mesh networking News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

July 11, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

LILYGO T3S3 E-Paper combines ESP32-S3 WiFi & BLE SoC with LoRa module, 2.13-inch e-Paper display

LILYGO T3S3 E-Paper is an ESP32-S3 WiFi and Bluetooth LE development board with a 2.13-inch e-Paper display and an SX1262 LoRa module that should make it suitable for off-grid messsaging even under sunlight. LILYGO has made some ESP32-S3 boards with an e-Paper display and some ESP32-S3 boards with a LoRa module, but unless I’m mistaken, the T3S3 E-Paper is the first board from LILYGO that combines ESP32-S3 SoC with e-Paper display and a LoRa module. It builds upon the earlier LILYGO T3S3 board with a 0.96-inch OLED. LILYGO T3S3 E-Paper specifications: ESP32-S3-WROOM-1U wireless module SoC – ESP32-S3FH4R2 dual-core Tensilica LX7 microcontroller @ up to 240 MHz with 2.4 GHz 802.11n WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE connectivity Memory – 2MB PSRAM Storage – 4MB SPI flash IPEX antenna connector Storage – MicroSD card slot Display – 2.13-inch e-Paper display (DEPG0213BN) with 250×122 resolution; size: 48.55 x 23.70mm Wireless 2.4 GHz […]

June 7, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 18 Comments

The S5 Trekker is a compact Meshtastic communication device for hikers and preppers

The S5 Trekker Bravo and the S5 Trekker Mini are two Meshtastic-enabled radios designed by SpecFive LLC, a team of engineers based in the United States. Both devices are based on the Heltec Wireless Tracker from Heltec Automation. The Wireless Tracker integrates Espressif’s ESP32-S3 system-on-a-chip, a 160 x 80 TFT LCD, a SemTech SX1262 LoRa chip, and a Unicore UC6580 GNSS chip. The MiniTrekker is much lighter than the Trekker Bravo and features a built-in attachment hook for connecting it with other gear. Both radios are built to be durable enough to resist the rigors of outdoor exploration. They come pre-flashed with the open-source Meshtastic software and are ready to be used out of the box. The S5 Trekkers are intended to be used when hiking, trekking, and partaking in other outdoor activities that take one away off the well-trodden path. It is also useful for setting up a reliable […]

March 26, 2024 by Tomisin Olujinmi - 6 Comments

Arduino Nano Matter board specifications and price announced

The Arduino Nano Matter is the product of a collaboration between Arduino and Silicon Labs. The Nano Matter board was announced in January and is powered by SiLabs’ MGM240S chip. It offers multiple wireless connectivity options such as Matter, OpenThread, and Bluetooth Low Energy. Support for the Matter standard is the Nano Matter board’s key offering. Matter is an open-source, connectivity protocol that lets smart home devices from different manufacturers interoperate seamlessly. The 45mm x 18mm board leverages dual-mode connectivity, with IEEE 802.15.4 (Thread) for mesh networking and Bluetooth Low Energy for short-range communication. It is targeted at the Internet of Things, home automation, professional automation, environmental monitoring, and climate control applications. Prospective industrial applications include machine-to-machine interoperability, machine status monitoring, and worker status optimization. Arduino Nano Matter specs: MPU – SiLabs MGM240SD22VNA MCU core – 32-bit Arm Cortex-M33 with DSP (digital signal processing) instruction and FPU (floating-point unit) @ […]

February 26, 2024February 28, 2024 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Nordic nRF9151 – A smaller LTE-M/NB-IoT and DECT NR+ SiP with enhanced power efficiency and security

Nordic’s New nRF9151 DECT NR+ SiP Module

Nordic Semiconductor has announced the availability of its new nRF9151 SiP module adding to the nRF91 cellular IoT lineup. This new module includes a 64MHz Arm Cortex-M33 SoC, LTE-M/NB-IoT connectivity with a radio-frequency front-end (RFE) for cellular support, and DECT NR+ connectivity. All this comes with a 20% smaller footprint and additional support for Power Class 5 20 dBm alongside Class 3 (23 dBm) compared to the Nordic nRF9161 SiP module also designed to power cellular IoT and non-cellular 5G solutions that was introduced just last month. Nordic nRF9151 SiP module specification: Processor and Memory – 64 MHz Arm Cortex-M33, 1 MB flash, and 256 KB SRAM. Modem – Integrated LTE-M/NB-IoT and DECT NR+ with support for 3GPP Release 14 LTE-M/NB-IoT. Location Tracking – Built-in GNSS receiver and support for cellular-based location features. Security – Arm TrustZone, CryptoCell for cryptographic operations, true random number generator (TRNG). Power Options – Supports […]

September 25, 2023September 28, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Bluetooth NLC (Networked Lighting Control) fully standardizes Bluetooth light bulbs

Bluetooth NLC (Networked Lighting Control) is a full-stack standard for wireless lighting control from the Bluetooth SIG that will enable multi-vendor interoperability, improve ease of deployment, and offer greater scalability. Bluetooth light bulbs have been around for many years, at first using Bluetooth LE (Radio Layer) and then adding Bluetooth Mesh (Network Layer) to the mix, but there were always some proprietary bits to the software stack, and Bluetooth NLC removes all those with a complete standard for lighting control that further adds Device Profiles specific to his use case. Bluetooth NLC still relies on Bluetooth Low Energy and Bluetooth Mesh, but adds the following NLC Device Profiles at the Device Layer defining the requirements for a range of devices/features: Ambient Light Sensor Basic Lightness Controller Basic Scene Selector Dimming Control Energy Monitor Occupancy Sensor You’ll find the specifications for each profile on the Bluetooth website. While the announcement was […]

June 20, 2023June 20, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

Espressif ESP Thread Border Router board combines ESP32-H2 & ESP32-S3 wireless chips

Espressif Systems has launched the ESP Thread Border Router/Zigbee Gateway board based on ESP32-H2 (802.15.4) and ESP32-S3 (WiFi + BLE) modules following the contention of the Thread Interoperability Certificate V1.3 for the board and associated ESP Thread Boarder Router SDK built on top of the ESP-IDF framework and the open-source OpenThread protocol stack. The ESP Thread Border Router supports the protocol functions of the 1.3 Thread standard such as bidirectional IPv6 connectivity, Service Discovery Delegate, Service Registration Server, Multicast Forwarding, NAT64, and more, as well as product-level features such as a Web GUI for device configuration, automatic RCP (Radio Co-Processor) upgrade, RF coexistence, and so on. ESP Thread Border Router/Zigbee Gateway board specifications: Wireless modules ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 wireless module SoC – ESP32-S3 dual-core Tensilica LX7 microcontroller @ 240 MHz with 2.4 GHz 802.11n WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE connectivity Memory – 2MB PSRAM Storage – 4MB SPI flash PCB antenna […]

March 25, 2023April 15, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

Getting Started with GL-S200 Thread Border Router kit

Getting Started GL-S200 Thread Border Router

Last week we checked out the hardware for the GL.iNet GL-S200 Thread Border Router kit with three nRF52840 Thread Dev Boards, and I’ve now had time to work with the kit, so I’ll report my getting started experience in the second part of the review. GL-S200 Initial Set Up I connected the WAN port to my Ethernet Switch itself connected to my modem router and the LAN port to my laptop, so I could access the web interface using the default IP address (192.168.8.1). The GL-S200 uses the same Admin Panel as other GL.iNet routers such as the Beryl AX router we reviewed at the beginning of the year. You’ll be greeted by a wizard to let you select the language and set a new password for the Admin Panel, and once you’re done you’ll have access to the familiar GL.iNet Admin Panel 4.x.x. After completing the wizard, the system […]

March 4, 2023 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

IoT board supports WiFi, Bluetooth, NB-IoT, Cat-M and GNSS with ESP32-S3 and SIM7080G modules

LILYGO T-SIM7080G-S3 is an ESP32-S3 WiFi and Bluetooth IoT board with a SIMcom SIM7080G LTE Cat-M (eMTC), NB-IoT, and GNSS module for low-power long-range connectivity and asset tracking. The board also comes with a 18650 battery holder, a solar panel input, a microSD card slot, a camera port, and several I/Os and provides an alternative to the TTGO T-Beam ESP32 board that relies on LoRaWAN for long-range connectivity instead. LILYGO T-SIM7080G-S3 specifications: Wireless modules Espressif ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8 module with ESP32-S3 dual-core LX7 microprocessor @ up to 240 MHz with Vector extension for machine learning, 16MB flash, 8MB PSRAM, WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5 LE/Mesh SIMCom SIM7080G global multi-band Cat-M and NB-IoT module with GNSS Bands: Cat-M – B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B8/B12/B13/B14/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26 /B27/B28/B66/B85 NB-IoT – B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B8/B12/B13/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28 /B66/B71/B85 Data rate Cat-M – Uplink: 1,119 Kbps, downlink: 589 Kbps NB-IoT: Uplink: 150 Kbps downlink: 136 Kbps LTE RF Power Class: 5 (Typ. 21dbm) GNSS – GPS, GLONASS, […]