M.2 TO 4G/5G HAT

With RM500Q-GL/RM500Q-AE/RM502Q-AE

With 5G Module and Case

Overview

Features

Integrates extensive network protocols, with multi drivers and software support, compatible with different OS including Windows / Linux / Android.
USB 3.1 port (USB 2.0 compatible) for connecting to PC, Raspberry Pi, or Jetson Nano host board to enable high speed 5G communication.
Standard M.2 B KEY slot, compatible with different 5G modules: RM500U-CN / RM500Q-GL / RM500Q-AE / RM502Q-AE series.
Onboard UART, PWR, and RST control pin, built-in voltage level translator, enabled via DIP switch, for use with hosts like Raspberry Pi or Arduino.
Onboard USB-C connector, enabled via a switch, for connecting standalone power supply for the module, allows more loads, stable amd flexible power supply.
Onboard power supply on/off switch, reset button and LED indicator, easy to turn on/off the module or monitor the operating status.
2 x SIM card slot, dual card single standby, switchable via AT command.
High-efficiency power supply circuit, up to 3A output current.

Selection Guide

5G Sub-6		RM500U-CN	RM500Q-GL	RM500Q-AE	RM502Q-AE

Region / Provider		China	Global (except US)	Global (except China)	Global (except China)
Operating Temperature		-30 °C ~ +75 °C		-30 °C ~ +70 °C
Extension Temperature		-40 °C ~ +85 °C
Dimensions		30.0 × 52.0 × 2.3 (mm)
Weight		8.9 (g)	8.7 (g)
Power Supply		3.3~4.4 V, typical 3.7 V	3.135~4.4 V, typical 3.7 V
Power Consumption		90 μA @ shutdown 3.7 mA @ hibernate TBD @ USB 2.0, idle TBD @ USB 3.0, idle	70 μA @ shutdown 4.0 mA @ hibernate 32 mA @ USB 2.0, idle 54 mA @ USB 3.0, idle	80 μA @ shutdown 4.2 mA @ hibernate 39 mA @ USB 2.0, idle 54.5 mA @ USB 3.0, idle
Frequency Band
5G	5G NR NSA	n41, n78, n79	n41, n77, n78, n79	n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n28, n38, n40, n41, n48*, n66, n71, n77, n78, n79
5G	5G NR SA	n1, n28, n41, n77, n78, n79	n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n28, n38, n40, n41, n48*, n66, n71, n77, n78, n79
LTE	LTE-FDD	B1, B2, B3, B5, B7, B8, B20, B28	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B8, B12(B17), B13, B14, B18, B19, B20, B25, B26, B28, B29, B30, B32, B66, B71
	LTE-TDD	B34, B38, B39, B40, B41	B34, B38, B39, B40, B41, B42, B43, B48
	LAA	-	B46
UMTS	WCDMA	B1, B2, B5, B8	B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B8, B19
GNSS		-	GPS / GLONASS / BeiDou (Compass) / Galileo
Data rate
5G SA Sub-6		downlink 2 Gbps; uplink 1 Gbps	downlink 2.1 Gbps; uplink 900 Mbps	downlink 2.1 Gbps; uplink 450 Mbps	downlink 4.2 Gbps; uplink 450 Mbps
5G NSA Sub-6		downlink 2.2 Gbps; uplink 575 Mbps	downlink 2.5 Gbps; uplink 600/650 Mbps	downlink 2.5 Gbps; uplink 650 Mbps	downlink 5 Gbps; uplink 650 Mbps
LTE		downlink 600 Mbps; uplink 150 Mbps	downlink 1.0 Gbps; uplink 200 Mbps	downlink 1.0 Gbps; uplink 200 Mbps	downlink 2 Gbps; uplink 200 Mbps
UMTS		downlink 42.2 Mbps; uplink 11 Mbps	downlink 42 Mbps; uplink 5.76 Mbps
* means developing/planning/processing

Quectel_RM500Q-GL_5G_Specification ：^{[Datasheets 1]}

Quectel_RM500Q-AE_5G_Specification ：^{[Datasheets 2]}

Quectel_RM502Q-AE_5G_Specification ：^{[Datasheets 3]}

What's On Board

Number	Name	Description
①	Raspberry Pi GPIO header	Easy connect to Raspberry Pi
②	Switch	Enable the corresponding pin
③	M.2 interface	Compatible with RM500U-CN / RM500Q-CN / RM500Q-GL /RM50XQ-AE and other series of 5G modules
④	SIM card holder	Onboard two SIM card slots, dual card single standby. The default SIM1 card slot works, SIM2 is on the back, requires module support, and must be switched through AT commands
⑤	USB 3.1 connector	Backward compatible with USB 2.0, can be used to connect to PC/Raspberry Pi/Jetson Nano, etc.
⑥	USB Type-C connector	5V 3A input; stable and flexible power supply
⑦	Audio port	SIM82XX series support audio function, RM50XX series do not support this audio function
⑧	Antenna connector	Onboard four-way antenna, strong signal
⑨	Reset switch	One-key reset
⑩	Power switch	To facilitate the power supply mode of the control module: ——If set to USB, the module will provide power through the "⑤.USB3.1 interface"; ——If set to EXT PWR, the module will provide power through the "⑥.USB Type-C interface" external power supply
⑪	Cooling fan	Cool down the Raspberry Pi and 5G module at the same time
⑫	Indicator	Check the module running status anytime, anywhere

Pinout Definition

After connecting to Raspberry Pi, these pins (TX, RX, D4 and D6) can be connected or not through the DIP switch:

4G/5G modules function testing

Category	4G/5G Module	Network Communication	GNSS Positioning	Voice calls through Earphone Port	Dual SIMs	UART Interface	External Power Supply?
5G	SIM8202G-M2	5G/4G/3G	Support	Support	Support	Support	Optional, but recommended
5G	SIM8200EA-M2	5G/4G/3G	Support	Support	Support	Support	Optional, but recommended
5G	RM500U-CN	5G/4G/3G	NOT Support	NOT Support	Support	Support	Recommended
5G	RM500Q-GL	5G/4G/3G	Support	NOT Support	Support	NOT Support	Recommended
5G	RM500Q-AE	5G/4G/3G	Support	NOT Support	NOT Support	NOT Support	Recommended
5G	RM502Q-AE	5G/4G/3G	Support	NOT Support	NOT Support	NOT Support	Recommended
LTE-A	EM06-E	LTE-A/4G/3G	NOT Support	NOT Support	NOT Support	NOT Support	Optional
LTE-A	A7906E	LTE-A/4G/3G	NOT Support	NOT Support	NOT Support	NOT Support	Optional
4G	SIM7600G-H-M2	4G/3G/2G	Support	Support	NOT Support	Support	Optional

4G/5G Module Compatibility

If you need to use the M.2 TO 4G/5G HAT for other 4G/5G modules, you can refer to the M.2 connection diagram below, check whether there is any pin conflict, and then connect to test:

Working With Windows

Hardware Preparation

In addition to the items in the package,
you need to prepare the following items:

* A 5G SIM card (no downtime and 5G enabled);
* A computer with a Windows operating system （Such as Windows 10）
* A headphone cable with a microphone (optional);

Hardware Connection

Connect the 5G HAT with a usb3.0 cable, and connect an external 5V power supply to the Type-C power supply port of the 5G HAT, as shown in the figure:

Install drivers

After connecting the 5G HAT to the computer through a double-ended usb3.0 data cable, there will be a series of devices without drivers installed on other devices:

Download the driver to your computer and unzip the compressed package.
Enter the RM50X_Driver directory.
Click setup.exe to install the driver. After the installation is complete, the device manager will generate the following devices:

RM50XQ-Driver ：^{[Software 1]}

Common AT commands

EM25X、EM06E and RM50X series 4G/5G module support AT command control, some basic AT commands are shown in the table below:

Command	Description	Return Value
AT	AT test command	OK
ATE	ATE1 sets echo ATE0 turns off echo	OK
AT+CGMI	Query module manufacture	OK
AT+CGMM	Query module model	OK
AT+CGSN	Query product serial number	OK
AT+CSUB	Query module version and chip	OK
AT+CGMR	Query the firmware version serial number	OK
AT+IPR?	Set the module hardware serial port baud rate	+IPREX: OK
AT+CFUN=1,1	reset module	OK
AT+QUIMSLOT?	Query SIM card selection: Return 1, select SIM card 1; Return 2, select SIM card 2	+QUIMSLOT: 1/2 OK
AT+CPIN?	Query the status of the SIM card and return READY, indicating that the SIM card can be recognized normally	+CPIN: READY
AT+COPS?	Query the current operator, the operator information will be returned after normal networking	+COPS: OK
AT+C5GREG?	Query 5G network registration status	+C5GREG: OK
AT+QENG="servingcell"	Query UE system information
AT+CNMP	Network mode selection command: "mode_pref"：Automatic "nr5g_band" ： 5G NR "lte_band"：LTE only "gw_band"：WCDMA only ... ....	OK

Open the device manager, find the port number corresponding to AT Port; then open the sscom software, select the corresponding port and baud rate, check AddCrLf; click the sscom EXIT button and pull out the preset It is best to open the serial port and send the corresponding AT command to test.

Quectel_RG50xQ_RM5xxQ_Series_AT_Commands_Manual ：^{[Datasheets 4]}

SSCom Serial Assistant Tool: ^{[Software 2]}

SIM Card Selection

The 5G HAT has two SIM card slots onboard, a dual SIM card, and single standby, which can be switched and enabled by AT command.

SIM card 1 is selected by default, You can use the following command to query and confirm:

AT+QUIMSLOT?

To switch SIM card 2, please use the following command:

AT+QUIMSLOT=2

Switch back to SIM card 1, please use the following command:

AT+QUIMSLOT=1

Check whether the corresponding card slot recognizes the SIM card:

AT+CPIN?

RM500U-CN and RM500Q-GL support Dual SIMs, but RM500Q-AE and RM502Q-AE modules do not support dual SIM cards.

MBIM dial-up Internet access

Download and install the driver.
Open the RM50X AT port and send the following commands to dial up the Internet:

AT+QENG="servingcell"
AT+QCFG="usbnet",2
AT+QNETDEVCTL=2,3,1
AT+QNETDEVSTATUS=2
AT+CFUN=1,1

After dialing and restarting, the mobile network card appears on the computer network connection interface, and the dialing is successful.

RM50XQ-Driver ：^{[Software 1]}

GPS Positioning

Connect the passive GPS antenna to the GNSS antenna interface of the module(RM500Q-GL is ANT2;RM500Q-AE and RM502Q-AE is ANT3), and place the antenna outdoors facing the sky.Then send the AT command to turn on the GPS:

AT+QGPS=1        //Turn on GPS positioning
AT+QGPSLOC=0     //Get GPS positioning

Now open the NEMA port, you can get GPS data:

Finally, turn off the GPS, you can use the AT command:

AT+QGPS=0        //Turn off GPS positioning

Quectel_RG50xQ_RM5xxQ_Series_GNSS_Application_Note ：^{[Datasheets 5]}

Working with Raspberry

Hardware Connection

Connect the 5G HAT with a double-ended usb3.0 data cable, and connect an external 5V power supply to the Type-C power supply port of the 5G HAT, as shown in the figure:

Raspberry Pi	Pi 4B	Pi 3B/3B+	CM4-IO-BASE
USB adapter	USB3.0 adapter	USB2.0 adapter	USB3.0 adapter
Connection
Note	It is recommended to connect an external 5V power supply at the arrow.

If it is used for PI4B, there is a matching case, and the installation diagram is as follows：

The use of Raspberry Pi OS

This configuration is only needed at the first time.

Please download the newest Raspberry Pi OS, All the settings are based on Kernel 5.5, if you use the old version, please update first. Make sure your Kernel version is up-to-date, or else you may face issues with the driver.

5G ECM Mode Dial-up

Step 1. Uninstall Modem Manager and Network Manager

Open a terminal and run the following commands to uninstall Modem Manager and Network Manager:

sudo apt purge modemmanager -y
sudo apt purge network-manager -y

Step 2. Test 5G Module

Driver Testing:
Make sure the option USB-serial driver is properly loaded to the module interfaces. Check it with the usb-devices command.

[email protected]:~ $ usb-devices
T:  Bus=02 Lev=01 Prnt=01 Port=00 Cnt=01 Dev#=  3 Spd=5000 MxCh= 0
D:  Ver= 3.20 Cls=00(&gt;ifc ) Sub=00 Prot=00 MxPS= 9 #Cfgs=  1
P:  Vendor=2c7c ProdID=0800 Rev=04.14
S:  Manufacturer=Quectel
S:  Product=RM502Q-AE
S:  SerialNumber=377628d2
C:  #Ifs= 5 Cfg#= 1 Atr=a0 MxPwr=896mA
I:  If#=0x0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 2 Cls=ff(vend.) Sub=ff Prot=30 Driver=option
I:  If#=0x1 Alt= 0 #EPs= 3 Cls=ff(vend.) Sub=00 Prot=00 Driver=option
I:  If#=0x2 Alt= 0 #EPs= 3 Cls=ff(vend.) Sub=00 Prot=00 Driver=option
I:  If#=0x3 Alt= 0 #EPs= 3 Cls=ff(vend.) Sub=00 Prot=00 Driver=option
I:  If#=0x4 Alt= 0 #EPs= 3 Cls=ff(vend.) Sub=ff Prot=ff Driver=qmi_wwan

Testing with AT command:

sudo apt-get install minicom
sudo minicom -D /dev/ttyUSB2

Welcome to minicom 2.7.1

OPTIONS: I18n 
Compiled on Aug 13 2017, 15:25:34.
Port /dev/ttyUSB2

Press CTRL-A Z for help on special keys

AT
OK

Step 3. Networking Setup with AT Commands

AT+QCFG="usbnet",1
AT+CGDCONT=1,"IPV4V6","YOUR_APN" 
AT+CFUN=1,1

Wait for the modem to boot again. It may take 30 seconds. Once the modem reboots, the minicom will be activated again.

After the reboot, open a new Linux terminal and check for usbX in the network interface using ifconfig or ipaddr commands.

Step 4. Test 5G Network

Once the internet is active you should see usbX in your internet interface. You can use ifconfig or ipaddr and look for usbX interface.

Now check the assigned IP address and test the connection.

ifconfig usb0

[email protected]:~ $ ifconfig usb0
usb0: flags=4163<UP,BROADCAST,RUNNING,MULTICAST>  mtu 1500
        inet 192.168.225.60  netmask 255.255.255.0  broadcast 192.168.225.255
        inet6 fe80::8543:f6a0:e678:2e20  prefixlen 64  scopeid 0x20
        ether 4a:aa:f8:62:36:bb  txqueuelen 1000  (Ethernet)
        RX packets 73  bytes 5047 (4.9 KiB)
        RX errors 0  dropped 0  overruns 0  frame 0
        TX packets 100  bytes 15116 (14.7 KiB)
        TX errors 0  dropped 0 overruns 0  carrier 0  collisions 0

 ping waveshare.com -I usb0

[email protected]:~ $ ping waveshare.com -I usb0
PING waveshare.com (104.26.11.134) from 192.168.10.27 usb0: 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 104.26.11.134 (104.26.11.134): icmp_seq=1 ttl=52 time=87 ms
64 bytes from 104.26.11.134 (104.26.11.134): icmp_seq=2 ttl=52 time=82 ms
64 bytes from 104.26.11.134 (104.26.11.134): icmp_seq=3 ttl=52 time=92 ms
64 bytes from 104.26.11.134 (104.26.11.134): icmp_seq=4 ttl=52 time=73 ms
64 bytes from 104.26.11.134 (104.26.11.134): icmp_seq=5 ttl=52 time=75 ms

5G HAT Power or Reset Control

The 5G HAT is provided with PWR and RESET control pins, and the Raspberry Pi can control the module power on/off or reset through the high and low levels of these two pins.

Turn the PWR and RST setting switches to the right to enable Pi control：
Power Control: The following demonstrates the Shell script to control the PWR (D5 PIN) as an example：

cd /sys/class/gpio
echo 5 > export

cd gpio5
echo out > direction
echo 1 > value    #set to high level to shut down the 5G module
echo 0 > value    #set to low level to power on the 5G module
echo 5 > unexport

Reset Control: The following demonstrates the Shell script to control the Reset (D6 PIN) as an example：

cd /sys/class/gpio
echo 6 > export

cd gpio6
echo out > direction
echo 1 > value    #set to a high level to shut down the 5G module
sleep 1           #wait for 1 second
echo 0 > value    #set to low level to power on the 5G module
echo 5 > unexport

The use of OpenWRT

Introduction to OpenWRT

Soft routing is using desktops or servers and other equipment with software. It mainly depends on the settings of the software to achieve the functions of the router. The hard routing is a unique hardware device, including a processor, power supply, and embedded software to provide router functionality.
OpenWrt is a very popular soft routing system. It is a highly modular and highly automated embedded Linux system with powerful network components and scalability. It is often used in industrial control equipment, routers, and other equipment.
In addition to the functions of general home routers, OpenWrt soft routing can also achieve port forwarding, intranet penetration, 4G networking, FTP server and more powerful functions.

5G network speed test

In the speed measurement part, because the Raspberry Pi comes with a Gigabit Ethernet port, and there are few USB network cards above Gigabit, we use the SpeedTest For Python tool to perform speed measurement by the commands. Connect to the terminal of OpenWrt and enter the commands one by one to measure the speed:

## Raspberry Pi OS
sudo apt install speedtest-cli
speedtest      # or use speedtest_cli

or

## OpenWRT
opkg update   
opkg install python3
opkg install python3-pip
pip install speedtest_cli 
speedtest      # or use speedtest_cli

Working with Jetson Nano

Hardware Connection

Connect the 5G HAT with a double-ended usb3.0 data cable, and connect an external 5V power supply to the Type-C power supply port of the 5G HAT, as shown in the figure:

Load USB Device Descriptor

In order to identify the module, the module's VID and PID information needs to be added to the file [kernel]

View VID and PID of RM500U

lsusb

Added VID sum PID

sudo apt-get install unzip
wget https://www.waveshare.com/w/upload/0/09/RM5XXQ_For_Jetson_nano.zip
unzip RM5XXQ_For_Jetson_nano.zip
sudo chmod 777 -R RM5XXQ_For_Jetson_nano
cd RM5XXQ_For_Jetson_nano
sudo ./install.sh
sudo reboot

Please do not delete or modify the four directory files of option directory, default.script and install.sh, otherwise it will affect the loading of device descriptors!

After successfully adding the PID and restarting Jetson nano, enter the following command in the command line interface to display five device symbols USB0-USB4

ls /dev/ttyUSB*

RNDIS

Enable minicom.

sudo apt-get install minicom
sudo minicom -D /dev/ttyUSB2

Send the following command ECM in minicom.

AT+CPIN?
AT+QCFG="usbnet",3
AT+CFUN=1,1

After the module restarts, and the NET light is on, use the following command to check the network status (optional).

AT+QENG="servingcell"

Get the IP and set the DNS with the following commands:

sudo dhclient -v usb1
sudo apt-get install udhcpc
sudo udhcpc -i usb1
sudo route add -net 0.0.0.0 usb1

After dialing, you can see that usb1 gets the IP through the following command:

ip route

Test usb1 networking status.

 ping -I usb1 www.baidu.com

Resources

Software

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 RM50XQ-Driver
↑ RM500U Serial debugging assistant

Qnavigator

Assembly drawing

Case Assembly drawing

Datasheets

FAQ

Question:1. Which platform is the RM500U-CN based on?

Answer:

RM500U-CN is based on the UNISOC platform, mainly used in China.

{{{5}}}

Question:2. After receiving the Raspberry Pi, it keeps restarting, what is the reason?

Answer:

The 5G module consumes a lot of power, especially at the moment of network access; the Raspberry Pi has limited power supply capacity, and can be powered by a 5V (3A) power supply through the onboard TYPE-C interface.

{{{5}}}

Question:3. Raspberry Pi usbX interface is not visible?

Answer:

If usbX interface is not visible reboot your whole system, and check your SIM, antenna, module, and USB. Then check the configuration of the module.

AT+QCFG="usbnet" # Should return 1

Check the SIM is detected by the module.

AT+CPIN? # Should return READY

Check if the module is registered to the network.

AT+CEREG? # Should return 0,1 or 0,5

Check the APN is right and has an IP.

AT+CGCONTRDP # Should return the APN details and IP address.

{{{5}}}

Support

If you require technical support, please go to the Support page and open a ticket.

[RM50XQ-Driver-4] 1.0 ^1.1 RM50XQ-Driver

[6] RM500U Serial debugging assistant

[1] Quectel_RM500Q-GL_5G_Specification_V1.3

[2] Quectel_RM500Q-AE_5G_Specification_V1.1

[3] Quectel_RM502Q-AE_5G_Specification_V1.2

[5] Quectel_RG50xQ_RM5xxQ_Series_AT_Commands_Manual_V1.2

[7] Quectel_RG50xQ_RM5xxQ_Series_GNSS_Application_Note_V1.1

[Datasheets 1]

[Datasheets 2]

[Datasheets 3]

[Software 1]

[Datasheets 4]

[Software 2]

[Datasheets 5]

RM500Q-GL 5G HAT

Overview

Features

Selection Guide

What's On Board

Pinout Definition

4G/5G modules function testing

4G/5G Module Compatibility

Working With Windows

Hardware Preparation

Hardware Connection

Install drivers

Common AT commands

SIM Card Selection

MBIM dial-up Internet access

GPS Positioning

Working with Raspberry

Hardware Connection

The use of Raspberry Pi OS

5G ECM Mode Dial-up

Step 1. Uninstall Modem Manager and Network Manager

Step 2. Test 5G Module

Step 3. Networking Setup with AT Commands

Step 4. Test 5G Network

5G HAT Power or Reset Control

The use of OpenWRT

Introduction to OpenWRT

Related tutorials

5G network speed test

Working with Jetson Nano

Hardware Connection

Load USB Device Descriptor

RNDIS

Resources

Software

Assembly drawing

Datasheets

FAQ

Question:1. Which platform is the RM500U-CN based on?

Question:2. After receiving the Raspberry Pi, it keeps restarting, what is the reason?

Question:3. Raspberry Pi usbX interface is not visible?

Support