quectel News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

September 11, 2025September 11, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Quectel KCMCA6S industrial wM-bus modules target smart metering

cnx KCMCA6S series sub GHz Wireless M Bus (WM Bus) modules

Quectel’s KCMCA6S is a series of industrial wireless M-Bus (wM-Bus) modules built around Silicon Labs’ EFR32FG23 chipset. The modules operate in the 868 MHz, 169 MHz, and 433 MHz bands and support the EN13757-4 wM-Bus standard for smart metering and AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) applications. The device features an Arm Cortex-M33 processor, 32 KB of SRAM, 256 KB of flash, and a Sub-GHz transceiver. It supports multiple wM-Bus modes (T, C, S, R, N, F), with dynamic multi-mode switching, flexible frequency configuration, and low-power operation alongside multi-layer security mechanisms. Interfaces include USART, SWD, and GPIOs, with optional EUSART, I²C, and ADC through pin multiplexing. Available in two variants (with or without SAW filter), the module comes in a compact 25.4 × 14.0 × 2.9 mm LCC package for water, electricity, gas, and heat metering systems. Quectel KCMCA6S specifications: MCU- Silicon Labs EFR32FG23 Core – Arm Cortex-M33 core, up to 78 […]

August 24, 2025August 25, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

Getting Started with Quectel EC200U 4G LTE Cat 1 IoT board using the QNavigator and the QuecOpen SDK

Quectel EC200U development board QNavigator

CNXSoft: This is a guest post by Eicut showing how to get started with a Quectel EC200U 4G TLE Cat 1 IoT development board using QNavigator and the QuecOpen SDK. In IoT projects—and across embedded systems in general—we’ve seen a growing demand for higher data exchange rates, along with broader frequency band coverage. These advancements are critical for enhancing the reliability of a device’s communication link with the network. As a result, 4G modules with fallback capability to 2G and 4G networks have emerged as a leading solution in this space. But the key question remains: Which modules should we use to leverage this technology, and what features do they offer? Exploring the Quectel EC200U LTE Cat 1 Module for IoT In this section of the EC200U tutorial, we’ll take a closer look at one of the most popular and dependable options in the IoT space—Quectel’s EC200U module. If you’ve […]

July 17, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Quectel KCMA32S – A Zigbee 3.0 and BLE 5.3 module based on Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 wireless SoC

KCMA32S-TE B V1.2 board for Quectel Zigbee BLE module

Quectel is better known for its GNSS, 4G LTE, and 5G cellular IoT modules, but the KCMA32S offers Zigbee 3.0 and BLE 5.3 short-range connectivity through a Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 (MG21 for short) Cortex-M33 wireless SoC. The module comes with up to 96KB SRAM and 1024KB flash through the MG21 SoC, and is offered in an LCC + LGA form factor (20 x 12 x 2.2mm) exposing up to 20 GPIO, I2C, UART, SPI, and I2S to the host board. Target applications include smart lighting, smart buildings, and smart home wireless networks. Quectel KCMA32S specifications: SoC – Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 CPU – Arm Cortex-M33 up to 80 MHz Memory – 64KB or 96 KB SRAM Storage – 768 KB or 1024 KB Wireless Zigbee 3.0 (IEEE 802.15.4) Bluetooth LE (BLE) 5.3 Encryption Mode- AES128/256, SHA-1, SHA-2 (up to 256 bits), ECC (up to 256 bits), ECDSA (up to 256 bits), […]

June 11, 2025June 11, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Quectel KCM0A5S Wi-SUN FAN module targets large IoT deployments for Smart Cities and Smart Agriculture

Quectel KCM0A5S is a Wi-SUN FAN module based on Silicon Labs EFR32FG25 Arm Cortex-M33 Sub-GHz wireless MCU, designed for applications such as street lighting, precision agriculture, industrial IoT, smart meters, and Smart Cities. Wi-SUN (IEEE 802.15.4g) is an LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) standard leveraging IPv6 mesh networking for large-scale IoT deployments in Smart Cities and Smart Agriculture. The KCM0A5S module specifically supports the Wi-SUN Field Area Network (FAN) 1.1 protocol and operates across the 470–928 MHz frequency range. The module can act as a leaf node, a router, or a border router when paired with a Linux host in RCP (Radio Co-Processor) mode. Quectel KCM0A5S specifications: Wireless SoC – Silicon Labs EFR32FG25 CPU core – Arm Cortex-M33 core @ 97.5 MHz with DSP instruction and floating-point unit for signal processing Memory – 256 KB RAM data memory Storage – About 2MB flash program memory Radio – Sub-GHz radio operation […]

November 25, 2024November 23, 2024 by Sayantan Nandy - 2 Comments

SparkFun introduces Quadband GNSS RTK Breakout board with Quectel LG290P module for high-precision navigation

SparkFun has released the Quadband GNSS RTK Breakout featuring the Quectel LG290P module designed for high-precision real-time kinematic (RTK) applications. It supports GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BDS, QZSS, and NavIC constellations, with the ability to simultaneously receive signals from L1, L2, L5, and L6/E6 frequency bands. The module includes support for SBAS augmentation systems (e.g., WAAS, EGNOS, GAGAN) and PPP services (e.g., BDS PPP-B2b, QZSS CLAS), delivering reliable positioning with fast convergence times for precision navigation tasks. The breakout board offers a compact design (43.2 x 43.2mm) and multiple expansion options including 24 PTH pins, dual 4-pin JST Qwiic connectors, three UART interfaces, a USB-C connector, and additional PTH pins for BlueSMiRF/Serial-to-UART. With its RTK support and advanced GNSS capabilities, the board is ideal for applications requiring high-accuracy positioning and robust navigation performance. Previously, we covered several GNSS boards including the SparkFun GNSS L1/L5, u-blox EVK-LEXI-R10, and Conexio Stratus Pro and […]

October 21, 2024October 21, 2024 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Quectel BG770A-SN industrial IoT module offers 5G, NB-IoT, and NTN satellite connectivity

Quectel has recently released the BG770A-SN industrial IoT module which comes in an ultra-compact form factor and supports both NTN and TN and features GNSS for positioning functionality. This 5G-ready module also supports iSIM and utilizes the GEO satellite constellation for worldwide coverage. Additionally, the module offers integrated security elements (ISE) and can operate in between the industrial temperature range of -40°C to +85°C. Previously we have written about the Quectel BG95-S5 5G NTN + LTE IoT module which supports NTN satellite (L-band and S-band) plus LTE Cat M1, Cat NB2, and eGPRS as fallback options, designed for applications where continuous connectivity is critical. We have also written about the Quectel CC660D-LS IoT-NTN module, which is an IoT NTN module designed specifically for Skylo’s satellite network. The new BG770A-SN module is a little different from the previous two because it supports LTE Cat M1, LTE Cat NB1/NB2, and NTN over […]

July 30, 2024July 31, 2024 by Debashis Das - 8 Comments

Quectel LG290P is the world’s first quad-band GNSS module (L1, L2, L5, and E6)

Quectel LG290P Multi constellation and multi Band GNSS module

The Quectel LG290P is a quad-band, multi-constellation, high-precision, real-time kinematic (RTK) GNSS module that supports GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BDS, QZSS, and NavIC constellations. A typical GNSS module like the SparkFun GNSS L1/L5 can receive signals from only one or two frequency bands, but the Quectel module can receive signals from four different frequency bands (L1, L2, L5, and E6) simultaneously and features built-in anti-jamming technology for improved signal reception in challenging environments. All these measures make this chip suitable for high-precision navigation applications like autonomous robots, UAVs, precision agriculture, surveying and mapping, and autonomous driving. Previously we have written about higher precision GPS modules like the SparkFun RTK EVK module, SparkFun RTK Torch module, the Cavli C17QS IoT GNSS module and much more feel free to check those out if you are interested in those topics. Quectel LG290P GNSS module specification Main module- LG290P GNSS Frequency bands and constellations GPS – L1 […]

June 27, 2024June 26, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Quectel FLM263D 2.4 GHz WiFi 6 and BLE 5.2 RISC-V module supports Amazon Alexa Connect Kit (ACK) SDK for Matter

Quectel FLM263D WiFi 6 Smart Home module

Quectel Wireless FLM263D is a standalone WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 LE module with a 320 MHz RISC-V microcontroller that supports Alexa Connect Kit (ACK) SDK for Matter for connectivity with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, Apple HomeKit, and other Matter-compliant Smart Home devices. The module also implements security standards such as secure boot and Mbed TLS encryption. The FLM263D offers certifications such as Works with Alexa (WWA) and supports features such as Matter Simple Setup (MSS) that allows zero-touch setup of Matter-compliant smart home devices through Alexa. Quectel FLM263D specifications: MCU – RISC-V wireless microcontroller up to 320 MHz, with 512KB SRAM and 4MB flash (likely Beken BK7235) Wi-Fi 6 & BLE 5.2 WLAN Protocol – IEEE 802.11b/g/n/ax Wi-Fi Frequency Band – 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi Modulation Mode – CCK, BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM Wi-Fi Operating Mode – AP, STA, STA + AP WiFi Rx sensitivity – Up to […]