The Raspberry Pi Zero's popularity quickly caused availability problems, but there's also a functional detail missing from the computer: the absence of wireless support. This forced users to buy adapters and dongles to add WiFi to the Zero, a decision that affects its final form. In an attempt to solve both problems at once, the Raspberry Pi foundation introduced the new Raspberry Pi Zero W, identical to the previous model but with WiFi and Bluetooth.
The Zero's Wireless Gap
The Raspberry Pi Zero costs five dollars. And I wish the best of luck to anyone who tries to buy one. The few units I found had a 300-400 percent markup, or shipping costs that made the whole process absurd. However, the reality of the Raspberry Pi Zero is that one way or another we must spend more money on it because several accessories are needed to get the most out of its resources, starting with a small USB hub, and most importantly: a WiFi module. While it is technically possible to access the Pi Zero through its main USB port, most users want to connect it to a basic power source, throw it in a corner and use VNC or SSH. The Zero doesn't have an Ethernet port, so WiFi is the best option, and a dangling dongle isn't very elegant...
Raspberry Pi Zero W: Same Pi, Now Wireless
The folks at the Raspberry Pi foundation decided to take up the challenge, and their answer is a special edition of the mini computer, the Raspberry Pi Zero W. The only difference between this model and the previous one is the presence of WiFi n and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, courtesy of the Cypress CYW43438 chip already found in the Raspberry Pi 3. In theory, the chip has a maximum speed of 150 megabits per second, but realistically it will likely deliver a fifth of that. The Raspberry Pi Zero W keeps a 1 GHz Broadcom BCM2835 SoC, 512MB of RAM shared with the GPU, mini HDMI, two USB ports, microSD slot, camera connector, RCA video output, and the 40 GPIO pins for connecting different accessories.
The brand new Raspberry Pi Zero W shared the announcement with a new official case that completely covers the computer, leaves the GPIO pins exposed, or provides an anchoring point for the camera. The price we expect to find the Raspberry Pi Zero W is $10, double the normal Zero. I can imagine that will make its distribution a bit more interesting among suppliers...
