$39 Acelink SM81 MediaTek Filogic 820 WiFi 6 system-on-module runs OpenWrt 23.05 or Debian 11

Acelink SM81 is a compact (50x36mm) system-on-module based on the MediaTek Filogic 820 (MT7981A/B) processor with WiFi 6 and Ethernet connectivity designed for IoT applications such as routers, access points, and gateways.

The wireless module ships with up to 1GB DDR4 memory, a 2MB NOR flash for the bootloader, a 32GB eMMC flash for Linux or an optional NAND flash, and exposes various I/Os such as gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, PCIe 2.1, UART, and more through castellated holes.

ACELINK SM81 MediaTek Filogic 820 system-on-module
One of the eMMC chips is the DDR4…

Acelink SM81 specifications:

  • SoC (one or the other)
    • MediaTek MT7981AA (Filogic 820) dual-core processor @ 1.3 GHz
    • MediaTek MT7981BA (Filogic 820) dual-core processor @ 1.3 GHz without PCIe interface
  • System Memory – 1GB DDR4 @ 2133 Mbps
  • Storage
    • 2MB NOR flash for bootloader
    • 16GB or 32GB eMMC flash for main OS (OpenWrt)
    • Footprint for NAND flash
  • Wireless
    • Radio Mode – 2.4GHz 2×2 + 5GHz 3×3  MIMO via MT7976CN RF IC
    • Radio Frequency Bands – 2412MHz ~2472MHz, 5180MHz ~5825MHz
    • Transmit Power
      • 2.4GHz – Up to 21dBm/MCS0
      • 5GHz – Up to  Max. 21dBm/MCS0
    • Receive Sensitivity – -96 to -52dBm depending on the modulation scheme
    • Modulation Schemes – BPSK, QPSK, 64/256/1024QAM
    • Channel Size  – 20/40/80/160MHz
    • Data Rates
      • 2.4GHz
        • 802.11b: 1, 2, 5.5, 11Mbps
        • 802.11g: 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54Mbps
        • 802.11n: up to 300Mbps – 2×2 MIMO
        • 802.11ax: up to 573.5Mbps – 2×2 MIMO
      • 5GHz
        • 802.11g: 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54Mbps
        • 802.11n: up to 450Mbps – 3×3 MIMO (40MHz channel)
        • 802.11ac: up to 1300Mbps – 3×3 MIMO (80MHz channel)
        • 802.11ax: up to 3,603Mbps – 3×3 MIMO (160MHz channel)
    • Antennas – 3x IPEX connectors
  • Interfaces via castellated holes
    • Networking – Gigabit Ethernet, HSGMII/SGMII+
    • USB – 1x USB 3.0 Host
    • Expansion – PCIe 2.0 (MT7981AA only)
    • 2x UART (1x Tx/Rx1 + 1x 4-pin UART)
    • WPS
    • Shared GPIOs
  • Security – AES-CCMP, GCMP hardware processing
  • Misc – Hardware watchdog, system reset
  • Supply Voltage – +3.3V DC
  • Power Consumption – 8W typ.; up to 11W with full Tx
  • Dimensions – 50 x 36 x 3.0 mm
  • Weight – About 20 grams
  • Temperature Range – Operating: -10°C to +70°C; storage: -40°C to +90°C
  • Humidity – 5% – 95% (Non-condensing)

Acelink MT7981 SoM block diagram

Acelink says the module can run OpenWrt 23.05 or Debian 11.8 BullsEye with Linux 5.15. It features the same MediaTek Filogic 820 processor as found in the Brume GL-MT2500/GL-MT2500A security gateway/router and the upcoming OpenWrt One router board designed by the OpenWrt community, but the SM81 module is fitted with higher capacity storage enabling it to comfortably run a full-featured Linux distribution like Debian.

Acelink also provides the SM81 EVK-AP for evaluation with two Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports, a USB 3.0 Type-A port, a USB-C port for 5V/3A DC input, and a reset button.

MediaTek Filogic 820 EVK

Acelink cooling solution
Cooling solution for the EVK-AP

That’s if you want to make a router. However, if the plan is to create a cellular IoT gateway, the company also provides the SM81 EVK-LTE with an M.2 Key-B socket compatible with 4G LTE modules and two micro SIM card slots.

Filogic 820 Cellular Gateway Evaluation Kit
Acelink SM81 EVK-LTE

The EVK-LTE evaluation kit is also equipped with six gigabit Ethernet ports connected through a MediaTek MT7531 switch, an SFP cage, a USB 3.0 Type-C port for console access, an RS232/RS422/RS485 terminal block, and a 3-pole terminal block for DC power.

Acelink provides some pricing info with the SM81 Filogic 820 system-on-module going for $39 in 32GB flash/1GB RAM configuration, while the EVK-AP sells for $99. I was not provided with pricing for the EVK-LTE kit. While I got most of the information above from a Word file, a few more details may also be found on the product page which has a few mistakes here and there…

Share this:
FacebookTwitterHacker NewsSlashdotRedditLinkedInPinterestFlipboardMeWeLineEmailShare

Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress

ROCK 5 ITX Rockchip RK3588 mini-ITX motherboard

2 Replies to “$39 Acelink SM81 MediaTek Filogic 820 WiFi 6 system-on-module runs OpenWrt 23.05 or Debian 11”

  1. Are you sure about those WiFi specs?

    I have a MediaTek MT7981B 5G/LTE gateway and it does 2400Mbps 5ghz and 600Mbps 2.4ghz.

    1. The specs might be consistent if your router is 2×2 MIMO at 5 GHz, while the module here supports 3×3 MIMO at 5 GHz. 600 Mbps could be a rounding up of 573.5Mbps.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Boardcon Rockchip RK3588S SBC with 8K, WiFI 6, 4G LTE, NVME SSD, HDMI 2.1...
Boardcon Rockchip RK3588S SBC with 8K, WiFI 6, 4G LTE, NVME SSD, HDMI 2.1...