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IoT & Hardware

Nordic Thingy:91: The Cellular IoT Beast for Mad Scientists

March 23, 2026 • By Azzar Budiyanto

The “Wong Edan” Intro: Why Are We Calling Professional Gear a “Thingy”?

Listen up, you caffeine-addicted code-monkeys and hardware-humping wizards! If you’ve been living under a rock—or perhaps inside a Faraday cage—you might have missed what Nordic Semiconductor has been cooking. They call it the Nordic Thingy:91. Seriously? “Thingy”? I’ve seen more intimidating names on a brand of organic yogurt. But don’t let the name fool you. While you’re out there trying to solder wires onto a chip that’s smaller than my patience, Nordic has handed us a bright orange box of pure cellular madness.

I’m sitting here, looking at this battery-operated beast, and I’m wondering: did they name it “Thingy” because they couldn’t find a word that encompasses LTE-M, NB-IoT, GNSS, and a secondary SoC for short-range wireless? Or is it because they knew it would drive us “Wong Edan” (crazy people) into a frenzy? This isn’t just a development kit; it’s a prototyping platform designed to keep you from pulling your hair out when the boss asks for a global tracking solution by Monday. Let’s dive into the guts of this thing before I lose my mind entirely.

The Brain Transplant: Dual-Chip Architecture

The core of the Nordic Thingy:91 is not just one brain, but a specialized cognitive duo. It’s like having a world-class marathon runner and a local sprint champion working in the same skull. The primary powerhouse here is the nRF9160 SiP (System-in-Package). This is the heavy hitter responsible for cellular IoT. We are talking about integrated LTE-M, NB-IoT, and GNSS capabilities all in one tiny package.

But Nordic didn’t stop there. They threw in an nRF52840 SoC for good measure. Why? Because sometimes the nRF9160 needs a buddy to handle the “local” stuff. The nRF52840 is a multiprotocol SoC that handles short-range wireless. This allows the Thingy:91 to act as a bridge. Imagine your sensors talking to the Thingy via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and then the Thingy screaming that data up to the cloud via a cellular tower. It’s a beautiful, chaotic symphony of radio frequencies.

The nRF9160: The King of Long-Range

The nRF9160 is designed specifically to make cellular IoT less of a nightmare. It integrates the modem, the RF front end, and the power management into a single SiP. This is crucial because, in the real world, “rapid prototyping” usually means “I have three hours before the investor meeting.” The nRF9160’s ability to handle LTE-M and NB-IoT out-of-the-box means you aren’t spending weeks tuning antennas for global roaming.

The nRF52840: The Multilingual Gatekeeper

While the 9160 is staring at the horizon looking for a cell tower, the nRF52840 is the one managing the immediate vicinity. It supports Bluetooth LE, Thread, Zigbee, and even proprietary 2.4 GHz protocols. In the context of the Thingy:91, it often serves as the interface for programming and local connectivity, making it a “Prototyping Platform” in the truest sense.

Connectivity Madness: LTE-M, NB-IoT, and GNSS

If you’re still trying to use standard 4G for your tiny sensors, you’re doing it wrong. The Thingy:91 is built for the low-power wide-area (LPWA) world. It’s battery-operated, remember? You can’t have it sucking down juice like a thirsty elephant.

  • LTE-M (Long Term Evolution for Machines): This is for the stuff that moves. It has better bandwidth than NB-IoT and handles handovers between cell towers much better. Perfect for that asset tracker you’re building to find your lost sanity.
  • NB-IoT (Narrowband IoT): This is for the “set it and forget it” sensors. It’s designed for massive machine-to-machine communication with deep indoor penetration. If you’re burying a sensor in a basement to check for leaks, NB-IoT is your best friend.
  • GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System): The Thingy:91 includes GPS support. But it’s not just “GPS”—it’s integrated into the nRF9160. This allows for real-time position measuring. In the words of the search data, it “accurately measures real-time position.” No more guessing where your expensive prototype ended up.

The “Nose” of the Operation: Bosch BME680

One of the coolest—and most literal—features of the Thingy:91 is the Bosch BME680 sensor. Some people call it the “nose” of the platform. Why? Because this little chip doesn’t just measure temperature and humidity. It senses gas. It can detect Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which means your Thingy:91 can literally tell you if the room is getting stuffy or if someone left the gas stove on.

According to technical lore (and Bosch themselves), the BME680 tracks:

  • Temperature
  • Atmospheric Pressure
  • Humidity
  • Air Quality (Gas sensing)

By integrating the BME680, Nordic has slashed the time needed for environmental prototyping. You don’t have to wire up a separate sensor board; you just query the data through the nRF Connect SDK and start crying about how high the CO2 levels are in your office.

Programming the Beast: Don’t Brick It!

You can’t just yell at the Thingy:91 to make it work. You have to program it. And since we have two chips (nRF9160 and nRF52840), you need to know which one you’re talking to. The process is streamlined but requires the right tools.

The nRF Connect for Desktop Gateway

First, you need the nRF Connect for Desktop. This is the mothership software. Inside it, you’ll find the Programmer app. This is your primary interface for flashing firmware. To update the nRF52840, you usually need to put it into bootloader mode.

“Start the Thingy:91 in the bootloader mode for the nRF52840 SoC: Open nRF Connect for Desktop and launch the Programmer app. Click Select…”

This process is the “secret handshake” of Nordic developers. Once you’re in, you can flash the pre-compiled demos or your own custom-built firmware. The fact that it works out-of-the-box with the cellular IoT demo is a godsend for those of us who hate spending the first four days of a project just trying to blink an LED.


// Example: Conceptualizing a sensor read (Pseudo-code for the SDK)
#include <zephyr.h>
#include <drivers/sensor.h>

void main(void) {
const struct device *dev = device_get_binding("BME680");
struct sensor_value temp, press, hum, gas;

while (1) {
sensor_sample_fetch(dev);
sensor_channel_get(dev, SENSOR_CHAN_AMBIENT_TEMP, &temp);
// Do something with the data...
// Like sending it via LTE-M!
k_sleep(K_SECONDS(60));
}
}

Energy Autonomy: The Nowi Plug-In

One of the most exciting developments for the Thingy:91 is the push toward “Energy Autonomy.” We’ve seen hardware accessories like the Nowi Powered Energy Autonomous Nordic Thingy:91 Plug-In. This is a game-changer. It’s an accessory designed to harvest energy from the environment (like light) to power the platform.

Imagine a Thingy:91 that never needs a battery swap. It sits in a field, gathers data via its BME680, gets its location via GNSS, sends it all over NB-IoT, and powers itself using a tiny solar panel via the Nowi plug-in. That’s not just engineering; that’s black magic. It turns the “Thingy” from a desktop toy into a perpetual motion machine of data collection.

The Family Tree: Thingy:91 X and Thingy:53

Nordic didn’t just stop with the 91. They created a whole family of “Thingies.” It’s a bit like the Kardashians, but actually useful for society.

The Thingy:91 X

The Nordic Thingy:91 X is the newer, even more versatile sibling. It’s designed for the development of cellular IoT but adds more flexibility. While the original 91 is a robust workhorse, the “X” version pushes the boundaries of what a multi-sensor prototyping platform can do. If you need even more sensor density or updated SiP capabilities, the X is where you look.

The Thingy:53

Then there’s the Thingy:53. This one is different. It’s not focused on cellular. Instead, it’s a multi-sensor platform for rapid wireless IoT and Embedded Machine Learning (ML). It’s the one you’d use for a Matter-based weather station or an AI-driven motion sensor. It’s the short-range, “smart” cousin of the cellular 91.

Practical Use Cases: From Smart Cities to Mad Science

What can you actually do with a Thingy:91? Aside from using it as a very expensive paperweight? Because it works out-of-the-box with GPS and cellular, the possibilities are only limited by your remaining brain cells.

  • Asset Tracking: Stick it in a shipping container. Use the LTE-M for global roaming and the GPS to see if your cargo is actually in Rotterdam or if it has been hijacked by pirates.
  • Environmental Monitoring: Use the BME680 to monitor air quality in smart buildings. Since it’s battery-operated, you can stick it on a wall without hiring an electrician.
  • Cold Chain Logistics: Monitor the temperature of vaccines or expensive steaks. If the temperature spikes, the nRF9160 can send an emergency alert via NB-IoT before the cargo spoils.
  • Agricultural Sensing: Deploy them in a vineyard. Monitor humidity and soil conditions (with external sensors) and use the cellular link to avoid running 5 miles of cable.

Wong Edan’s Technical Deep Dive: The Programmer App

Let’s talk about the Programmer app within nRF Connect for Desktop for a second. This is where most beginners cry. The Thingy:91 is unique because it’s effectively two development boards in one. When you connect it via USB, you aren’t just seeing one serial port. You are seeing the gateway to the SiP and the SoC.

The “Getting Started” guide from Nordic highlights that the Thingy:91 is designed to be “easy-to-use.” And it is—if you follow the workflow. You select the device in the Programmer app, add the HEX files (one for the modem, one for the application), and hit “Write.” If you’re trying to do an NB-IoT demo, you’ll likely need to ensure your SIM card is activated and the APN settings are correct. It’s not “plug and play” like a USB mouse, but for a cellular device, it’s as close as you’ll get without losing your mind.

Wong Edan’s Verdict: Buy It or Bury It?

Alright, listen up. I’ve seen a lot of “prototyping” boards that are just glorified Arduinos with a fancy sticker. The Nordic Thingy:91 is not one of them. It is a serious, industrial-grade piece of hardware disguised as a friendly orange “thingy.”

The Good: It integrates everything. You get the nRF9160, the nRF52840, the BME680, and a battery in a rugged enclosure. It slashes prototyping time. If you need to prove a cellular IoT concept in a week, this is your only hope.

The Bad: It’s complex. Dual-chip architecture means dual-chip debugging. If you’re a total “noob” who doesn’t know the difference between a baud rate and a heart rate, you’re going to have a bad time. And you’ll need a SIM card that actually supports LTE-M or NB-IoT in your area (don’t blame Nordic if your local carrier is stuck in the 90s).

The Verdict: If you are building anything that needs to talk to a satellite or a cell tower while sitting in the middle of a forest, the Nordic Thingy:91 is king. It’s the “Wong Edan” choice—crazy enough to work, and powerful enough to make you look like a genius. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go see if I can make my Thingy:91 detect the VOC levels of my leftover spicy ramen. For science!