smart home News - Page 2 of 41 - CNX Software

September 19, 2025September 20, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Olimex ESP32-C5-EVB – A dual-band WiFi 6 IoT board with relays, opto-isolated inputs, LiPo battery support

Olimex ESP32-C5-EVB is an evaluation board built around Espressif’s ESP32-C5-WROOM-N8R4 module with dual-band (2.4/5.0GHz) WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, and 802.15.4 (Zigbee/Thread/Matter) wireless connectivity, 8MB flash, and 4MB PSRAM. The board integrates two relays rated 250V/10A, two opto-isolated inputs, and a LiPo UPS charger and step-up converter. Other features include USB-C ports, a UEXT connector for expansion, and two buttons. It’s one of the first ESP32-C5 boards we’ve seen, after Espressif’s own ESP32-C5-DevKitC-1 development kit, and Wireless Tag’s WT99P4C5-S1 board using the ESP32-C5 as a wireless co-processor to the ESP32-P4 MCU. Olimex ESP32-C5-EVB specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-C5-WROOM-N8R4 SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-C5 CPU Single-core 32-bit RISC-V processor @ up to 240 MHz Low-power RISC-V core @ 40 MHz acting as the main processor for power-sensitive applications Memory – 384 KB SRAM on-chip, support for external PSRAM Storage – 320 KB ROM, support for external flash Connectivity Dual-band 802.11ax WiFi 6 […]

September 19, 2025September 18, 2025 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

Elecrow ESP32-S3 rotary displays combine round IPS touchscreen, knob, and press input

CrowPanel 1.28 inch and 2.1 inch ESP32 S3 Rotary Display

Elecrow has added two new ESP32-S3-powered rotary displays to its CrowPanel Advance lineup, which come in 1.28-inch (240×240) and 2.1-inch (480×480) sizes, and feature a round IPS screen with rotary, touch, and press input. Both rotary displays feature IPS capacitive touchscreens, rotary input with a smooth feel, knob-press operation, ambient lighting, USB-C (5V) power, and expansion capabilities via UART, I²C, and FPC connectors. These features make them suitable for DIY projects, IoT prototypes, and embedded product development across various applications, including smart home appliances, industrial control, and UI training scenarios. Elecrow CrowPanel 1.28-inch and 2.1-inch rotary display specifications: SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3R8 CPU – Dual-core Xtensa LX7 processor @ up to 240 MHz Memory – 512 KB SRAM, 8 MB PSRAM Wireless Wi-Fi 4 (802.11 b/g/n, 2.4 GHz) Bluetooth 5.0 LE Storage – 16 MB flash Display Two options 1.28-inch IPS touchscreen, 240 × 240 resolution 2.1-inch IPS touchscreen, […]

September 17, 2025September 17, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments

SONOFF Dongle Max (Dongle-M) – A PoE-based Zigbee/Thread gateway with ESP32 and MG24 chips

As expected, SONOFF has now launched the Dongle Max (also known as Dongle-M) Zigbee coordinator and Thread Border Router with Ethernet, WiFi, and USB connectivity. The company also highlights PoE or USB power supply options, web console access, and support for advanced features such as Webhooks, MQTT, WireGuard VPN, and Turbo mode. SONOFF Dongle Max specifications: Wireless SoCs 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 Espressif Systems ESP32-D0WDR2-V3 MCU cores – Dual-core Xtensa LX6 32-bit microprocessor up to 240 MHz Memory – 520 KB SRAM + 2 MB embedded PSRAM Wireless – 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n WiFi 4 and Bluetooth: v4.2 + EDR Storage – 16MB flash for ESP32 Wired networking […]

September 13, 2025September 15, 2025 by Paisit Wongsongsarn - 6 Comments

XIAO Smart IR Mate Review – A compact smart infrared remote control hub for Home Assistant

SeeedStudio XIAO IR Test3 AirCon Mitsubishi Slim

SeeedStudio sent us a tiny Smart IR Remote hub for review: XIAO Smart IR Mate, or XIAO IR Mate for short. At first glance, it looks like any other WiFi IR blasters, but what makes it interesting is that the device is built on an open architecture using the XIAO ESP32C3 module and runs on ESPHome, working natively with the Home Assistant open-source home automation platform. As usual, SeeedStudio gives access to the source code, so it’s super convenient if you want to tweak the functions yourself to fit various needs. For those who are new to Smart IR, it’s a device that acts as an infrared (IR) control hub. The idea is to let you control legacy IR-based devices (old TVs, air conditioners, stereos, etc.) via a Smart Home system. We did several tests with several devices we had lying around, namely a Hatari oscillating fan, a Dyson blade-less […]

September 12, 2025September 11, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Silicon Labs FG23L low-cost Arm Cortex-M33 SoC targets proprietary Sub-GHz IoT applications

Silicon Labs EFR32FG23L, or FG23L for short, is an ultra-low power, Sub-GHz wireless Arm Cortex-M33 SoC, which the company claims offers the best price/performance ratio for Sub-GHz IoT applications such as home and industrial automation, key fobs, and smart city sensor nodes. It’s a cost-down version of the PSA Certified Level 3 FG23 SoC equipped with less memory (32KB vs 64KB) and storage (128KB vs 512KB), less advanced security features, no segment LCD interface, and fewer GPIOs. The new FG23L is only designed for proprietary protocols, while the FG23 supports Amazon Sidewalk, Wi-SUN, Wireless M-Bus (WM-Bus), and Wirepas. Silicon Labs FG23L specifications: MCU core – Arm Cortex-M33 @ 78 MHz with DSP instruction and floating-point unit Memory – 32 kB RAM data memory Storage – 128 kB flash program memory Sub-GHz radio Tx power up to +20 dBm Rx sensitivity -98.6 dBm @ 400 kbps 920 MHz 4-GFSK -125.8 dBm […]

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 4, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 7 Comments

ESP32-H2-Zero mini Zigbee, Thread, and BLE USB-C board is based on ESP32-H2 RISC-V SoC

Waveshare ESP32-H2-Zero is a tiny USB-C development board based on Espressif Systems’ ESP32-H2 RISC-V SoC with Zigbee, Thread, and Bluetooth LE (BLE) connectivity. It’s specifically based on the ESP32-H2FH4S chip with 4MB Flash memory, and features two 9-pin headers and castellated for I/Os, plus four additional pads. It also features a ceramic antenna instead of an external antenna, as well as BOOT and Reset buttons. ESP32-H2 Mini specifications: SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-H2FH4S CPU – 32-bit RISC-V SoC clocked at up to 96 MHz Memory – 320 KB SRAM, 4 KB LP memory Storage – 128 KB ROM, 4MB flash Wireless 802.15.4 radio with Zigbee 3.0, Thread 1.3, and Matter support Bluetooth 5.2 LE/Mesh USB – USB Type-C port for power, programming, and debugging Expansion 2x 9-pin header and castellated holes with up to 15x GPIO, 5x ADC, UART, Fast SPI, JTAG, and power signals (5V, 3.3V, GND) 4x pads […]

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 […]