smart home News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

February 9, 2026February 8, 2026 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

86-type Smart Home control panel features a 3.5-inch display, physical buttons, Bluetooth SIG Mesh gateway

The Tuya WiFi 3.5-inch Smart Center Control Panel (CCP-S05) is designed to replace traditional 86-type switches while adding a Bluetooth SIG Mesh gateway, a touchscreen interface, and three buttons for smart homes, apartments, and small commercial spaces. Compared to other 86-type control panels such as the Luckfox-Pico-86-Panel, Dusun DSGW-130, and Waveshare’s ESP32-P4 Smart 86 Box, the Tuya device follows a hybrid approach, combining a capacitive touchscreen with three physical buttons for instant local control. Tuya WiFi 3.5-inch Smart Center Control Panel (CCP-S05) specifications: SoC – Unknown (potentially based on Allwinner F1C100s ARM9 application processor, slightly more powerful Rockchip or Allwinner SoC) Display – 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen Audio – Built-in microphone and speaker Networking Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz) Bluetooth Mesh USB – USB Type-C port for debugging only Relays – 3x independent relay channels (200 W per channel max 600W) Misc 3x programmable physical buttons Reset button (on the bottom side) RTC […]

February 6, 2026February 7, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Olimex HoT aims to be lightweight, easier-to-use alternative to Home Assistant

Olimex HoT (Home of Things) is a lightweight Smart Home solution designed to run on low-end hardware (128MB RAM, 128MB flash) and interface with nodes running ESPHome. It can serve as an easier-to-use alternative for people who don’t need all the bells and whistles provided by powerful home automation frameworks such as Home Assistant or OpenHAB. Home Assistant open-source home automation software is great, but it requires a system with at least 2GB of RAM, and 4GB of RAM is often recommended for most users. There’s also a steep learning curve. This is what Tsvetan Usunov, Olimex CEO, realized last year when he tried Home Assistant, and he decided to start working on a low-cost, easy-to-use solution for IoT and Smart Home applications. That’s why the Olimex HoT project was created. Tsvetan gave a talk about the project entitled “Designing EUR 20 Open Source Hardware running Free/Libre Open Source Software […]

January 27, 2026January 27, 2026 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

Meterbit Pixlpal – An open-source ESP32-S3 smart display with 128×64 RGB LED matrix, Hi-Fi audio output (Crowdfunding)

Designed by Meterbit Cybernetics in Nigeria, the Pixlpal is an open-source, ESP32-S3-based 11.25-inch 128×64 RGB LED matrix display designed as a customizable ticker for news, crypto, and smart home notifications, while also offering Hi-Fi audio playback. The device also includes a multi-function rotary encoder for local control, a digital MEMS microphone, and a 3.5 mm headphone output driven by a TI PCM5102A DAC for Hi-Fi audio playback. Pixlpal also provides a USB Type-C OTG port for power and programming, and a USB Type-A adapter port for firmware updates and peripherals. The device targets Smart Home dashboards, desktop information displays, and educational or maker-focused IoT applications. Pixlpal specifications: Wireless Module – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 SoC – ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz with vector extension for AI/ML workloads Memory – 512KB SRAM Storage – TBD Wireless – WiFi 4 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 5.0 LE PCB antenna Display – […]

January 27, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

SONOFF Dongle Max (Dongle-M) Review – A Zigbee/Thread PoE, USB, and WiFi adapter tested with Home Assistant

SONOFF Dongle Max Dongle-M review with Home Assistant Zigbee2MQTT ZHA

SONOFF sent us a sample of the SONOFF Dongle Max (also known as Dongle-M) Zigbee/Thread adapter with PoE support for review. It is based on Espressif ESP32-D0WDR2-V3 and Silicon Labs EFR32MG24 SoCs, and can serve as both a Zigbee coordinator and Thread Border Router, with connectivity options including Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and USB. The dongle is specifically designed for popular smart home platforms like Home Assistant, Zigbee2MQTT, ioBroker, and OpenHAB. Key advantages of the Dongle Max over the recently reviewed Dongle Plus MG24 include built-in Wi-Fi and Ethernet support (in addition to USB), Power over Ethernet (PoE), and a convenient Web Console for easier device configuration. It basically provides more flexibility thanks to a wider range of connection options, and it’s easier to place it in strategic locations since it doesn’t need to be connected directly to your Home Assistant server. In this review, we’ll go through the unboxing, initial setup, […]

January 24, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

FOSDEM 2026 schedule – Embedded, RISC-V, Robotics, Rust, Open Hardware, and more

FOSDEM 2026 will take place on January 31-February 1, with thousands of developers meeting in Brussels to discuss open-source software & hardware projects. The free-to-attend “Free and Open Source Software Developers’ European Meeting” gets more traction every year, and in 2026, there will be at least 1,113 speakers, 1,016 events, 70 tracks, and potentially close to 10,000 attendees. As usual, I’ll create a virtual schedule with sessions most relevant to the topics covered on CNX Software from the “Embedded, Mobile and Automotive” and “Open Hardware and CAD/CAM” devrooms, but also other devrooms, including “RISC-V”, “Robotics and simulation”, and “FOSS on Mobile”, among others. I’m aware some of the talks overlap by a couple of minutes or so… FOSDEM 2026 Day 1 – Saturday, January 31 10:40 – 11:15 – RISC-V Vector optimisations in FFmpeg by Rémi Denis-Courmont FFmpeg is the most versatile multimedia codec and format support library, and was […]

January 20, 2026January 19, 2026 by Debashis Das - 4 Comments

EnviroGo ESP32-S3 wearable environmental monitor features 7 sensors (Crowdfunding)

EnviroGo s 7 in 1 ESP32 wearable environmental monitor

EnviroGo is an ESP32-S3-based wearable environmental monitor that tracks Organic Compounds (VOCs), UV index, temperature, humidity, air pressure, light, and motion via a 9-axis MEMS sensor. It is designed for indoor and outdoor use, and can be worn, clipped to a bag, or magnetically mounted, making it suitable for homes, offices, travel, labs, and daily use where real-time environmental data is needed. EnviroGo supports built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity through the ESP32-S3 WiSoC, features a small 0.96-inch IPS display, a microSD card slot for local data logging, and an RTC for time-stamped records. The device samples data at configurable intervals, uses RGB LEDs and a buzzer for visual and audible alerts, and can process data locally with AI-based prediction to spot trends such as rising VOC levels or humidity changes (with a stated 7-day learning period). EnviroGo is designed for IoT developers, researchers, smart home users, and health-conscious individuals who […]

January 18, 2026 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Getting started with SONOFF Dongle Plus MG24 Zigbee adapter using Home Assistant

SONOFF Dongle Plus MG24 review AirGuard TH MINI-ZB2GS-L

We have received a sample of the SONOFF Dongle Plus MG24 (also known as Dongle-PMG24) Zigbee/Thread USB dongle for review. As its name implies, it’s based on a Silicon Labs EFR32MG24 wireless chip, and the company claims up to 200 meters range thanks to an included 3dBi antenna. It is compatible with Windows, Linux, macOS, Raspberry Pi OS, and other operating systems that support USB serial drivers. The dongle works seamlessly with popular open-source platforms, such as Home Assistant, Zigbee2MQTT, ioBroker, and OpenHAB. In this review, we will go through an unboxing of the SONOFF Dongle Plus MG24, before connecting it to a Raspberry Pi 4 running Home Assistant. We will use two Zigbee devices from SONOFF: the AirGuard TH (SNZB-02DR2) temperature and humidity sensor with an LCD, and the MINI DUO-L (MINI-ZB2GS-L) dual-channel/2-gang Zigbee 3.0 switch to demonstrate how to use the dongle with Home Assistant. SONOFF Dongle Plus […]

January 17, 2026 by Debashis Das - 5 Comments

Tablet-like, ESP32-P4-based 7, 8, and 10.1-inch HMI displays integrate Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, 5MP camera

Waveshare has recently released the ESP32-P4-WIFI6-Touch-LCD, a family of tablet-like, fully enclosed HMI display development boards built around the ESP32-P4 SoC. The company offers 7-inch, 8-inch, or 10.1-inch configurations, all designed for industrial HMI, smart home terminals, and edge AI applications. Since the ESP32-P4 does not include built-in wireless connectivity, Waveshare has integrated an ESP32-C6-MINI module for WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5 (LE) support. The board also leverages the ESP32-P4’s peripherals for MIPI CSI/DSI interfaces, a 5MP camera, and various I/Os, including USB 2.0 OTG and USB-to-UART Type-C ports, an SDIO 3.0 microSD card slot, dual microphones with echo cancellation, a speaker driven by an onboard audio codec, GPIO expansion headers, and optional battery support. Waveshare ESP32-P4-WIFI6-Touch-LCD specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-P4-Core SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-P4NRW32 CPU Dual-core 32-bit RISC-V HP (High-performance) CPU @ up to 400 MHz with AI instructions extension and single-precision FPU Single-RISC-V LP (Low-power) MCU core […]