Realtek Ameba IoT SoC Selection Guide: Wi-Fi 6 & Bluetooth Chips for Smart Devices

Q: What about RTL8730E?

The RTL8730E is a high performance series SoC designed by Realtek specifically for IoT applications. Powered by a dual-core Cortex-A32 processor and a low-power MCU, it fully supports dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3. It delivers robust wireless communication capabilities and rich peripheral interfaces (such as USB and audio) while maintaining low power consumption, making it highly suitable for smart home and industrial control scenarios like smart speakers, central control panels, and wireless gateways. Refer to https://aiot.realmcu.com/en/product/rtl8730e.html for details.

Q: What are the technical advantages of Realtek Ameba IoT chips?

Realtek Ameba IoT offers an industry-leading Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 combo SoC solution, specifically designed for smart home, industrial IoT, edge AI, and multimedia applications. The Ameba IoT series integrates high-performance Arm® Cortex®-M/A and RISC-V processors, supporting dual-band Wi-Fi 6, dual-mode Bluetooth, Hi-Fi DSP, ISP/NPU, enterprise-grade security features like Arm TrustZone, as well as rich peripheral interfaces (such as SPI, I2C, UART, and USB). Refer to https://aiot.realmcu.com/en/product/index.html for details.

Q: What is psram?

PSRAM (Pseudo Static Random Access Memory) is a type of memory that combines the ease-of-use of SRAM with the high-density characteristics of DRAM. It achieves an SRAM-like interface through dynamic refresh mechanisms. Refer to https://aiot.realmcu.com/en/latest/rtos/peripherals/psram/index.html for details.

Q: What is PSRAM and how does it differ from SRAM?

PSRAM (Pseudo Static Random Access Memory) combines SRAM's ease-of-use with DRAM's high density. Unlike traditional SRAM, PSRAM uses dynamic refresh internally while presenting an SRAM-like interface. Realtek Ameba IoT SoCs support both QSPI PSRAM and DDR PSRAM for flexible memory expansion. Learn more: https://aiot.realmcu.com/en/latest/rtos/peripherals/psram/index.html

Q: What are the advantages of Wi-Fi 6 over Wi-Fi 4 in IoT?

Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) offers: 1) OFDMA for efficient multi-device communication (75% latency reduction), 2) Target Wake Time (TWT) for extended battery life, 3) Higher throughput (114.7Mbps on 2.4GHz), 4) Better dense IoT deployment performance. Realtek's RTL8720E and RTL8710E leverage these for next-gen smart home and industrial IoT.

Q: How does Bluetooth 5.3 improve battery life?

Bluetooth 5.3 features: 1) Enhanced Connection Update mechanism, 2) Periodic Advertising Sync Transfer (PAST), 3) Improved channel selection, 4) Lower duty cycle (13.9µA deep sleep on RTL8721Dx). Combined with Realtek's power management, devices achieve years of battery life on a single coin cell.

Q: What is Arm TrustZone-M and why is it important?

Arm TrustZone-M creates hardware-enforced secure execution on Cortex-M processors, partitioning resources into Secure/Non-Secure domains. Realtek Ameba IoT SoCs (RTL8721Dx, RTL8730E) implement TrustZone with PSA Level 2/3 certification, Secure Boot, OTP storage, and hardware crypto engines (AES/SHA/ECDSA).

Q: What is Wi-Fi R-MESH and how does it extend coverage?

Wi-Fi R-MESH is Realtek's tree-topology mesh networking creating multi-hop wireless paths: Root Node (AP) → Intermediate Nodes → Leaf Nodes. Benefits: 1) 300% coverage extension vs single AP, 2) Self-healing network, 3) Lower latency than traditional mesh, 4) Supports 100+ nodes. Ideal for smart homes, industrial IoT, outdoor surveillance.

Q: How to choose between RTL8721Dx, RTL8720E, RTL8730E?

**RTL8721Dx**: Battery devices (13.9µA sleep), dual-band Wi-Fi 4, HMI/USB. **RTL8720E**: Cost-effective Wi-Fi 6, 2.4GHz only, Cortex-M+RISC-V. **RTL8730E**: High-performance, dual-core A32 (1.2GHz), Wi-Fi 6 dual-band, Linux support, MIPI-DSI. Comparison: https://aiot.realmcu.com/en/product/index.html

Q: What development tools are available for Realtek Ameba?

**SDKs**: FreeRTOS, Linux (RTL8730E), Zephyr, Arduino, Matter. **IDEs**: IAR, Keil MDK, GCC, VS Code. **Tools**: Flash programming, Pin configurator, RF testing, Power profiler. **Support**: GitHub (https://github.com/Ameba-AIoT), forum, technical FAQs, video tutorials. Download: https://aiot.realmcu.com/filelist

Chip Selection Center

Ameba IoT wireless solutions, featuring high integration, stable performance, low power consumption, and enhanced security

Realtek Ameba IoT SoC Series - Leading Wi-Fi & Bluetooth SoC Solutions

Realtek IoT delivers industry-leading Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3 SoC solutions through the Ameba series (RTL8730E, RTL8720E, RTL8721F). Our Realtek IoT chips integrate high-performance Arm® Cortex®-A32/M, RISC-V and HiFi DSP, supporting dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.3 dual-mode, Matter protocol, and enterprise-grade TrustZone security. With native support for Zephyr RTOS and Arduino development environments, Realtek IoT solutions are ideal for smart home, industrial automation, Edge AI, and multimedia applications, offering ultra-low power consumption, LE Audio with Auracast™, and rich peripheral interfaces including MIPI-DSI, USB 2.0, Ethernet, SDIO, UART, I2C, SPI and so on.

Realtek Ameba IoT SoC series offers unmatched development flexibility for MCU and embedded system designers. Our product portfolio spans four distinct series: Mainstream Series for ultra-low power smart control, DSP Series for professional audio processing, High-Performance Series with Linux support for advanced applications, and Pro Series for intelligent vision and camera solutions. Each series combines ultra-low power consumption, real-time processing, advanced digital signal processing, and robust hardware security.

Beyond standard IoT features like peripheral interfaces (SPI, I2C, UART, USB), secure boot, and AES/SHA hardware encryption, Realtek Ameba SoCs include specialized capabilities: R-MESH networking for extended coverage, Wi-Fi CSI sensing for environmental awareness, HMI touch displays for smart interfaces, audio ADC/DAC for sound processing, SDIO/SD/eMMC host for storage expansion, Ethernet for wired connectivity, and A2C automotive interfaces for vehicle applications. Use our interactive chip selection tool below to find the perfect SoC for your project requirements.

Click on the product model or series to view more details

Ameba IoT SoC

High-Performance Series				RTL8730E Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 BT Dual-Mode BT Dedicated Antenna HMI Audio USB Linux Edge AI Arm TrustZone
Pro Series			RTL8735B Dual-Band Wi-Fi 4 ISP NPU H.264 H.265 Audio USB Arm TrustZone
DSP Series		RTL8726E 2.4GHz Wi-Fi 6 BT Dual-Mode HiFi DSP Audio Edge AI Arm TrustZone RTL8713E 2.4GHz Wi-Fi 6 BT Dual-Mode HiFi DSP Audio Edge AI
Mainstream Series	RTL8721F Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 R-MESH HMI SDIO Host USB Ethernet Arm TrustZone RTL8721Dx Dual-Band Wi-Fi 4 R-MESH HMI USB Arm TrustZone RTL8720E 2.4GHz Wi-Fi 6 Arm TrustZone RTL8710E 2.4GHz Wi-Fi 6 RTL872xD Dual-Band Wi-Fi 4 Audio USB Arm TrustZone
	Arm Cortex®-M	Arm Cortex®-M + Hi-Fi DSP	Arm Cortex®-M + ISP/NPU	Arm Cortex®-M + Cortex®-A

Ultra-low power consumption
Integrated RISC-V processor
Linux supported

Select via Features

Features	Filter	RTL8721Dx	RTL8720E	RTL8710E	RTL8726E	RTL8713E	RTL8730E	RTL8721F	RTL872xD	RTL8735B
Application Processor	Cortex-M Cortex-A	Cortex-M	Cortex-M	Cortex-M	Cortex-M	Cortex-M	Cortex-A	Cortex-M	Cortex-M	Cortex-M
DSP	Select
ISP?	Select
Arm TrustZone	Select
Dual Band?	Select
Wi-Fi 6	Select
R-MESH?	Select
Ultra-low Power	Select
Ethernet	Select
BT Dual Mode	Select
HMI?	Select
Audio ADC?	Select
Audio DAC?	Select
SDIO Host	Select
SD/EMMC Host	Select
USB	Select
BT Dedicated Antenna?	Select
A2C?	Select

If you want to select a chip based on more detailed functional modules and the number of interfaces, please use:

Select by Product Parameters

Select via Wi-Fi

Features	Filter	RTL8721Dx	RTL8720E	RTL8710E	RTL8726E	RTL8713E	RTL8730E	RTL8721F	RTL872xD	RTL8735B
Frequency	2.4GHz 2.4GHz/5GHz	2.4GHz/5GHz	2.4GHz	2.4GHz	2.4GHz	2.4GHz	2.4GHz/5GHz	2.4GHz/5GHz	2.4GHz/5GHz	2.4GHz/5GHz
Bandwidth	20MHz 40MHz	40MHz	20MHz	20MHz	20MHz	20MHz	20MHz	20MHz	40MHz	20MHz
Maximum PHY rate	114.7Mbps 150Mbps 72Mbps	150Mbps	114.7Mbps	114.7Mbps	114.7Mbps	114.7Mbps	114.7Mbps	114.7Mbps	150Mbps	72Mbps
802.11a	Select
802.11ax (Wi-Fi6)	Select
802.11b/g/n	Select
802.11e/i/w/d/k/v/r	Select
WMM/WPA1~3/WPS/ 802.1X/EAP	Select
UL LDPC?	Select
DL STBC?	Select
Auto Antenna Diversity	Select
CSI?	Select
MCC?	Select
R-MESH?	Select
Wi-Fi Card Mode	Select
P2P/NAN	Select
TWT?	Select

Select via Bluetooth

Features	Filter	RTL8721Dx	RTL8720E	RTL8710E	RTL8726E	RTL8713E	RTL8730E	RTL8721F	RTL872xD	RTL8735B
Bluetooth Mode	Bluetooth Dual Mode Bluetooth LE	Bluetooth LE	Bluetooth LE	Bluetooth LE	Bluetooth Dual Mode	Bluetooth Dual Mode	Bluetooth Dual Mode	Bluetooth LE	Bluetooth LE	Bluetooth LE
Bluetooth BR/EDR?	Select
LE Audio?	Select
Dedicated antenna for Bluetooth?	Select
Scatternet?	Select
LE 2Mpbs PHY	Select
LE Long Range?	Select
LE Advertising Extensions?	Select
Periodic Advertising	Select
Periodic Advertising Sync Transfer	Select
Direction Finding (AoA/AoD)?	Select
LE Isochronous Channels (CIS/BIS)?	Select
LE Power Control	Select
SIG Mesh?	Select
High-Power Mode?	Select	TBD