#405 Riddles? The First Arduino compatible 5GHz Wi-Fi Chip (RTL8720 )

January 13, 2025 Andreas Spiess

The first cheap chip supporting 5GHz Wi-Fi is the Realtek RTL8720 and it should be Arduino compatible. But is it any good? And which tricks do we need to know? Or is it better to wait for the new ESP32, which should also support 5GHz Wi-Fi? Let’s test it out! And discover that the manufacturer included a multi-level adventure game, free of charge.
I am a proud Patreon of @GreatScott!, @ElectroBOOM , @Electronoobs , @EEVblog , and others. No Docker, No Microsoft Teams, Zoom

Links:
RTL8720 / BW16 %GHz WiFi : https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_9AV5GR
ESP32 Dev Board : https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_ApGhKT
RTL8722DM https://www.seeedstudio.com/Ameba-RTL8722DM-mini-EVB-Arduino-WiFi-Shield-p-5055.html

BW16 Getting started: https://www.amebaiot.com/en/amebad-bw16-arduino-getting-started/
Autoflash tool (not tested by me): https://github.com/jojoling/ameba_bw16_autoflash
Write-Up of RTL8720 experiences: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14CX5CvS7AecSAhzHracbEo-GJW9n0Uow/view?usp=sharing
Approximate Library: https://github.com/davidchatting
BW16 Datasheet: https://www.futurashop.it/image/catalog/data/Download/2846-RTL8720DN.pdf
5GHz Smartphone Sniffer (not tested): https://github.com/FL0WL0W/HumiditySnifferRTL8720
Spectran V6: https://aaronia-shop.com/products/spectrum-analyzer/real-time

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