Alexa Connect Kit SDK Development Guidelines

Alexa Connect Kit (ACK) software development kit (SDK) is a software package that enables you to build your own Alexa-compatible smart device solution and communicate with ACK services with the connectivity platform of your choice.The ACK SDK features the same benefits as solutions built with ACK hardware modules, but provides you with more control over platform hardware and supported features. Further, since ACK SDK is available as source code, it allows you to customize even more, such as fine-tuning power profiles by taking advantage of the SoCs low-power modes and having better control over peripherals

The ACK SDK works with any Amazon-qualified system-on-chip (SoC). Or, you can apply to qualify the SoC of your choice. These SoC options provide you with further flexibility on your product architecture and hardware cost.

ACK SDK benefits

The ACK SDK enables you to build smart devices, such as smart plugs, light bulbs, or fans, and adds the following benefits to ACK:

  • Product-tailored hardware – Provides a flexible hardware architecture that helps you select connectivity and peripheral components tailored to your products operation.
  • Optimize costs – Lowers your Bill-of-Material (BoM) cost by removing the need for host microcontroller unit (HMCU) and by enabling a single chip design.

The ACK SDK provides the same smart home features and benefits as the ACK module solution, including Frustration-Free setup (FFS), diagnostic logs, customer metrics, over-the-air update, low latency device control, device state query, and device notifications.

ACK SDK architecture overview

The following diagram shows a high-level architectural overview of the ACK SDK.

The image shows the ACK SDK stack that includes device maker software, ACK APIs, Amazon common software, device APIs, and platform software.
ACK SDK high-level architectural diagram

The ACK SDK software includes the following components:

  • ACK APIs – APIs to implement ACK directives and call backs for smart device behavior.
  • Amazon Common Software (ACS) Components – Suite of memory efficient, portable, and security audited Amazon Common Software (ACS) components necessary to build your device
  • Device Porting Kit (DPK) APIs – Provides abstraction from underlying hardware and operating system enabling portability.
  • Test Suites – Multi-tier test suites makes it easy to localize defects/bugs in device software.

Differences between the ACK SDK and ACK?

Before you build your device, understand the differences between the ACK SDK and the ACK module solutions.

The following architectural diagrams shows the ACK module and the ACK SDK. The ACK SDK is a single chip solution, distributed as source code that allows you to integrate your device application into the connectivity platform. This solution helps optimize the overall cost of your solution.

ACK module architecture
ACK SDK architecture
ACK module architecture compared to the ACK SDK architecture

Steps to build an ACK SDK product

The ACK SDK primarily targets solution providers (SP) and original device makers (ODM). To build ACK SDK-based products, you complete the following steps.

  1. To sign up for the ACK SDK, contact Amazon about your project. Amazon assigns an ACK support engineer to your project.
  2. Purchase an ACK SDK development kit for prototyping.
  3. Set up your development environment with the silicon vendor-provided tools, as instructed in the provided documentation.
  4. Create an Amazon Web Services (AWS) account. The AWS account gives you access to resources as part of the free tier of services. You need an AWS S3 bucket.
  5. Download the ACK SDK from the AWS S3 bucket. The SDK is distributed as source code with example applications and additional development and manufacturing tools.
    You might need to download additional platform-specific packages from the silicon vendor website.
  6. Develop device applications by using the ACK SDK APIs and adding Alexa capabilities that reflect the desired functionality of your device. Compile your source code with the ACK SDK.
  7. Create a virtual product.
  8. Flash the source code to your device and provision the device as your virtual product.
  9. Register your device with supported smart home assistants for device control.
  10. Certify your product with certification programs, such as Works With Alexa, Frustration-Free Setup, and Matter Simple Setup.
  11. Manufacture your device.
  12. Launch your ACK-based product for sale.
  13. Identify and resolve product issues with operational metrics and logs.
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Last updated: Nov 27, 2023