6 |
| Frequency | 2.4 GHz (congested with Wi-Fi) | 1.9 GHz (dedicated, interference-free) |
| Device role | Data endpoint | Independent network node |
| 5G standard | N/A | ITU IMT-2020 (5G) certified |
| Carrier required | No | No — private network, license-free |
With BLE IoT, a gateway interprets and converts data before forwarding it. With DECT NR+, IPv6 packets travel end-to-end untouched — it's network infrastructure extension, not data collection.
sdk-nrf is not a BLE-only SDK
github.com/nrfconnect/sdk-nrf is often mistaken for a BLE SDK, but the nRF Connect SDK is Nordic's unified SDK for all wireless technologies. This PR modifies the DECT NR+ subsystem (subsys/net/l2_dect) for the nRF91 series — completely separate from BLE.
nRF Connect SDK (sdk-nrf)
├── BLE / Mesh / Matter / Thread / Zigbee ← nRF52, nRF53 Series
├── Wi-Fi ← nRF70 Series
├── LTE-M / NB-IoT / GPS ← nRF91 Series
└── DECT NR+ ← nRF91 Series ← this PRDECT NR+ Ecosystem
Nordic currently leads the space, and the ecosystem is still in its early stages.
| Vendor | Role |
|---|---|
| Nordic Semiconductor | nRF9151/9161 chips, DK, SDK — currently the only practical option |
| u-blox | Ready-to-use modules based on Nordic chips |
| Last Mile Semiconductor | Dedicated NR+ SoC in development (second source) |
| Wirepas | Large-scale NR+ mesh network platform |
| Siemens, Legrand, Schneider | Smart building & industrial automation ecosystem |
If you want to start today, Nordic nRF9151 DK + nRF Connect SDK is the most practical starting point. Reference implementations like this project — combining the nRF91 with W5500 — are what's building the ecosystem right now.
System Architecture
Role of the W5500
The nRF91 has a built-in DECT NR+ modem but no Ethernet MAC/PHY. The W5500 fills that gap via SPI, acting as the critical Backhaul interface that connects the wireless private network to the outside world.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Interface | SPI (24 MHz in this setup) |
| Features | Hardwired Ethernet MAC + PHY (standalone) |
| Integration | Works out of the box with Zephyr RTOS via CONFIG_ETH_W5500 |
Verified Results
A successful ping to Google DNS (8.8.8.8) from a PT node through the FT gateway was confirmed.
- FT Gateway: Two interfaces active — Ethernet (
eth0) and DECT radio (dect0) - PT Node: Internet access through a single DECT interface via the FT gateway
- IPv6 packets passed through DECT → SPI → Ethernet with no conversion
Use Cases
Smart factories, industrial IoT gateways, environmental and energy monitoring, private wireless networks, and long-range low-power data collection — any industrial IoT environment where Wi-Fi coverage is limited or a wired backhaul is needed.
References
- GitHub PR: nrfconnect/sdk-nrf #27535
- WIZnet W5500: wiznet.io/product-item/w5500
- Nordic nRF9151 DK: nordicsemi.com
- nRF Connect SDK Docs: docs.nordicsemi.com
- DECT Forum: dect.org