Seeed Studio Studio Ameba Z2 AWS IoT ExpressLink DevKit

The board uses a UART serial interface (typically 115200 baud) with a set of AT commands defined by the pre-installed AWS IoT ExpressLink software. You send simple text commands from your host MCU or PC to provision the Wi-Fi, connect to AWS IoT Core, and publish/subscribe to MQTT topics. The ExpressLink middleware handles all TLS encryption, authentication, and network management, so you don't need to implement any cryptographic code.

You can develop applications for the RTL8720CM's KM4 core using the Ameba SDK provided by Realtek, which is based on the ARM GCC toolchain. The SDK supports development in a command-line environment. For higher-level prototyping, you can also use the Arduino core for Ameba, though you must manage the ExpressLink firmware separately. The primary use case is using the board as a wireless co-processor, where your main application runs on an external host and controls the Ameba Z2 via its UART API.

Yes, the RTL8720CM SoC supports concurrent operation of its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 Low Energy radios. This allows the DevKit to act as a bridge, for example, collecting data from BLE sensors (like beacons or health monitors) and then aggregating and transmitting that data to the AWS cloud via its secured Wi-Fi connection. The onboard firmware manages the radio coexistence to prevent interference between the two wireless protocols.

The board is typically powered via its USB-C connector or the VIN pin at 5V. The exact operating current depends heavily on the Wi-Fi transmit power and CPU load. During active Wi-Fi transmission, current draw can reach several hundred milliamps. For battery-operated designs, you should leverage the chip's deep sleep modes, which can reduce current consumption to microamps, waking periodically to send data. You need to design your external power supply or battery pack to handle the peak current demands during radio transmission.