Open Stack is a standalone 4G LTE IoT connectivity board designed to run RTOS-based C applications directly on the Quectel EC200U series LTE module, meaning you don’t need an external MCU like Arduino, ESP32, or Raspberry Pi. By removing the MCU, the board reduces power consumption, bill-of-materials (BOM) cost, and physical footprint.
The board supports multi-band LTE with GSM fallback, GNSS, and Bluetooth 4.2, as well as IPv4/IPv6 client and server modes. It also includes a USB Type-C port, a Nano SIM card slot, LTE/GNSS/BLE antenna connectors, an OLED information display, status LEDs, control buttons, and a 40-pin Raspberry Pi HAT-compatible GPIO header. Networking support includes TCP/UDP, SSL/TLS, HTTP/HTTPS, MQTT, LwM2M, CoAP, FTP/FTPS, and PPP, making it suitable for asset tracking, industrial monitoring, BLE-to-LTE gateways, remote infrastructure, and always-connected IoT deployments without additional controller hardware.
Open Stack specifications:
- Cellular Module – Quectel EC200U-CN series (EC200UCNAA-N05-SGNSA) module
- Cellular Connectivity:
- LTE FDD – B1/B3/B5/B8
- LTE TDD – B34/B38/B39/B40/B41
- GSM – 900 / 1800 MHz (fallback)
- Data Rates – Up to 10 Mbps (DL) / 5 Mbps (UL)
- GNSS – GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou (BDS), QZSS
- Bluetooth – Bluetooth 4.2 (BR/EDR + BLE)
- Networking Protocols – TCP, UDP, SSL/TLS, HTTP/HTTPS, MQTT, LwM2M, CoAP, FTP/FTPS, PPP, IPv4, IPv6
- Antenna – 3x U.FL connector for LTE, GNSS, and Bluetooth
- Cellular Connectivity:
- Display – 128×32 thin OLED display
- USB – 1x USB Type-C for power, programming, and debugging
- Expansion – 40-pin header compatible with Raspberry Pi HATs
- Misc
- Network, power, and status LEDs
- Boot, reset, and user buttons
- Dimensions – TBD
- Operating Temperature (Module): -40°C to +85°C
Programming is done via the QuecOpen SDK, which allows the user to write C code that runs on the module’s Arm processor. This provides access to the networking stack and peripheral interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART, PWM). For those not ready to dive into the SDK and write C code, you also have the option to use standard AT commands over the USB-C interface. The company mentions that the project is open-source, but like many crowdfunding campaigns, the hardware design files and documentation will be released after the campaign ends. We’d like to note that the Quectel EC200U-CN is designed for the China and India markets, while the EC200U-EU targets EMEA, Australia, New Zealand, and the EC200U-AU is made for Latin America. It’s unclear whether the last two are options for the Open Stack board, and there’s no “EC200U-NA” for North America, so make sure the advertised bands are supported by your cellular data provider.
Previously, we have written about products like the LILYGO T-Deck Pro, the ESP32-S3-SIM7670G-4G, and the LILYGO T-A7608 series, but all of these rely on a secondary MCU to manage the cellular modem. In comparison, the Open Stack is a production-ready, standalone platform that fully leverages the QuecOpen SDK. In that respect, it’s similar ot the Eicut EC200U development board and especially the Waveshare’s EC200U C4-P01 board, which also supports Raspberry Pi HATs, but ships with either the EC200U-EU or EC200U-AU instead.
The Open Stack project is live on Kickstarter, where the board-only version starts at €55 (around $66). Bundles with a 28dB ceramic GPS antenna cost €57 (≈ $67.91), while the version with a 3-meter external GPS antenna is €59 (≈ $70.29). Shipping is planned for April 2026. If you are based in Europe, the Eicut
Via Hackster.io
Debashis Das is a technical content writer and embedded engineer with over five years of experience in the industry. With expertise in Embedded C, PCB Design, and SEO optimization, he effectively blends difficult technical topics with clear communication
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