smart home News - CNX Software - Embedded Systems News

June 25, 2025June 25, 2025 by Debashis Das - 1 Comment

XIAO W5500 Ethernet Adapter: PoE-enabled ESP32-S3 device aims to improve network reliability

Seeed Studio has recently announced the XIAO W5500 Ethernet Adapter with Power over Ethernet (PoE) support and built around the XIAO ESP32S3 Plus WiFi and Bluetooth module, and a WIZnet W5500 10/100 Mbps Ethernet SPI controller. PoE is implemented through an MQ7813T120 module and a 5V regulator with a TPS563201 buck converter. The XIAO W5500 also features an external 2.4GHz antenna for WiFi and BLE, a reset button, status LEDs, and a USB-C port for power and programming, all enclosed in a 3D printed case. XIAO W5500 Ethernet Adapter specifications: Main Module – XIAO ESP32-S3 Plus module Networking Wireless – External 2.4GHz antenna (2.81dBi) for WiFi and BLE Ethernet W5500 Ethernet controller 10/100 Mbps Ethernet with RJ45 connector Integrated isolated PoE module for data + power USB – USB Type-C connector for power and programming Misc Power and User LED Reset buttons Power MQ7813T120 PoE module with isolation (IEEE 802.3af-compliant); 86% […]

June 24, 2025June 24, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

ESPHome 2025.6.0 adds ESP32-P4 and OpenThread support

The ESPHome 2025.6.0 open-source firmware was released on June 18, 2025, with ESP32-P4 support and an initial OpenThread implementation for ESP32-C6 and ESP32-H2 SoCs, thanks to an upgrade to the ESP-IDF framework to version 5.3.2. The developers note that support for ESP32-C6, ESP32-H2, and ESP32-P4 is still being refined, and some components may not yet be fully compatible with these chips, but additional component updates are planned for ESPHome 2025.7.0 next month. That still means that ESPHome devices can connect to Thread networks and communicate with Home Assistant through the Native API as long as you have an OpenThread border router and Thread is enabled in Home Assistant. Users should note some limitations to Thread support: ESPHome does not yet support the Thread “Sleepy End Device” mode Not recommended for applications requiring high-frequency sensor data transmission Best suited for simple control and monitoring use cases Other changes to ESPHome 2025.6.0 […]

June 19, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

HackLED Pro LED controller – An Adafruit Sparkle Motion alternative with WS2812 and RGBCW LED support

HACK Lab HackLED Pro is an Adafruit Sparkle Motion-like LED controller that runs a custom version of WLED and supports both WS2812 and RGBCW LEDs, making it ideal for DIY lighting projects, smart home setups, and audio-reactive light displays. Built around an ESP32 MCU, this board includes 2-way WS2812 LED outputs, 5 PWM channels (RGBCW), and an onboard silicon microphone for music reactive LED setup. Like the Sparkle Motion, the outputs of this board are level-shifted, and there’s also a power switch that toggles the output power between 5V and 12V. The board features a USB-C port with a PD controller, with which you can power and program the board. The controller is housed in a thermally protected 3D printed case and is also compatible with the generic version of the WLED firmware. HackLED Pro specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-WROOM-32E-N4 WiFi and Bluetooth module with 4MB Flash LED Control 2x […]

June 18, 2025 by Paisit Wongsongsarn - 14 Comments

SONOFF iPlug S60 Zigbee Smart Plug (S60ZBTPF) review with eWelink and Home Assistant

Sonoff iPlug S60 Zigbee S60ZBTPF smart plug review

At the end of 2023, CNX Software covered the SONOFF iPlug S60 Wi-Fi Smart Plug, the first model out of the S60 series. Recently, SONOFF has released a Zigbee version, and the company’s sent us a review sample of the SONOFF iPlug S60 (S60ZBTPF). The S60ZBTPF is the successor of SONOFF S31 ZB (2019) and SONOFF S40ZBTPB Lite (2021), and adds energy monitoring capability, making it the first Zigbee smart plug from SONOFF with a power meter function. It also works as a Zigbee Router to extend your Zigbee network coverage at home. SONOFF iPlug S60 Zigbee unboxing Inside the box, you’ll find just the smart plug itself and a quick guide manual. The unit we received is a Type E/F plug. As of the time of this review, only two versions are available on the market. That’s Type E/F for Europe and Type G for the UK. We believe […]

June 17, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 12 Comments

ESP32-S3 development board integrates SI4732 AM/FM radio receiver

LILYGO T-Embed SI4732 is an ESP32-S3 development board with an AM/FM radio, a TFT display, a rotary encoder, a built-in microphone, and a microSD card slot powered through a USB-C port or LiPo battery. As its name implies, it’s based on the earlier LILYGO T-Embed battery-powered WiFi and BLE controller with a display and rotary encoder, but also adds a Skyworks SI4732 AM//FM/SW/LW radio receiver to the mix. LILYGO T-Embed SI4732 specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 module SoC – ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core Xtensa LX7 processor @ 240 MHz with vector extension for AI/ML Memory – 512 KB SRAM, 8 MB PSRAM Storage – 16MB flash Wireless – 2.4 GHz WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE PCB antenna Storage – MicroSD card slot Display – 1.9-inch IPS color TFT LCD with 320 x 170 resolution (ST7789V SPI driver) Audio – 2x microphones, 8 Ohm @ 1W speaker Radio – Skyworth […]

June 10, 2025 by Debashis Das - 3 Comments

$7 NearLink WS63E board supports Wi-Fi 6, BLE, and SparkLink Low Energy (SLE)

The HiHope_NearLink_DK_WS63E_V03 is a low-power NearLink dev board built around the HiHope HH-SPARK-WS63E module, which features the HiSilicon NearLink WS63E SoC with 2.4GHz Wi-Fi 6, BLE 5.2, and SparkLink (SLE) 1.0 support. It’s designed for Smart Home and AIoT applications requiring low power and high security. The NearLink WS63E SoC features a 240MHz 32-bit CPU, 606KB SRAM, and a 4MB flash. The board exposes various interfaces like SPI, QSPI, I2C, UART, ADC, PWM, and GPIOs through GPIO headers. Security features include hardware AES, RSA, ECC, and FIPS140-2-compliant RNG. Target applications include Smart Home appliances, wearables, medical monitoring, industrial testing, energy management, and Smart Agriculture. HiHope NearLink_DK_WS63E specifications: SoC – HiSilicon NearLink WS63E 32-bit microprocessor up to 240 MHz 606 KB SRAM, 300 KB ROM 4MB embedded Flash Wireless (2.4GHz) Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b/g/n/ax (ch1–ch14), 20/40MHz (n), 20MHz (ax) Data rates: up to 150 Mbps (HT40), 114.7 Mbps (HE20) MAC: 802.11d/e/i/k/v/w; Features: A-MPDU, […]

June 3, 2025June 3, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Credit card-sized industrial Allwinner T113-i SBC operates in the -40 to 85°C temperature range

Ebyte ECB30-P4T13IA5ME8G-I is a credit card-sized industrial-grade SBC powered by an Allwinner T113-i Cortex-A7 SoC with 512MB DDR3 RAM and 8GB flash, all part of the company’s ECK30-T13IA5ME8G-I castellated system-on-module. The single board computer is also equipped with a microSD card slot, a gigabit Ethernet port, four USB 2.0 ports, a 3.5mm audio jack, a WiFi 4 module, and the usual 40-pin GPIO header that’s more or less compatible with the one found on Raspberry Pi SBCs. What’s different is the lack of HDMI output, and the board features an MIPI DSI connector instead. Ebyte ECB30-P4T13IA5ME8G-I specifications: System-on-Module – Ebyte ECK30-T13IA1GE8G-I SoC – Allwinner T113-i CPU Dual-core Arm Cortex-A7 clocked at up to 1.2 GHz 64-bit XuanTie C906 RISC-V real-time core DSP – HiFi4 VPU Video decoder – H.265 up to 4K @ 30 FPS, H.264 up to 4K @ 24 FPS, MPEG-1/2/4, JPEG, Xvid, Sorenson Spark up to 1080p60 […]

June 3, 2025June 3, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

MOKO LW005-MP – A LoRaWAN Smart Plug and power meter

Moko LW005-MP LoRaWAN Smart Plug Power Meter

The MOKO LW005-MP is a LoRaWAN smart plug for indoor power and energy consumption monitoring, featuring sockets compliant with EU, US, UK, and FRA standards and suitable for industrial equipment control, power monitoring, and energy management. The UL-certified smart plug operates with 100-230V AC mains, offers 0.5% power measurement accuracy, supports Bluetooth 4.0 for initial configuration and OTA updates, and can be controlled with LoRaWAN commands, an open-source mobile app, or a physical button. MOKO LW005-MP specifications: Wireless Bluetooth LE V4.0 for local configuration and OTA updates. LoRa Protocol – LoRaWAN V1.0.3 Supported frequency bands – CN470, EU868, AU915, US915, AS923, IN865, KR920, EU433, CN779, and RU864 Max Transmit Power – +21dBm Rx Sensitivity – -137dBm @ SF12 300bps Range – Up to 7 km in urban open space Power measurement accuracy – ±0.5% Misc Power and pairing button 2x RGB LED indicators display network status and power consumption levels. […]