wireless News - Page 5 of 20 - CNX Software

December 31, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 13 Comments

Year 2025 in Review, CNX Software stats, and looking ahead to 2026

Time for the last post of 2025, as the year is almost over. I’ll look back at key developments and notable products launched in 2025, share some CNX Software website traffic statistics, and look ahead to 2026. Year 2025 in Review After 22 product releases in 2024, Raspberry Pi calmed down a little bit in 2025, and the highlights of the year included the Raspberry Pi 500+ mechanical keyboard, the 5-inch variant of the Raspberry Pi Touch Display 2, and a Raspberry Pi 5 1GB RAM. What didn’t quite stop were the accessories from third parties for Raspberry Pi SBC and Raspberry Pi Pico boards. The most exciting Arm SoC release of 2025 was probably the 12-core CIX P1 Armv9 SoC found in Radxa Orion O6 SBC, MINISFORUM MS-R1 Arm mini PC, and Orange Pi 6 Plus board, but while performance was fine, it was overhyped in 2024, and software […]

December 22, 2025December 22, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments

GigaDevice GD32VW553-UNIFI – A $2+ WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 LE wireless IoT module

GD32VW553-UNIFI is an inexpensive wireless IoT module based on GigaDevice GD32VW553 RISC-V microcontroller featuring 2.4 GHz WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 LE connectivity, and offered with a PCB antenna or IPEX antenna connector. The GD32VW553 MCU integrates 320KB SRAM and 4096KB on-chip flash, and supports link rates of up to 114.7 Mbps over WiFi and 2 Mbps over Bluetooth LE. The UNIFI module exposes 18 GPIOs from the microcontroller and is available in two different temperature ranges: -40 to +85°C or -40 to +105°C. GD32VW553-UNIFI specifications: SoC – GigaDevice GD32VW553 CPU – 32-bit RISC-V processor up to 160 MHz with RV32I/M/A/F/D/C/P/B instruction extensions Memory – 320KB (288 KB + 32KB shared) SRAM Storage – 4096 KB flash Wireless WiFi 802.11b/g/n/ax compatible 802.11i (WPA, WPA2, WPA3). Open, shared key, and pair-wise key authentication services Single antenna 1×1 stream in 20MHz channels upport of 802.11ax MCS up to MCS9 with a Max […]

December 19, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

LILYGO T-Echo Plus off-grid LoRa communicator features a climbing hook for hiking, cycling, and remote communication

The LILYGO T-Echo Plus is another off-grid LoRa communicator, similar to Blackout Comms, ThinkNode M2, and Wio Tracker L1 Pro, but it features a metal attachment loop (designed like a climbing hook) for use in hiking, cycling, and off-grid environments. Built around a Nordic Semi nRF52840 MCU, it supports Bluetooth 5, Thread, Zigbee, and 802.15.4. It also adds an SX1262 LoRa transceiver, a 1.54-inch 200×200 SPI E-Paper display, and an L76K GNSS module. Other features include a 6-axis IMU (BHI260AP), a vibration motor, a buzzer, and a larger 2400mAh battery, along with a 1/4-inch mount and a “climbing finger loop” for gear attachment. Additional features include an optional BME280 sensor, Grove expansion, all in a rugged and compact enclosure with a long external antenna for extended LoRa range. LILYGO T-Echo Plus Specifications: SoC – Nordic Semiconductor nRF52840 CPU – 32-bit Arm Cortex-M4F microcontroller @ 64 MHz Memory/Storage – 2 MB Flash, […]

December 17, 2025December 18, 2025 by Debashis Das - 2 Comments

Compact development board features a single ESP32-P4 + ESP32-C5 dual-band Wi-Fi 6 module, MIPI display and camera interfaces

WTDKP4C5 S1, ESP32 P4 and ESP32 C5 WI FI6 Development Board

Just a few months back, Wireless-Tag released the WT99P4C5-S1, which combines the ESP32-P4 with an ESP32-C5 dual-band WiFi 6 module, instead of the more commonly used ESP32-C6 wireless module found on most ESP32-P4 development boards we’ve covered. The company has now released the WTDKP4C5-S1, a more compact development board built around the WT01P4C5-S1 ESP32-P4 and ESP32-C5 core module. The board supports MIPI-CSI and MIPI-DSI through the ESP32-P4, while the SDIO-connected ESP32-C5 provides dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (2.4/5 GHz) connectivity along with BLE 5, Zigbee, Thread, and Matter. Other features include a USB 2.0 Type-C OTG port, two UART debug interfaces, two 40-pin GPIO breakouts from both chips, and various power options via USB-C, a 12V DC input, or headers. The board is suitable for LVGL-based HMIs, data acquisition, industrial control, and Edge AI applications such as IPCs and smart displays. Wireless Tag WTDKP4C5-S1 specifications: Core module – Wireless Tag WT01P4C5-S1 Main […]

December 15, 2025December 15, 2025 by Debashis Das - No Comments

tinySA is a low-cost handheld spectrum analyzer with built-in signal generator

tinySA Spectrum Analyzers and Signal Generators

The tinySA is a compact, low-cost handheld spectrum analyzer and RF signal generator designed for hobbyists, radio amateurs, educators, and engineers. It comes in three different variants and can be used for RF debugging, signal inspection, interference hunting, filter testing, antenna-related measurements, and basic RF education, both in the field and on the bench. The product line includes the tinySA Basic, tinySA Ultra, and tinySA Ultra+, which mainly differ in their supported frequency ranges and performance. The tinySA Basic supports 100 kHz to 350 MHz on its low input and up to about 960 MHz on the high input, while the Ultra and Ultra+ models can observe signals up to 12GHz. The devices run from an internal rechargeable battery with USB-C charging, support firmware updates, internal self-test and calibration routines, marker and peak detection, configurable frequency span and amplitude settings, and PC control over USB. Input protection limits are specified at +10 […]

December 12, 2025 by Debashis Das - 3 Comments

Renesas RA6W1/RA6W2 Cortex-M33 wireless MCUs offer dual-band Wi-Fi 6, BLE, Matter, 15-year availability

Renesas RA6W1 and RA6W2 dual band Wi Fi 6, BLE, Matter Cortex M33 Wireless MCU

Renesas has added the RA6W1 (Wi-Fi 6) and the RA6W2 (Wi-Fi 6 + BLE) MCUs to its high-performance RA6 family, adding dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth LE, as well as Matter connectivity to the series. Both models feature a 160 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 core, dual-band Wi-Fi 6 with WPA3 security, on-chip PA/LNA/RF switch, and a full TCP/IP stack for fast connectivity. They integrate up to 704 KB SRAM, 256 KB ROM, and support eMMC/SD, O-QSPI, and QSPI for external flash and/or PSRAM. The series also includes generic peripherals like SPI, I²C, I²S/PDM, SDIO, 12-bit ADCs, PWM timers, and up to 28 GPIOs. Offered in compact QFN/WLCSP packages, the RA6W1/2 MCUs target smart home, wearables, industrial, and consumer IoT markets where long battery life and wireless connectivity are essential. Renesas RA6W1 specifications: MCU core – Arm Cortex-M33 @ up to 160 MHz, Armv8-M architecture with MPU and SysTick Memory & Storage […]

November 27, 2025November 28, 2025 by Debashis Das - 3 Comments

Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 (V4) – An ESP32-S3 off-grid LoRa/Meshtastic communicator with solar input, GNSS, and 28dBm Tx Power

While searching AliExpress, I found the WiFi LoRa 32 (V4) shell set, another ESP32-S3-based off-grid LoRa/Meshtastic communicator designed for long-range wireless applications. Compared to devices like Blackout Comms, Wio Tracker L1 Pro, and ThinkNode M2, this device features built-in solar charging, optional GNSS, a removable battery, and a higher transmit power. The device features a Semtech SX1262 LoRa transceiver, an amplifier delivering up to 28 ± 1 dBm transmit power, along with integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5/Mesh connectivity. It adds solar charging, an 8-pin GNSS connector, upgraded battery management, gold-plated 40-pin headers, and a fully protected 0.96-inch OLED, as well as a few I/Os for expansion. The USB-C port includes ESD and short-circuit protection, while dual IPEX connectors support both LoRa and 2.4 GHz antennas. Heltec WiFi LoRa 32 (V4) specifications: SoC – Espressif Systems ESP32-S3 CPU – Dual-core 32-bit microcontroller @ 240MHz Memory – 512KB SRAM, 2MB PSRAM Storage – […]

November 26, 2025November 26, 2025 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 23 Comments

STMicro ST25DA-C is the first NFC chip with Matter support

ST ST25DA-C is an NFC chip with built-in support for the latest Matter 1.5 protocol, enabling easier installation of smart devices on home networks, including lighting, access control, security cameras, or any IoT device. NFC here is used as an alternative to Bluetooth LE or QR core commissioning. NFC tap-to-pair functionality enables users to tap an NFC tag code on a device with their smartphone to securely and easily add it to their Matter-compatible app(s) and network(s). Besides batteryless commissioning, the ST25DA-C chip can also be used for firmware updates over I2C (Matter OTA), and secure storage for keys & certificates. ST25DA-C secure NFC tag specifications: Contact interface 1.62 V to 3.3 V supply voltage range ESD protection Human body model (HBM): 6 kV for digital and antenna pads Charge device model (CDM): 1 kV based on a STMicroelectronics module I2C serial interface up to 400 kHz Contactless interface Power […]