HiHope WS63E Board Supports New NearLink Protocol with SparkLink Low Energy (SLE) for Next-Gen Wireless Connectivity

The HiHope_NearLink_DK_WS63E_V03 is a compact $7 development board built around the HiSilicon NearLink WS63E SoC with Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth LE 5.2, and SparkLink Low Energy (SLE). It targets Smart Home and AIoT applications where low power consumption and strong wireless connectivity are essential. The board is compatible with OpenHarmony OS and can be programmed using Hispark Studio.

The SoC integrates a 240 MHz 32-bit CPU, 606KB SRAM, and 4MB flash. Wireless support includes Wi-Fi 6 (2.4 GHz) with WPA3, BLE 4.0–5.2 with mesh and multicast, and SLE 1.0 offering up to 12 Mbps data rate. Security features include AES, RSA, ECC, SHA256, hardware RNG, and secure boot via eFuse. The board also includes SPI, I2C, I2S, UART, ADC, PWM, and GPIO headers, USB-C for power and programming, and support for external antennas. Applications span wearables, smart appliances, industrial senso.

HiHope_NearLink_DK_WS63E_V03 specifications:

• SoC – HiSilicon NearLink WS63E
  • 32-bit processor clocked up to 240 MHz
  • 606KB internal SRAM, 300KB ROM
  • 4MB integrated Flash memory
• Wireless connectivity (2.4GHz)
  • Wi-Fi 6 (802.11b/g/n/ax) with 20/40MHz (n) and 20MHz (ax) support
  • Peak data rates: 150 Mbps (HT40), 114.7 Mbps (HE20)
  • Supports WPA/WPA2/WPA3 security, WPS 2.0
  • Modes: Station, Access Point (up to 6 clients), Sniffer
  • Built-in RF front-end: PA, LNA, TX/RX switch, balun
  • Bluetooth LE 4.0–5.2 with Mesh, multicast, and Gateway features
  • PHY rates: 125Kbps to 2Mbps; up to +20 dBm TX power
  • SparkLink Low Energy (SLE) 1.0 with 1/2/4 MHz bandwidth and up to 12 Mbps air rate
  • SLE Gateway mode, Polar coding support
• Antennas
  • Onboard PCB antenna
  • Two u.FL connectors for optional external SLE and radar antennas
• USB
  • USB Type-C port for power and programming
• Expansion
  • 12-pin and 16-pin headers
  • Interfaces: SPI, I²C, I²S, UART, ADC, PWM, GPIO
• Security
  • Hardware acceleration for AES-128/256, SHA-256, HMAC, RSA, ECC
  • DTLS/TLS crypto offloading
  • TRNG (True Random Number Generator)
  • Chinese crypto support: SM2, SM3, SM4
  • eFuse for secure boot and device ID
  • MPU for memory region isolation
• Miscellaneous
  • Reset and user buttons
  • Tri-color status LED, power indicator
  • 5V power input
• Dimensions – 53 x 22.8 mm
• Operating Temperature: -40°C to +85°C

The board is listed on the HiHope website, though the page is currently empty. I found the board Youyeetoo’s website and ther are also on Documentation is available on Youyeetoo’s Google Drive. It supports programming via the Hispark Studio compiler with an OpenHarmony-based OS, and an SDK and firmware tools are provided.

The HiHope_NearLink_DK_WS63E_V03 board supports software development through the Hispark Studio compiler and is compatible with an OpenHarmony-based operating system, offering efficient, secure, and real-time performance. Developers can use the dedicated SDK for building applications, and firmware updates or flashing can be done via UART. Additional resources, including setup guides and example code, are available on platforms like the CSDN blog.

NearLink is a China-developed wireless standard designed to improve on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for IoT. It offers low power, low latency, and high bandwidth. Its core protocol, SparkLink, comes in two types: SparkLink Low Energy (SLE) for low-power devices like wearables, and SparkLink Basic(SLB) for high-speed uses like industrial control and video.

The HiHope_NearLink_DK_WS63E_V03, or as Youyeetoo calls it, HH-D02 NearLink dev board, can be purchased from the Youyeetoo store for $7.10.