A6 GSM GPRS Module Quad Band SMS Voice

A6 Quad-band GPRS/GSM module is defined as a miniature wireless data transmission adapter plate. This GSM module designed with LCC package technology offers the highest reliability and robustness. As a result widely integrated into a great number of IoT projects. A6 Quad-band GPRS/GSM module performs a similar function as a normal cell phone can. It can SMS text messages, make or receive phone calls, connect to the internet through GPRS, TCP/IP, and more. Moreover, the module supports quad-band GSM/GPRS network, which indicates that it works pretty much anywhere in the world.

A6 GSM cellular chip from Ai-Thinker (Manufacturer of ESP8266 WiFi modules) is the heart of this module. It supports the UART protocol to communicate with the microcontroller at a baud rate range from 1200bps to 115200bps with Auto-Baud detection. All the necessary data pins of the A6 GSM chip are broken out to 0.1″ pitch headers. An external antenna is used for any kind of voice or data communications as well as some SIM commands. So, highly recommended to use a small duck antenna having 2 dB gain and 50Ω impedance which provides great coverage.

The onboard  Power button is provided to turn the module ON/OFF manually, though you can do this programmatically. And also can be powered through a micro USB connector. The onboard LED indicates the status of the module. Even though the module can work on 5V, the operating voltage of the chip is from 3.3V to 4.2V. to keep supply voltage safe at 4.1V, the module comes with A high-frequency step-down switching regulator MP1584 used to keep the supply voltage at 4.1V capable of handling load currents up to 3A.