ST cloud compatible Wi-Fi module simplifies and protects IoT and M2M applications

ST's latest cloud-compatible Wi-Fi module will accelerate the development of various IoT hardware and machine-to-machine communication devices. The new module provides advanced network security features and application protocols, and the built-in microcontroller supports stand-alone operation or serial to Wi-Fi mode.

The SPWF04 Wi-Fi module integrates an ARM® Cortex®-M4 STM32 microcontroller with a wide range of feature-rich GPIO ports, 2MB of on-chip flash and 256KB of RAM for ample storage of code and data. Other features include a hardware cryptographic algorithm accelerator and a faster communication connection to the host's SPI port. In addition, the new MicroPython scripting engine greatly simplifies the development of custom software for applications that run directly in module stand-alone mode. The module interacts with the master device and can use AT commands compatible with previous generation Wi-Fi modules via the UART transceiver or use the customer's unique equivalent communication protocol via the SPI port.

The new module supports powerful network security protocols such as WPA2-Enterprise for enhanced authentication and access control security on large networks, and Wireless Protection Settings (WPS) for secure connection to printers or embedded devices. The new module also supports advanced HTTPS and encryption protocols, including Transport Layer Security (TLS) and software secure over-the-air (OTA) updates via Wi-Fi wireless field update software, firmware or flash file systems.

The full-featured TCP/IP stack includes HTTP, HTTPS, MQTT, SMTP, and WebSockets to help simplify the connection of modules to the cloud and mobile devices, such as smartphones or tablets. Multiple UDP[1] protocols, including TFTP, SNTP, and mDNS, assist device discovery and file exchange. Other product highlights include IPv6 support, web server extensions (SSI) that simplify the interaction of networked devices, and REST (Representational State Transfer) APIs that efficiently utilize bandwidth to interact effectively with web resources.

Author：Brittany Antonia （The author of article owns the copyright.）