home assistant News - Page 3 of 21 - CNX Software

September 6, 2025September 6, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

reTerminal E1001/E1002 – ESP32-S3-powered monochrome/color ePaper displays for dashboards, digital signage

reTerminal E1002 7.3-inch color ePaper display

Seeed Studio’s reTerminal E1001 and E1002 are two ePaper displays featuring an ESP32-S3 WiFi and Bluetooth LE wireless microcontroller suitable for dashboards or digital signage applications. The only difference between the two reTerminal E-series displays is that the E1001 features a 7.5-inch monochrome display, while the E1002 integrates a 7.3-inch 6-color ePaper display. Both come with a 2,000 mAh battery offering up to 3 months of battery life, a 32MB SPI flash, a microSD card slot, a microphone and a buzzer, temperature and humidity sensors, an 8-pin GPIO header, and a few buttons and LEDs. reTerminal E1001/E1002 specifications: Wireless SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 dual-core microcontroller with 8MB PSRAM Storage 32MB SPI flash MicroSD card slot up to 32GB (FAT32 file system only) Display E1001 – 7.5-inch Monochrome ePaper display with 800×480 resolution E1002 – 7.3-inch “Full Color” (i.e., 6-color) ePaper display with 800×480 resolution Audio Microphone (3) for voice […]

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 […]

September 1, 2025September 1, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

PwrTool 500 – An open-source battery & DC power monitor for Home Assistant (Crowdfunding)

Voidbox’s PwrTool 500 is a battery and power monitor for Home Assistant based on the company’s FLIP_C3 ESP32-C3 board with a 60V-tolerant buck converter that is designed for off-grid and other DC-powered applications. The PwrTool 500 is designed for most 12-48V DC systems and is capable of handling up to a 500A peak current across a 6-60V DC range. The board supports ESPHome firmware for easy integration with Home Assistant, and provides data about your energy flow, generation, storage, and usage. PwrTool 500 specifications: Main board – FLIP_C3 Controller Board Wireless Module – ESP32-C3-MINI-1 SoC – ESP32-C3 MCU – RISC-V core @ 160 MHz Wireless – Wi-Fi and BLE 5 connectivity PCB antenna USB – USB-C port for firmware flashing and recovery Expansion Stemma QT and Qwiic connectors (I2C and UART) 9-pin + 10-pin headers with GPIO, I2C, SPI, PWM, UART, 5V,. 3.3V, and GND Misc Level-shifted WS2812 output, capable […]

August 31, 2025September 1, 2025 by Paisit Wongsongsarn - 2 Comments

SONOFF CAM-PT2 indoor security camera review with eWeLink, ONVIF-capable NVR, Home Assistant

Today, we’ll do a quick review of the new SONOFF CAM-PT2 indoor camera, which is the third model after the Slim Gen2 (CAM S2) fixed-angle camera and the Slim camera, both of which we reviewed previously. The CAM-PT2 (CAM Pan-Tilt 2) supports Pan/Tilt/Zoom functions. Its main features are quite similar to the CAM S2, including 1080p resolution, Motion Detection/AI Human Detection, and Privacy Zone support. In addition to Pan/Tilt, it adds new features such as the ability to set Preset Points to remember specific camera positions. It’s also the first SONOFF camera to support ONVIF, on top of RTSP, which has been available since the CAM S2. Let’s take a closer look at the details. SONOFF CAM-PT2 unboxing Inside the white box, you’ll find the camera itself, a mini manual, a USB-C cable, wall plugs with screws, a drilling sticker, and a camera holder. If you want other types of […]

August 18, 2025August 18, 2025 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

ESP32-C6 and CC1101-based sub-GHz gateway supports Honeywell Ramses II protocol

Developed by Elecram in the Netherlands, the ESP32-C6 and CC1101 transceivers-based Sub-GHz gateway is designed to bridge Zigbee/WiFi networks with HVAC systems that support the Honeywell Ramses II sub-GHz protocol. This means you can now control those with platforms like Home Assistant or your smartphone. Elecram also provides a pre-designed 3D-printable enclosure for easy integration. The housing supports both M2.5 and M3 mounting options, which makes it suitable for home automation, DIY prototyping, and integrating sub-GHz devices with modern networks. ESP32-C6 and CC1101 sub-GHz gateway specifications: Wireless Modules Espressif Systems ESP32-C6-MINI-1-N4 SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-C6 CPU Single-core 32-bit RISC-V clocked up to 160 MHz Low-power RISC-V core @ up to 20 MHz Memory/Storage – 320KB ROM, 512KB SRAM Wireless – 2.4 GHz WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, and 802.15.4 radio (for Thread/Zigbee) Storage – 4MB flash Antenna – PCB antenna TI CC1101 transceiver module Operates in the 855–925 MHz range Optimized […]

August 14, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Pironman 5 Mini is a cheaper Tower PC case for the Raspberry Pi 5

If you found the Pironman 5 and Pironman 5 Max Tower PC cases for the Raspberry Pi 5 pretty cool, but had a hard time justifying paying much more for the enclosure than for the board itself, SunFounder has an update for you. The company has now introduced the Pironman 5 Mini Tower PC enclosure with a similar, yet smaller design, fewer features, and easier assembly, bringing the price down to $45.99. That means the OLED information display, most RGB LEDs, the oversized tower cooler, the micro HDMI to HDMI adapter board, and more are all gone. Pironman 5 Mini features: Compatible SBC – Raspberry Pi 5 only. The Raspberry Pi 4 won’t work, and I can’t think of another SBC with two micro HDMI ports and the exact same layout as the Pi 5. Storage MicroSD card slot Optional NVMe SSD via M.2 M-Key (2230/2242/2260/2280) PCIe 2.0/3.0 socket Video […]

August 14, 2025November 19, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

Home Assistant Connect ZWA-2 Z-Wave USB adapter launched for $69

Home Assistant Connect ZWA-2 is a new Z-Wave USB adapter with Long Range support, which follows the launch of the Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1 (SkyConnect) Zigbee 3.0, Thread, and Matter USB dongle in 2022. Home Assistant explains that Z-Wave operates in the sub-GHz (865-926 MHz) frequency band, where waves can more easily go through thick walls and reach across large households, and do not need to compete in the crowded 2.4 GHz airspace used by wireless protocols such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, and Thread. Home Assistant Connect ZWA-2 specifications: SoCs Silicon Labs ZG23 Cortex-M33 Z-Wave microcontroller @ 78 MHz ESP32-S3 wireless MCU used as USB-to-serial bridge (WiFi and Bluetooth present, but not used by the firmware) Wireless Z-Wave, Z-Wave Long Range Z-Wave series 800 Range – Tested up to 1.5km (line of sight) by Nabu Casa Antenna Frequency range: 860-930 MHz The frequency used by end devices depends on the […]

July 29, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

ReSpeaker XMOS XVF3800 4-mic array board features ESP32-S3 module, also works over USB

Seeed Studio’s “ReSpeaker XMOS XVF3800 with XIAO ESP32S3” board is a 4-mic array board with XMOS XVF3800 voice processor and ESP32-S3 wireless MCU for standalone operation, but it can also be used as a USB microphone array for computers and SBCs. The Respeaker mic array family was first introduced in 2016, and new models have been launched over the years, like the ReSpeaker Core v2 and ReSpeaker Lite Series, with audio improvements and different feature sets. The ReSpeaker XMOS XVF3800 with XIAO ESP32S3 is the latest variant, and Seeed Studio claims it offers a “clearer voice capture, even in noisy environments.” ReSpeaker XMOS XVF3800 with XIAO ESP32S3 specifications: Wireless module – XIAO ESP32S3 Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3R8 CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX7 microcontroller @ 240 MHz Memory – 512KB SRAM, 8MB PSRAM Wireless – Wi-Fi 4 & Bluetooth 5.0 dual-mode (classic + BLE) connectivity Storage – 8MB SPI […]