Avnet’s latest AT&T IoT Starter Kit (LTE-M, STM32L4) includes an IoT Discovery board from STMicroelectronics, that reportedly reduces the complexity of LTE-M device development by bringing together all the elements required to develop and prototype secure, cost-effective, and reliable IoT devices connected to AT&T’s 4G LTE-M network. The two-board LTE-M solution includes the STM32L475 IoT Discovery board and a cellular connectivity card from Avnet, as well as a modem module from WNC, configured for LTE-M operation, and access to lower-cost licensing options for Arm Keil MDK microcontroller software development tools.
The Avnet 4G LTE-M cellular modem board features an M14A2A modem module from WNC, configured for LTE-M operation, as well as an onboard temperature and humidity sensor, multiple interfaces with the host microcontroller, SMA-connected external antenna and USB-connected AC/DC 5V power supply. This board stacks onto the ST Discovery board via Arduino Shield connectors to form a compact two-board assembly. A 3FF micro SIM connector accommodates the provided AT&T Starter SIM for easy connection to the Internet.
The IoT Discovery board is an “out-of-the-box” cloud-ready connectivity board for IoT nodes featuring the ultra-low-power Arm Cortex-M4 processor-based MCU (clocked at 80 MHz, with 1MB Flash memory, 128 KB RAM). The microcontroller-based carrier board functions as a low-power host processor that integrates onboard environmental sensors, motion, gesture and time-of-flight sensors, digital microphones, Bluetooth low-energy, a sub-GHz transceiver and Wi-Fi, as well as Pmod and Arduino Uno V3-compatible expansion connector interfaces.
Designing with cloud-based services is facilitated via AT&T’s M2X Data Services and Flow Designer. In addition, a free 90-day license and reduced-cost, 6-month license are available for Arm Keil MDK software development tools, which enable rapid development and advanced debugging capabilities.
Price for the LTE-M, STM32L4 version AT&T IoT Starter Kit is $139. A datasheet is available as well as more info on
Avnet starter kits. Also, visit Avnet.