Silicon Labs Category - CNX Software

January 16, 2026January 15, 2026 by Debashis Das - 5 Comments

ESP32-S3 multi-radio Smart Home gateway features Ethernet, Zigbee, Thread, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, BLE, and optional 4G LTE connectivity

SLZB Ultima multi radio smart home gateway with ESP32 S3 Zigbee Z Wave, Matter or Thread

SMLIGHT SLZB-Ultima is an ESP32-S3-based, multi-radio smart-home gateway with dual Zigbee/Thread radios, optional Z-Wave 800, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE, Ethernet with PoE, USB host expansion, and optional 4G LTE connectivity designed for advanced Home Assistant and DIY applications. The device also integrates an IR receiver and transmitter for controlling legacy appliances, GPIO and I²C for hardware expansion, a buzzer, physical buttons, service LEDs, and 12 on-board WS2812B RGB LEDs on the front for status indication. These features make it suitable for an all-in-one smart-home and IoT gateway rather than a simple coordinator. SMLIGHT SLZB-Ultima specifications: Main SoC – ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core LX7 microprocessor @ up to 240 MHz with Vector extension for machine learning Wireless – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5 with LE/Mesh Audio – Built-in buzzer and optional microphone for ESPHome Voice Assist Networking Wireless Dual Zigbee / Thread radios (Texas Instruments CC2674P10 + Silicon Labs EFR32MG24) Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n […]

November 29, 2025November 30, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

SMHUB Nano Mg24 compact Linux-based Zigbee/Thread Smart Hub combines SG2000 RISC-V SoC with MG24 wireless MCU

SMLight’s SMHUB Nano Mg24 may look like the company’s earlier SLZB-06p Zigbee to Ethernet/WiFi/USB coordinators, but it’s a more powerful Linux-based Zigbee/Thread Smart Hub that pairs SOPHGO SG2000 RISC-V SoC with Silicon Labs MG24 multi-protocol wireless MCU. Unlike traditional Zigbee/Thread adapters that connect to a host through USB or Ethernet, the SMHUB Nano Mg24 is an all-in-one solution that runs all major automation apps directly on the device, eliminating the need for a Raspberry Pi, Mini PC, or other hardware server. SMHUB Nano Mg24 specifications: SoC – SOPHGO SG2000 CPU cores 1x C906 64-bit RISC-V core @ 1GHz or 1x Arm Cortex-A53 core @ 1GHz (selectable at boot) 1x C906 64-bit RISC-V core @ 700MHz MCU – 8051 8-bit microcontroller core @ 25 to 300 MHz with 6KB SRAM GPU – None VPU – H.265/H.264 video decoding and encoding (5M @ 30fps) ISP – 5M @ 30fps NPU – 0.5 TOPS Memory […]

November 20, 2025November 20, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2 Zigbee/Thread/Matter USB adapter launched for $49

Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2 is a Zigbee, Thread, and Matter USB adapter based on Silicon Labs MG24 wireless SoC and designed for Home Assistant, replacing cloud-based hubs from Hue, Ikea, and others. It’s an update of the Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 (previously SkyConnect) Zigbee 3.0, Thread, and Matter USB dongle with an optimized antenna, a faster baudrate, and a form factor similar to the company’s ZWA-2 Z-Wave USB adapter introduced last August. Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2 (NC-ZBT-9741) specifications: SoCs Silicon Labs MG24 Arm Cortex-M33 @ 78.0 MHz with DSP instruction and floating-point unit, 256 kB RAM, 1536 kB flash, 2.4 GHz wireless ESP32-S3 wireless MCU used as USB-to-serial bridge (WiFi and Bluetooth present, but not used by the firmware) Wireless via MG24 Supported Protocols – Zigbee 3.0, Thread/Matter Tx Power 10 dBm (Europe) 8 dBm (rest of world) Antenna Frequency range: 2400-2483.5 MHz Peak gain – 4.16 dBi Radiation pattern […]

September 17, 2025September 17, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments

SONOFF Dongle Max (Dongle-M) – A PoE-based Zigbee/Thread gateway with ESP32 and MG24 chips

As expected, SONOFF has now launched the Dongle Max (also known as Dongle-M) Zigbee coordinator and Thread Border Router with Ethernet, WiFi, and USB connectivity. The company also highlights PoE or USB power supply options, web console access, and support for advanced features such as Webhooks, MQTT, WireGuard VPN, and Turbo mode. SONOFF Dongle Max specifications: Wireless SoCs Silicon Labs EFR32MG24 MCU core – Arm Cortex-M33 MCU @ 78 MHz Memory – 256 KB RAM (300% more RAM than ZBDongle-E) Storage – 1536 KB flash (twice the flash of ZBDongle-E) Radios/Protocols – 802.15.4, Matter, OpenThread, Zigbee 3.0, BLE, Bluetooth Mesh, Proprietary 2.4 GHz, Multiprotocol Espressif Systems ESP32-D0WDR2-V3 MCU cores – Dual-core Xtensa LX6 32-bit microprocessor up to 240 MHz Memory – 520 KB SRAM + 2 MB embedded PSRAM Wireless – 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n WiFi 4 and Bluetooth: v4.2 + EDR Storage – 16MB flash for ESP32 Wired networking […]

September 12, 2025September 11, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Silicon Labs FG23L low-cost Arm Cortex-M33 SoC targets proprietary Sub-GHz IoT applications

Silicon Labs EFR32FG23L, or FG23L for short, is an ultra-low power, Sub-GHz wireless Arm Cortex-M33 SoC, which the company claims offers the best price/performance ratio for Sub-GHz IoT applications such as home and industrial automation, key fobs, and smart city sensor nodes. It’s a cost-down version of the PSA Certified Level 3 FG23 SoC equipped with less memory (32KB vs 64KB) and storage (128KB vs 512KB), less advanced security features, no segment LCD interface, and fewer GPIOs. The new FG23L is only designed for proprietary protocols, while the FG23 supports Amazon Sidewalk, Wi-SUN, Wireless M-Bus (WM-Bus), and Wirepas. Silicon Labs FG23L specifications: MCU core – Arm Cortex-M33 @ 78 MHz with DSP instruction and floating-point unit Memory – 32 kB RAM data memory Storage – 128 kB flash program memory Sub-GHz radio Tx power up to +20 dBm Rx sensitivity -98.6 dBm @ 400 kbps 920 MHz 4-GFSK -125.8 dBm […]

September 11, 2025September 11, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Quectel KCMCA6S industrial wM-bus modules target smart metering

cnx KCMCA6S series sub GHz Wireless M Bus (WM Bus) modules

Quectel’s KCMCA6S is a series of industrial wireless M-Bus (wM-Bus) modules built around Silicon Labs’ EFR32FG23 chipset. The modules operate in the 868 MHz, 169 MHz, and 433 MHz bands and support the EN13757-4 wM-Bus standard for smart metering and AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) applications. The device features an Arm Cortex-M33 processor, 32 KB of SRAM, 256 KB of flash, and a Sub-GHz transceiver. It supports multiple wM-Bus modes (T, C, S, R, N, F), with dynamic multi-mode switching, flexible frequency configuration, and low-power operation alongside multi-layer security mechanisms. Interfaces include USART, SWD, and GPIOs, with optional EUSART, I²C, and ADC through pin multiplexing. Available in two variants (with or without SAW filter), the module comes in a compact 25.4 × 14.0 × 2.9 mm LCC package for water, electricity, gas, and heat metering systems. Quectel KCMCA6S specifications: MCU- Silicon Labs EFR32FG23 Core – Arm Cortex-M33 core, up to 78 […]

September 2, 2025September 3, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

SONOFF Dongle Plus MG24 – A Zigbee/Thread USB Dongle based on SiLabs EFR32MG24 SoC

SONOFF Dongle Plus MG24 laptop Raspberry Pi SBC

SONOFF Dongle Plus MG24, also called Dongle-PMG24, is a Zigbee/Thread USB dongle based on Silicon Labs’ EFR32MG24 wireless SoC, which offers the same features as the SONOFF ZBDongle-E with an EFR32MG21 SoC, but with “better performance”. SONOFF says the Dongle Plus MG24 comes with 300% more RAM (256KB) and 100% more flash (1536KB) than the ZBDongle-E/Dongle Plus E (I wish the company would just stop giving two names for each of its products…), offers a range of up to 200 meters with the provided 3dBi antenna. SONOFF Dongle Plus MG24 specifications: Wireless SoC – Silicon Labs EFR32MG24 MCU core – Arm Cortex-M33 MCU @ 78 MHz Memory – 256 KB RAM (300% more RAM than ZBDongle-E) Storage – 1536 KB flash (twice the flash of ZBDongle-E) Radios/Protocols – 802.15.4, Matter, OpenThread, Zigbee 3.0, BLE, Bluetooth Mesh, Proprietary 2.4 GHz, Multiprotocol (for the SoC, but only Zigbee is used here) Connectivity […]

August 6, 2025August 6, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments

n-Fuse ZBC-M2-1630 – An affordable Zigbee, Thread, and Bluetooth M.2 1630 module

n-Fuse ZBC-M2-1630 is an M.2 1630 module based on Silicon Labs’ MGM260P module with an EFR32MG26 Bluetooth, Thread, and Zigbee multi-protocol Cortex-M33 SoC. While adding Zigbee, Thread, and/or Bluetooth through a USB dongle is common, it’s harder to find M.2 or mPCIe cards. Mixtile used to sell a 2-in-1 Zigbee & Z-Wave mPCIe module based on Silicon Labs MG23 and MG24 chips, but as noted in our Mixtile Edge 2 kit review, it’s now sold to businesses in 50 or 100-piece bundles, or integrated into the company’s gateway. The ZBC-M2-1630 (aka ZBC26-M2-1630) Key A/E M.2 module offers an alternative available to both individuals and companies. n-Fuse ZBC-M2-1630 specifications: Wireless Module – Silicon Labs MGM260P SoC – EFR32MG26 SoC MCU core – Arm Cortex-M33 @ 78 MHz with DSP instructions and floating-point unit AI/ML accelerator – Matrix Vector Processor that is 8x faster and 6x lower power than Cortex-M33 processing, and […]