b-parasite Bluetooth LE plant sensor gets Zigbee support

Zigbee Plant Sensor

rbaron’s b-parasite is an open-source hardware Bluetooth LE plant watering sensor that can measure soil moisture and ambient temperature/humidity/light and works with ESPHome, Home Assistant, or any macOS or Linux platforms including the Raspberry Pi boards. It is based nRF52840 multi-protocol wireless microcontroller, so stanvn decided to add Zigbee support to the b-parasite through the “Zigbee Plant Sensor” firmware based on the Nordic Semi nRF5 SDK for nRF52 series of SoCs and working with Zigbee2MQTT. Let’s have a look at b-parasite hardware specifications first: Wireless MCU – Nordic Semi nRF52840 Arm Cortex-M4F multi-protocol wireless microcontroller with Bluetooth LE 5.0 and 802.15.4 (Zigbee/Thread) radios, 1024 KB flash, 256KB SRAM Sensors Capacitive soil moisture sensor Sensirion SHTC3 temperature and humidity sensor ALS-PT19 light sensor Power – ~200 mAh CR2032 coin-cell battery estimated to last for a couple of years with readings every 10 minutes The GitHub repository for the board contains the […]

SMLIGHT SLZB-06 – A Zigbee 3.0 to Ethernet, USB, and WiFi adapter with PoE support

SMLIGHT SLZB-06 Zigbee Ethernet USB WiFi adapter

Startup SMLIGHT has launched the SLZB-06 Zigbee 3.0 to Ethernet, USB, and WiFi adapter with PoE support that works out of the box with open-source software such as Home Assistant and Zigbee2MQTT. The device combines Texas Instruments’ СС2652Р microcontroller for Zigbee with ESP32 for WiFi, data transfer to Ethernet or USB, and peripheral functions such as LEDs and a button.The design is complemented with Microchip LAN8720 for Ethernet.   SMLIGHT SLZB-06 specifications: Wireless SoCs Texas Instruments CC2652P1FRGZR Arm Cortex-M4F microcontroller @ 48 MHz with 352KB flash, 256KB ROM for protocols and library functions,  80+8KB SRAM, integrated power amplifier, Bluetooth 5.2 Low Energy and 802.15.4 radios Espressif Systems ESP32-DOWDQ5-V3 dual-core processor @ 240MHz with 448 KB ROM, 520 KB SRAM, 16 KB SRAM in RTC, WiFi and BLE connectivity Connectivity Ethernet RJ45 port with PoE support (IEEE 802.3af) implemented through Microchip LAN8720 10/100M Ethernet controller 2.4 GHz WiFi up to 150 […]

SONOFF NSPanel Pro control panel review with Zigbee modules, CAM Slim WiFi camera

SONOFF NSPanel Pro Zigbee Devices Added

ITEAD has sent us a Smart Home kit for review including the SONOFF NSPanel Pro Android control panel and Zigbee gateway, an enclosure stand, the CAM Slim WiFi camera, and four Zigbee modules, namely the SNZB-01 wireless switch, the SNZB-02 temperature & humidity sensor, the SNZB-03 motion sensor, and the SNZB-04 door/window sensor. In this review, we’ll configure the NSPanel Pro controller with the eWelink app in Android, show how to add the WiFi camera and Zigbee devices directly to NSPanel Pro, and go back to the eWelink app for more advanced features such as scenes with triggers and actions. Sonoff NSPanel Pro kit unboxing Let’s get started by having a closer look at the SONOFF NSPanel Pro controller. As previously noted, the device is based on Rockchip PX30 quad-core Cortex-A35 processor and runs Android 8.1. It acts both as a control panel and a WiFi to Zigbee 3.0 gateway. The […]

Home Assistant launches SkyConnect USB stick with Zigbee, Thread, Matter support

Home Assistant SkyConnect

The Home Assistant SkyConnect is a USB stick with support for Zigbee, Matter, and Thread connectivity designed to work with the popular Home Assistant open-source home automation solution, and enables users to bring Home Assistant Yellow (previously known as Home Assistant Amber) functionality to any platform running Home Assistant. The USB dongle is based on a Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 Gecko Series 2 Arm Cortex-M33 wireless microcontroller with an 802.15.4 multi-protocol 2.4 GHz radio that can concurrently run both Zigbee 3.0 (EmberZNet/EZSP) and Thread/Matter (OpenThread/Spinel) stacks/protocols at the same time by using firmware in RCP RCP (Radio Co-Processor) mode. Home Assistant SkyConnect specifications: MCU – Silabs EFR32MG21 Arm Cortex-M33 microcontroller @ up to 80 MHz with DSP and FPU, up to 1024 KB flash, up to 96 KB RAM, 2.4 GHz radio Wireless Protocols – Zigbee, Matter, Thread TX Power – up to +20dBm RX sensitivity – -104dBm (250kbps) 2.4 GHz […]

Tuya “T6E” is a 4-inch Android touch control panel & Zigbee gateway for OEMs

Tuya T6E 4-inch smart home controller

Tuya T6E is a 4-inch control panel with a touchscreen running Android 8.1 on Rockchip PX30, WiFi, Bluetooth, and Zigbee,  and designed to be wall-mounted for home automation and other HMI applications. It looks fairly similar to the ITEAD NSPanel Pro introduced last month, for Tuya’s “Central Control System” (CSS) appears to be mostly designed for OEMs who want to roll their own products with custom firmware. Tuya T6E specifications (details vary depending on OEM requirements): SoC – Rockchip PX30 quad-core Arm Cortex-A35 processor @ up to 1.5GHz with Mali-G31 MP2 GPU System Memory – 1GB, 2GB, or 4GB RAM Storage – 4GB to 8GB  eMMC flash Display – 4-inch 480×480 IPS screen with 5-point capacitive touch Audio Dual-array microphone with noise reduction 1 Watt speaker Connectivity 10/100Mbps Ethernet RJ45 port 2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi 4 Bluetooth LE 4.2 and Bluetooth Mesh (Tuya SigMesh) Zigbee 3.0 gateway based on Tuya […]

RelayFi – A Tasmota compatible 4-channel relay board (Crowdfunding)

RelayFi Tasmota 4-channel relay board

CoreData Global, a Singapore-based research and development firm, has just introduced the RelayFi 4-channel relay board based on ESP32 and compatible with Tasmota open-source firmware, as well as Espressif’s ESP RainMaker cloud and ESP-NOW networking API. RelayFi is fitted with an ESP32-WROOM-32D WiFi and Bluetooth module, four relays capable of handling a load of 250 VAC/7A or 30 VDC/10A, and EL817C Optoisolators for safety. The board also comes with CH340C USB to TTL chip for programming, an I2C header for expansion, and some jumpers for relay selection. RelayFi specifications: Wireless module – Espressif Systems’ ESP32-WROOM-32D module with ESP32 dual-core Tensilica microcontroller, 32Mbit SPI flash, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n up to 150 Mbps, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, and PCB antenna Relays 4x relays up to 250VAC/7A or 30VDC/10A 4x EL817C optocouplers for safety 4x relay status LEDs Screw terminals Relay selection jumper USB – 1x micro USB port for power and programming via […]

T-Embed is a battery powered WiFi controller with display and rotary encoder

T Embed battery powered WiFi controller

LilyGo has launched yet another product based on the ESP32 family of microcontrollers with the T-Embed WiFi IoT controller powered by an ESP32-S3 dual-core processor, equipped with a color display and a rotary encoder, and powered by a battery. The device is programmable and can be used to control Smart Home and IoT devices connected over WiFi or Bluetooth. It also integrates a microphone and speaker, a microSD card for data logging, as well as a Grove connector and an 8-pin GPIO header for expansion. T-Embed specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 module with an ESP32-S3 dual-core Xtensa LX7 processor with WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, 4 to 16MB QSPI flash, up to 8MB PSRAM, PCB antenna; (Note it’s unclear which exact version is used) Storage – MicroSD card socket Display – 1.9-inch IPS color TFT LCD with 320 x 170 resolution (ST7789 driver), 350 Cd/m2 brightness Audio – 2x […]

DeNova Detect natural gas alarm works with Amazon Sidewalk network

Denova Detect Amazon Sidewalk natural gas alarm

New Cosmos’ DeNova Detect is a wireless natural gas alarm that works with the Amazon Sidewalk network designed for low-power, low-bandwidth IoT devices in and around the house, benefiting from free connectivity thanks to the installation base of Amazon devices such as the Echo Show acting as gateways. DeNova Detect does not require wiring to mains, and the device is expected to achieve an extended battery life of seven years, so customers can choose the optimal location for a gas alarm in their homes without needing to be close to an electrical outlet. There’s no need to have an additional gateway such as with LoRaWAN solutions as well as the customer owns one or more Sidewalk-compatible device.     Note that Amazon Sidewalk is currently deployed in the US only with global expansion planned for later. Amazon Sidewalk relies on Bluetooth LE inside the home, Sub-GHz GFSK on the sidewalk/around […]