AirM2M A6501 User manual

1
A6501
AirM2M_ESP8266_WiFi Module User Manual V3.2

AirM2M_ESP8266 WiFi module user manual V3.2
Shanghai AirM2M Communication Technology Co., Ltd http://www.airm2m.com Page 2
Contents
1. Product introduction.....................................................................................................................................5
1.1. Summary............................................................................................................................................... 5
1.1.1 Product features............................................................................................................................... 5
1.1.2 Module Packages.............................................................................................................................. 6
1.1.3 Specifications.................................................................................................................................... 7
1.2. Hardware introduction..........................................................................................................................8
1.2.1 A6501 PIN Definition...................................................................................................................... 8
1.2.3 A6502............................................................................................................................................ 14
1.3. Power consumption............................................................................................................................ 15
1.4. Radio frequency index........................................................................................................................ 16
1.5. Dimension........................................................................................................................................... 17
1.6. WiFi antenna....................................................................................................................................... 18
1.7. Recommended furnace temperature curve....................................................................................... 18
2. Functional description................................................................................................................................ 20
2.1. Main function......................................................................................................................................20
2.2. Operating mode.................................................................................................................................. 20
2.3. Application fields.................................................................................................................................20
2.4. AirM2M Cloud.....................................................................................................................................20
3. EVB Introduction......................................................................................................................................... 21
3.1. Module Firmware Download.............................................................................................................. 22
4. PC Configuration tool.................................................................................................................................. 23
4.1. Basic application methods.................................................................................................................. 23
4.2. Search AirM2M Module in the same LAN.......................................................................................... 28
4.3. Smartlink Function.............................................................................................................................. 29
4.4. Web config.......................................................................................................................................... 30
5. AT Instructions Introduction....................................................................................................................... 32
5.1. Basic AT instruction............................................................................................................................. 32
5.1.1 Reboot module：AT+RST........................................................................................................... 32
5.1.2 Set Uart baud rate：AT+IPR....................................................................................................... 32
5.1.3 Enable Command Echo：ATE..................................................................................................... 33
5.1.4 Sleep and Wake-up Command：AT+AMSLEEP.......................................................................... 33
5.1.5 OTA Firmware Update：AT+CIUPDATE.......................................................................................34
5.1.6 Open log print：AT+OPENLOG................................................................................................... 35
5.1.7 Set Flow Control：AT+IFC...........................................................................................................35
5.1.8 Wake up MCU：AT+CFGRI..........................................................................................................36
5.1.9 Firmware version query：AT+VER..............................................................................................36
5.2. WiFi function AT instruction............................................................................................................... 37
5.2.1. Select WiFi working mode：AT+CWMODE................................................................................37
5.2.2. List current available access points: AT+CWLAP.........................................................................37
5.2.3. Join an access point:AT+CWJAP.................................................................................................. 38

AirM2M_ESP8266 WiFi module user manual V3.2
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5.2.4. Quit an Access Point: AT+CWQAP...............................................................................................38
5.2.5. Set parameter in AP mode: AT+CWSAP......................................................................................38
5.2.6. Inquire MAC address: AT+AMMAC............................................................................................. 39
5.2.7. Query the signal strength of the AP: AT+CAPR...........................................................................40
5.2.8. Start SMART LINK: AT+AMSL.......................................................................................................40
5.3. TCPIP AT command............................................................................................................................. 43
5.3.1 set up TCP/UDP connection ：AT+CIPSTART.............................................................................43
5.3.2 Get TCP/UDP connection mode ：AT+CIPSTATUS.................................................................... 44
5.3.3 Start multi-connection：AT+CIPMUX........................................................................................ 46
5.3.4 Send data：AT+CIPSEND............................................................................................................ 46
5.3.5 Set the TCP socket window size：AT+CIPWND.......................................................................... 47
5.3.6 Set the frame size for transparent transmission：AT+CIPCCFG................................................ 49
5.3.7 Close TCP/UDP connection：AT+CIPCLOSE................................................................................49
5.3.8 Obtain local IP address：AT+CIFSR............................................................................................ 50
5.3.9 Configure module as a server：AT+CIPSERVER......................................................................... 51
5.3.10 Receive data from server：+IPD and+RECEIVE..........................................................................52
5.3.11 Select TCPIP application mode ：AT+CIPMODE....................................................................... 53
5.3.12 Set the reconnection settings on a TCP link：AT+CIPRCON...................................................... 53
5.3.13 Time-out for server disconnection：AT+CIPSTO........................................................................54
5.3.14 Save transmission configuration：AT+CIPSCON........................................................................ 55
5.3.15 Select non-transparent data transmission mode：AT+CIPQSEND............................................ 57
5.3.16 Quit transparent transmission mode: + + +................................................................................57
5.3.17 Application examples.................................................................................................................. 58

AirM2M_ESP8266 WiFi module user manual V3.2
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Terms and acronyms
Table 1 Terms and acronyms
Abbreviations
Descriptions
WiFi
Wireless Fidelity
AP
Access Point
STA
Station
UART
Universal Asynchronous Receiver & Transmitter
DTIM
Delivery Traffic Indication Message
SOC
System On a Chip
P2P
Point to Point
TCP
Transmission Control Protocol
IP
Internet Protocol
MCU
Microprogrammed Control Unit
IOT
Internet Of Things
I2C
Inter－Integrated Circuit
PWM
Pulse-Width Modulation
ADC
Analog-to-Digital Converter
GPIO
General Purpose Input/Output
OTA
Over The Air
IEEE
Institute Of Electrical And Electronics Engineers
bps
Bits Per Second
CCK
Corporate Control Key
QAM
Quadrature Amplitude Modulation
OFDM
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing
WPA
Wi-Fi Protected Access
TKIP
Temporal Key Integrity Protocol
WAPI
Wlan Authentication And Privacy Infrastructure
WEP
Wired Equivalent Privacy
CRC
Cyclic Redundancy Check

AirM2M_ESP8266 WiFi module user manual V3.2
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1. Product introduction
1.1. Summary
Up to now Shanghai AirM2M Communication Technology Co., Ltd has released 3 kinds of
ESP8266 WiFi modules, including A6501、A6501S and A6502. There will be more kinds coming to
meet different PCB package requirements of enterprise users and individual developers.
A650X series modules own competitive PCB packaging sizes in the industry and ultralow
power consumption technology. They are designed for mobile devices and IOT applications, which
can connect users’ physical devices to WiFi wireless network,so communications on INTERNET or
LAN may happen.
There are different kinds of PCB packagings for A650X series modules. Some models of
antennas are supported,including on-board PCB antenna, IPEX interface and stamp hole interface.
A650X series modules can be widely used on smart power grids, intelligent transportation,
intelligent furniture, handheld devices, industrial control and so on.
For more details please refer to http://www.luam2m.com/
1.1.1 Product features
Support 802.11 b/g/n wireless standard
Support STA/AP/STA+AP 3 working modes
Built-in TCP/IP protocol stack, support multipath TCP Client connections
Support abundant Socket AT commands.
Built-in 32 bit MCU, can be used as the application processor
Support UART/GPIO data communication interfaces
Support PWM output
Support I2C interfaces
Support WiFi configuration parameters
Support Smart Link intelligent networking function
Support remote firmware upgrade（OTA）
3.3V single power supply
Support multiple power consumption modes like Active、Modem sleep、Light sleep、Deep sleep
Ultra low power consumption, suitable for battery-powered applications

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1.1.2 Module Packages
AirM2M ESP8266 A650X series modules support multiple PCB packages, which greatly
enriches users’ choices. They can be easily applied to a variety of networking/IoT applications and
solutions.
Picture 1 front & bottom view of A6501 module

AirM2M_ESP8266 WiFi module user manual V3.2
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1.1.3 Specifications
Table 2 A6501 Module technical specifications
A650X
Mater chip
ESP8266
Wireless
parameters
wireless standard
IEEE 802.11b/g/n
frequency range
2.412GHz-2.484GHz
transmitting power
802.11b: +18.5 +/-1dBm (@11Mbps)
802.11g: +16 +/-1dBm (@54Mbps)
802.11n: +15 +/-1dBm (@HT20, MCS7)
receiving sensitivity
802.11b: -91 dBm (@11Mbps ,CCK)
802.11g: -75dBm (@54Mbps, OFDM)
802.11n: -71dBm (@HT20, MCS7)
antenna mode
built-out: stamp hole interface or I-PEX connector
built-in: onboard PCB antenna
Hardware
parameters
hardware interface
UART，IIC，PWM，GPIO，ADC
working voltage
3.0V--3.6V(VDD voltage)
GPIO drive capability
Max：15ma
working current
normal mode
average value：~70mA, peak value: 215mA
Deep Sleep
<15uA
Modem Sleeps
average value：~15mA
Light Sleep
0.9mA
operating temperature
-40℃~ 125℃
storage environment
temperature：<40℃，relative humidity：<90%R.H.
dimension
onboard PCB antenna：16*24*3.3mm；
built-out antenna：16*18.6*3.3mm
Serial
transmission
transmission rate
9600 ~ 921600 bps
Max number of TCP/UDP
link
4
Software
parameters
wireless network types
STA/AP/STA+AP
security mechanism
WEP/WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK
Encryption type
WEP64/WEP128/TKIP/AES
firmware upgrade
local serial, OTA remote upgrade
networking protocol
IPv4, TCP/UDP/HTTP
user configuration
AT command set
Web page + PC configuration tool
Android/iOS terminal Smart Link intelligent configuration APP

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1.2. Hardware introduction
A650X series modules powered by ESP8266 SOC processor with abundant hardware interfaces
support UART，IIC，PWM，GPIO，ADC, which can be widely used on different internet applications.
1.2.1 A6501 PIN Definition
Picture 2 A6501 pin configuration

AirM2M_ESP8266 WiFi module user manual V3.2
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Table 3 A6501 detailed Pin descriptions
Pin
Function
Description
1
U1CTS
1）UART_CTS (in normal mode, i.e. MODE pin float when booting up);
2）GPIO3(can be redefined in SDK firmware version);
3）U0RXD for ESP8266 firmware dowloading (MODE pin pulled down when booting up).
2
U1RTS
1）UART_RTS (in normal mode, i.e. MODE pin float when booting up);
2）GPIO1(can be redefined in SDK firmware version);
3）U0TXD for ESP8266 firmware dowloading (MODE pin pulled down when booting up);
Note:Internally pulled up,please remain float when booting up, no pulling down!
3
U1RI
1）UART_RI, to wake up MCU, active low;
2）GPIO5(can be redefined in SDK firmware version);
4
U1DTR
1）UART_DTR,to wake up A6501, active low;
2）GPIO14(can be redefined in SDK firmware version);
5
HeartBeat
1）Wake up A6501(with AT+AMSLEEP) from deep sleep mode when shorted with RESET;
2）GPIO16(can be redefined in SDK firmware version);
3）High level output is defaulted after boot- up.
6
RESET
1）Non-deep-sleep mode: external reset signal, active low;
2）Deep sleep mode: to wake up A6501 when shorted with Heartbeat
7
GND
GND
8
ENABLE
1)Module enable Pin, internal 10K ohm pull up, powered on by VDD by default;
2)Shutdown on low level, power consumption current is less than 5uA
9
VDD
3.3V,module power supply
10
ANT
WiFi Antenna
11
GND
GND
12
MODE
1) Red LED:TCP/UDP connection state indicator.
2) GPIO0(can be redefined in SDK firmware version);
3) mode selection:
Float when booting up：normal operating mode
Pulled down when bootingup：firmware download mode
13
ADC
ADC, input range：0V-1V；
14
U1RXD
1）UART_RXD, receive data
2）GPIO13(can be redefined in SDK firmware version)
15
U1TXD
1) UART_TXD, send data
2) GPIO15(can be redefined in SDK firmware version);
Note: internally pulled down at 10K ohm, no hardware pull up outside when booting up!

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Notes:
1)There are 3 serial ports(uarts):
UART0(U0RXD、U0TXD)is an uart for firmware download. Marked in red in table3.
UART1(U1RXD、U1TXD、U1CTS、U1RTS、U1DTR、U1RI) is an uart for AT commands /data.
Debug_UART(Debug_TXD)is a debug uart for log printing. Marked in dark yellow in table 3.
2) Please pay close attention to the levels of certain pins when the module is being powered on to
avoid the malfuncition happening.
Pins that request initialization level when booting up are already marked by blue color.
Take a normal scenario for example(AT command input/output after power-on):
step1:
The module is in power-off state;
step2:
Keep MODE pin float, connect AT uart(i.e. data uart ,PIN14 and PIN15) with MCU;
step3:
The module’s flow control mode is OFF by default,in OFF mode U1CTS(pin1) and U1RTS(pin2) need
to be kept float; and flow control mode can be set to HARDWARE by AT+IFC,which means
U1CTS(pin1) and U1RTS(pin2) need to be connected with MCU(if flow control is needed ) or be
shorted with each other(if flow control is not needed).
step4:
Power on the module,pay close attention that pin2 and pin16 are forbidden to be pulled down and
pin15 is forbidden to be pulled up at the moment of power-on.
step5:
Input AT commands via AT uart. The baud-rate is 921600 by default , and baud-rate lower than
921600 can be trained by inputting several AT commands(please refer to 5.1.2 Set Uart baud
rate：AT+IPR for more details)
3) PIN “MODE” is used for module mode selection. Connect “MODE”to“GND” and then power on
the module,the module will go into firmware upgrading mode.
16
nReload
1) Press-key functions(“press” means pulling down the pin):
press once(<3s):start Smartlink process;
press twice(<3s each):start OTA firmware download process;
long press(>5s):reset to factory configuration.
2) GPIO2(can be redefined in SDK firmware version);
3) Debug_TXD, used for output of debugging log;
AT+OPENLOG=1 can open the log output function for this pin,which means the press-key
funtions will cease to be effective. AT+OPENLOG=1 to restore the press-key funcitons
Note: Must kept high level when booting up, no hardware pull down please!
17
GPIO4
GPIO4(can be redefined in SDK firmware version);
18
GPIO12
1) Blue LED：TCP/UDP indication light control signal is defaulted.
2) GPIO12(can be redefined in SDK firmware version)

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4) Statements for“Red LED” and “Blue LED”：
Red LED：
As the TCP/UDP connection state indicator, blinks when connected, extinguishes when
disconnected.
Blue LED：
a) Lit for 2S,and then turned off after boot-up；
b) As the TCP/UDP data transmission state indicator ,blinks when transmitting, extinguishes when
transmission finished.
5) There are 3 GPIO pins of A6501 which are completely unrestricted (no request on initialization
level). They are marked by green. First using these pins is recommended.

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1.2.2 A6501S
Picture 3 A6501S pin configuration

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For the 18 fixed pins, A6501S and A6501 are totally identically defined. The newly added pins S1---S6 ,
except “5V”, are defined in the same way as 5 of the fixed pins but the space between the added pins is
2.54mm. The purpose of leading out the 6 pins that are often used is to make it easy for debugging.
Details are as following:
Table 4 A6501S S1---S6 Pin definition
Main distinctions between A6501S and A6501 are：
(1) One LDO is added：AMS1117, developer can use the 5V power of serial port line USB2TTL directly for
power supply ;
(2) 6 pins are added whose space between each other is 2.54mm：5V、GND、U1RXD、U1TXD、U1RTS、
U1CTS;
(3)Shielding case is not welded in the developer’s versions of modules for easy developments.
(4)The dimension is added from 16mm*24mm*3.3mm（A6501）to 16mm*32mm*3.3mm（A6501S）；
(5)A6501S+USB2TTL Serial port line will be enough for debugging directly, no need for development board.
PIN
Function
Description
S1
GND
GND
S2
U1RTS
identical to PIN2
S3
U1CTS
identical to PIN1
S4
U1TXD
identical to PIN15
S5
U1RXD
identical to PIN14
S6
5V
module power supply

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1.2.3 A6502
Picture 4 A6502 pin configuration
A6502 uses 12 pins whose spacing is 1.27mm leading out all the signals that are needed for serial port data
transmission application. Compared to A6501 和A6501S, the main characteristics of A6502 are as follow:
(1) smaller dimension：11.8mm*24mm*3.0mm；
(2) Pin spacing has been changed to 1.27mm；
(3) Hardware all flow control interface can be applied to various data transmission applications.

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1.3. Power consumption
All the following power consumption data come from tests basing on 3.3V power supply and 25° C
environment temperature.
[1] All the tests are completed at the antenna interface.
[2] All emitting data are acquired in continuous emission mode, basing on a duty ratio of 90%.
Mode
Min
Normal
Max
unit
transmit 802.11b，CCK 1Mbps，Pout=+19.5dBm
215
mA
transmit 802.11b，CCK 11Mbps，Pout=+18.5dBm
197
mA
transmit 802.11g，OFDM54 Mbps，Pout=+16dBm
145
mA
transmit 802.11n，MCS7，Pout=+14dBm
135
mA
receive 802.11b，package length is 1024 bytes，-80dBm
60
mA
receive 802.11g，package length is 1024 bytes，-70dBm
60
mA
receive 802.11n，package length is 1024 bytes，-65dBm
62
mA
System standby mode
0.9
mA
Deep sleep
10
μA
Energy-saving mode DTIM1
1.2
mA
Energy-saving mode DTIM3
0.86
mA
Shutdown
0.5
μA
Table 5 Power consumption data

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1.4. Radio frequency index
Following data gained at indoor temperature, voltage 3.3V.
Description
Min
Normal
Max
Unit
Input frequency
2412
2484
MHz
Input resistance
50
Ω
Input reflection
-10
dB
Under 72.2Mbps，PA ’s output power
14
15
16
dBm
In 802.11b mode，PA’s output power
17.5
18.5
19.5
dBm
Sensitivity
CCK 1Mbps
-98
dBm
CCK 11Mbps
-91
dBm
6Mbps(1/2BPSK)
-93
dBm
54Mbps(3/4 64-QAM)
-75
dBm
HT20，MCS7（65Mbps，72.2Mbps）
-71
dBm
Adjacent channel suppression
OFDM，6Mbps
37
dB
OFDM，54Mbps
21
dB
HT20，MCS0
37
dB
HT20，MCS7
20
dB
Table 6 Radio frequency index
Note：
1）72.2Mbps gained in 802.11n mode, when MCS=7，GI=200uS.
2）Output power can reach to +19.5dBm in 802.11b mode.

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1.5. Dimension
A6501
A6501S
A6502

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Picture 5 A650X module Pin Design
1.6. WiFi antenna
A650X series modules support 3 kinds of antenna interfaces. They are onboard PCB antenna, IPEX
interface and stamp hole interface. Customers can use onboard PCB antenna and IPEX interface directly
without adding any matching circuit. Customers can use A650X stamp hole antenna interface if they want to
design antenna part on big board. In this case, matching circuit should be reserved on big board for this
design. For example:
Picture 6 WiFi radio frequency reference circuit
Note:
1、The parts inside the above dashed box need antenna matching. Should take actual electronic
parameters of the matching components of the antenna as standard.
2、Need 50 ohm resistance for RF wiring. 90 degree angle wiring is forbidden. No longer than 15mm.
1.7. Recommended furnace temperature curve
Refer to IPC/JEDEC standard ；Peak Temperature : <250°C ；Number of Times: ≤2 times ；

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Picture 7 Recommended back flow curve

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2. Functional description
2.1. Main function
Main functions that A650X series modules can achieve include serial port transmission, PWM control and
GPIO control.
Serial port data transmission: good reliability, stability, can reach 11Kbyte at serial rate 115200kbps
PWM control: light-control, three-colour LED control, motor speed control
GPIO control: control switch, relay and so on.
2.2. Operating mode
A650X modules support STA/AP/STA+AP 3 operating modes.
STA mode: A6501 modules can connect to the internet by router. So cell phone or computer can
remote control device by internet.
AP mode: As hotspot, A6501 modules achieve that cell phone, computer can communicate with
modules directly, which makes local area network wireless connections come true.
STA+AP mode: Coexistence of these two modes.
2.3. Application fields
RS232 serial data to Wi-Fi interface
industrial data transparent transmission
Wi-Fi remote control
toy field
color LED control
fire protection, security and intelligent integrated management
Intelligent card terminal, wireless POS machines, Wi-Fi cameras, handheld devices.
2.4. AirM2M Cloud
AirM2M Cloud is internet cloud platform service provided by Shanghai AirM2M（AirM2M）. Users can
monitor and manage device on the platform to realize huge data management and analysis, which make
device intelligence really come true.
AirM2M Cloud can accept customers’ customized requests, including Web Page Configuration,
Android/iOS platform and App development.