Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments on Seeed IoT Button for AWS Brings Back Amazon Dash Button to Life for Developers

Seeed IoT Button for AWS Brings Back Amazon Dash Button to Life for Developers

Seeed IoT Button for AWS

Amazon introduced $5 dash buttons in 2015 to let consumers purchase regular items such as washing powder by simply pressing a button. Some people hacked them for other purposes, for instance as WiFi logging buttons, but the company eventually stopped selling the buttons in February 2019 and fully killed those at the end of August. Seeed Studio is bringing back Amazon Dash button to life in some ways, with the Seeed IoT Button For AWS Wi-Fi-based, programmable button that deploys the AWS IoT 1-Click service. Seeed IoT Button for AWS hardware specifications: MCU – Dual-core MCU with 20MHz Cortex M0 and 200MHz Cortex M4F (Very likely Realtek RTL8720DN Wireless MCU) Storage – 4MB flash Connectivity – Dual-band Wi-Fi 4 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4GHz & 5GHz) and Bluetooth 5.0 LE USB – 1x USB Type-C port for charging Misc – Button good for 100,000 cycles, 3x LEDs (red, green, blue) Power Supply 5V via USB-C port Battery – 3.6V Li-ion 18650 Rechargeable …

Continue reading… “Seeed IoT Button for AWS Brings Back Amazon Dash Button to Life for Developers”

Support CNX Software – Donate via PayPal or become a Patron on Patreon

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on $11 DIGOO DG-R611 WiFi Repeater Comes with Two External Antennas

$11 DIGOO DG-R611 WiFi Repeater Comes with Two External Antennas

DIGOO DG-R611

Low-cost WiFi routers such as A5 V11 mini router have been around for many years. The cheaper ones are usually powered by a USB charger sold separately, and support 2.4 GHz WiFI with a single antenna. But I’ve just noticed DIGOO DG-R611 WiFi repeater with support for dual-antenna, data rate up to 300 Mbps, and integrated power supply. It is sold for under $11 on Banggood and Aliexpress, and may be worth a closer look.     DIGOO DG-R611 specifications: SoC – Realtek RTL8196E RISC processor @ 400 MHz System Memory – TBD Storage – TBD Networking Wired – 10/100M Ethernet port Wireless 2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n WiFi 4 up to 300 Mbps Two 2dBi antennas  Wireless Transmit Power – 20dBm(MAX EIRP) Repeater, Access Point (AP), or Media bridge modes supported  Wireless Security – 64/128-bit WEP, WPA/WPA2, WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK (TKIP/AES) Power Supply – Integrated 110-230V with US, EU, or UK plug Dimensions – 7 x 7 x 7.5 cm excluding antennas Temperature …

Continue reading… “$11 DIGOO DG-R611 WiFi Repeater Comes with Two External Antennas”

Support CNX Software – Donate via PayPal or become a Patron on Patreon

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments on Wio Terminal Features Microchip SAMD51 MCU, Dual-Band WiFI & Bluetooth WiFI, and 2.4″ LCD

Wio Terminal Features Microchip SAMD51 MCU, Dual-Band WiFI & Bluetooth WiFI, and 2.4″ LCD

Wio Terminal

Microchip SAM D5x Arm Cortex-M4 microcontrollers were introduced in 2017, and the next year we started to see Arduino or MicroPython compatible board brought to market including Adafruit Metro M4 or Tachyon boards. Seeed Studio has now introduced its own Arduino & MicroPython compatible SAMD51 platform with Wio Terminal also integrating an RTL8720DN dual-band WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 chip, and 2.4″ LCD display. There are also Grove connectors to add sensor modules, and a 40-pin header to use the device like a Raspberry Pi HAT. Wio Terminal features and specifications: MCU – Microchip SAMD51 (ATSAMD51P19) Arm Cortex-M4F microcontroller @ 120 MHz (can be overclocked to 200 MHz) with 192KB RAM, 512KB flash Storage – 4MB external SPI flash, MicroSD card slot up to 16GB Display – 2.4″ LCD screen with 320×240 resolution (ILI9341 driver) Audio – Microphone and buzzer Connectivity – Dual-band WiFi 4 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 5.0 via Realtek RTL8720DN COrtex-M4/M0 WiSoC USB – 1x USB-C OTG port …

Continue reading… “Wio Terminal Features Microchip SAMD51 MCU, Dual-Band WiFI & Bluetooth WiFI, and 2.4″ LCD”

Support CNX Software – Donate via PayPal or become a Patron on Patreon

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments on Realtek RTL8720DN Dual-Band WiFi & Bluetooth 5.0 IoT Modules Sell for $4 and Up

Realtek RTL8720DN Dual-Band WiFi & Bluetooth 5.0 IoT Modules Sell for $4 and Up

BW16 RTL8720DN Dual-band WiFi & Bluetooth Module

There are plenty of 2.4 GHz WiFi modules for IoT project based on processors ranging from Espressif Systems ESP8266 to TI CC3200, or Realtek RTL8710. Some others add Bluetooth 4.2/5.0 such as Espressif Systems ESP32, but it’s much harder to find solutions with dual-band WiFi especially if you have a tight budget for your project or product. But Realtek RTL8720DN – part of AmebaD family –  offers just that with the Arm Cortex-M4/M0 wireless MCU supporting dual-band (2.4/5.0GHz) 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, and found in modules currently selling for as low as $3.90 or 24 RMB in single units. B&T BW16 RTL8720DN Module Specifications: Wireless SoC – Realtek RTL8720DN MCU with KM4 Arm Cortex-M4 core @ 200 MHz and KM0 Arm Cortex-M0 core @ 20 MHz Connectivity WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n WiFi 4 Frequency Range – 2.412-2.484GHz & 5.180-5.825GHz Data Rates 802.11a: 6,9,12,18,24,36,48,54Mbps 802.11b: 1,2,5.5,11Mbps 802.11g: 6,9,12,18,24,36,48,54Mbps 802.11n: MCS0–MCS7 @ HT20/HT40 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands AP, Station, AP/Client …

Continue reading… “Realtek RTL8720DN Dual-Band WiFi & Bluetooth 5.0 IoT Modules Sell for $4 and Up”

Support CNX Software – Donate via PayPal or become a Patron on Patreon

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on Ameba Z2 IoT Board Features Realtek RTL8720CM Armv8-M KM4 Secure Wireless MCU

Ameba Z2 IoT Board Features Realtek RTL8720CM Armv8-M KM4 Secure Wireless MCU

Ameba Z2 IoT Development Board

In 2016 we discovered Realtek Ameba wireless microcontrollers combining an Arm Cortex-M3 core with WiFi connectivity, and that could potentially become an ESP8266 competitor with modules selling for as low as $2. But the solution never really took off, because it was about the same price as ESP8266, and the latter already had a solid software ecosystem and community. But RealTek has now introduced a new Ameba Z2 IoT development board powered by RTL8720CM microcontroller featuring an Armv8-M KM4 core clocked at 100 MHz. What’s an Arm KM4 core you may ask? Seeed Studio informed me Arm and RealTek worked together on the KM4 core, so it looks like a custom Armv8-M microcontroller. Ameba Z2 IoT Development Board Ameba Z2 (ZII) specifications: Wireless MCU – Realtek RTL8720CM single core Armv8-M KM4 core @ 100MHz with 4.2MB internal RAM, WiFi and Bluetooth radios Storage – 2MB external flash on module Connectivity Wi-Fi – 802.11 b/g/n 1×1 Wi-Fi 4 (20/40MHz) with PCB …

Continue reading… “Ameba Z2 IoT Board Features Realtek RTL8720CM Armv8-M KM4 Secure Wireless MCU”

Support CNX Software – Donate via PayPal or become a Patron on Patreon

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 22 Comments on Banana Pi BPI-M4 RPi 3+ Lookalike Board with 4K Video, M.2 Socket Launched for $38

Banana Pi BPI-M4 RPi 3+ Lookalike Board with 4K Video, M.2 Socket Launched for $38

Banana Pi BPI-M4

Banana Pi BPI-M4 was unveiled at the beginning of the year as an alternative to Raspberry Pi 3B+ with the same form factor, but equipped with a more capable processor, namely Realtek RTD1395 with support for 4K video output and decoding, Gigabit Ethernet support, PCIe, etc.. SinoVoIP has however made the choice not to go with Gigabit Ethernet, and opted for a cheaper design with Fast Ethernet instead. Having said that, the 4K capabilities of the processor, and PCIe via an M.2 socket are still leveraged in the company’s latest Banana Pi board. What’s changed is that Banana Pi BPI-M4 is now available on Aliexpress for $38 plus shipping in 1GB RAM + 8GB flash storage configuration. Banana Pi BPI-M4 specifications have not changed: SoC – Realtek RTD1395 quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor with Mali-470 MP4 GPU System Memory – 1 GB DDR4 (option 2 GB) Storage – 8G eMMC flash (max 64 GB), micro SD slot up to 256GB Video …

Continue reading… “Banana Pi BPI-M4 RPi 3+ Lookalike Board with 4K Video, M.2 Socket Launched for $38”

Support CNX Software – Donate via PayPal or become a Patron on Patreon

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments on Komikan is a Realtek WiFi 802.11ac Wave2 Module & Development Kit

Komikan is a Realtek WiFi 802.11ac Wave2 Module & Development Kit

Komikan Development Kit

8devices has been developping and selling WiFi modules such as their Rambutan Atheros module, and the now-discontinued Carambola module. The company is now back with Komikan, an 802.11ac Wave 2 + Bluetooth 4.1 module, as well as the corresponding Komikan development kit. Komikan 802.11ac Wave 2 Module Specifications: CPU – Realtek RTL8197FS MIPS 24Kc processor @ 1 GHz System Memory – 128 MB RAM Storage – 32MB flash Connectivity WiFi 4 802.11 b/g/n 2×2 MIMO via RTL8197FS WiFi 5 802.11ac Wave 2 2×2 MIMO via Realtek RTL8822BEH Bluetooth v2.1/3.0/4.1 Max output power – 22 dBm per chain Antenna – GPIO pins for external antenna Expansion via bottom pads – 44x GPIO, 2x USB, 4x UART (one for BT), RGMII, 2x SPI, PWM, MDIO, eMMC, JTAG, 2x I2S, PCM, 2x I2C, P-NAND Power supply – 3.3V, max power consumption 6W Dimensions – 37.5 x 21.3 mm The two integrated radios (2.4 and 5GHz) can achieve up to 1.166Gbps data rates, the …

Continue reading… “Komikan is a Realtek WiFi 802.11ac Wave2 Module & Development Kit”

Support CNX Software – Donate via PayPal or become a Patron on Patreon

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on Zidoo Z1000 4K Android Media Player to Feature Realtek RTD1296DD Processor

Zidoo Z1000 4K Android Media Player to Feature Realtek RTD1296DD Processor

Zidoo Z1000

Zidoo previously introduced several Reatek RTD1296 4K Android media players with their high-end Zidoo X20/X20 Pro models, followed by the lower cost Zidoo Z9S & Z10 units. The company is now about to launch yet another model based on the processor with Zidoo Z1000 4K UHD media player that should offer an option between the higher-end models and the company’s entry-level options. Zidoo Z1000 specifications: SoC – Realtek RTD1296DD quad core Cortex A53 processor with Arm Mali-T820 MP3 GPU System Memory – 2 GB RAM Storage – 16 GB eMMC flash, 1x SATA 3.0 bay for 2.5 or 3.5″ drive, 1x external SATA port Video 1x HDMI 2.0a output up to 4K @ 60 Hz with HDR10 support 1x HDMI 2.0 input supporting PiP, stream recording, and UDP broadcasting 1x RCA composite output Decode – HDR10, 10-bit HEVC / H.265 up to 4K @ 60fps, VP9 up to 4K @ 60 fps, H.264 up to 4K @ 24 fps, automatic …

Continue reading… “Zidoo Z1000 4K Android Media Player to Feature Realtek RTD1296DD Processor”

Support CNX Software – Donate via PayPal or become a Patron on Patreon