Wi-Fi EasyMesh is a Standard for WiFi Mesh Networking

WiFi EasyMesh

It’s been possible for add multiple WiFi routers and/or WiFi repeaters in order to provide good coverage in a house / building for years, so this required some manual configuration. So in recent years, companies came up with WiFi mesh networking solutions that do very much the same, but are easier to setup, and – as I understand it – mostly plug-and-play. Some examples are Google WiFi router or eeRo Pro WiFi system,  but apparently so far every company would do their own proprietary WiFi mesh implementation, so you would not be able to mix brands for such features. That’s why the WiFi Alliance worked on, and now announced Wi-Fi EasyMesh, an industry standard  for “simple to use, self-organizing, smart Wi-Fi networks”. Key benefits listed by the organization: Flexible design – Allows for best placement of multiple APs providing extended coverage Easy setup – Delivers automatic device on-boarding and configuration […]

MT3620 Development Board for Azure Sphere is Up for Pre-order for $84.90

Microsoft unveiled Azure Sphere solutions last month in order to provide a complete secure IoT solution from the hardware to the cloud with three main components: a secure MCU, Linux based Azure Sphere OS, and Azure Sphere Security (Cloud) Service. The company already stated Mediatek MT3620 would be the first Azure Sphere compliant MCU,  and today Seeed Studio has announced MT3620 development board for Azure Sphere is up for pre-order for $84.90 with a $5 deposit, and shipping scheduled for the end of September. Preliminary specifications of MT3620 development board for Azure Sphere: WiSoC – Mediatek MT3620AN single core Arm Cortex-A7 processor @ 500 MHz, dual core Arm Cortex-M4F real-time core, Pluton security sub-system, and WiFi. System Memory – Over 5MB of embedded RAM, split among the various cores (4MB for Arm Cortex A7 core) Storage – 2x 8MB dual channel quad SPI (16MB in total) Connectivity –  Dual band […]

Arduino Introduces Two New IoT Boards – MKR WiFi 1010 (ESP32) and MKR NB 1500 (NB-IoT + eMTC)

MKR-NB-1500

Arduino introduced its MKR family of breadboard compatible maker boards with MKR1000 featuring an Atmel SAMD21 microcontroller combined with a Microchip WINC1500 WiFi module. The board was followed by MRKZero without wireless connectivity,  then MKRFOX1200 Sigfox board, and finally MKR WAN 1300 & MKR GSM 1400 boards at the end of 2017 with LoRaWAN and 3.75G cellular connectivity. The company has now launched two new boards: Espressif ESP32 based MKR WiFi 1010 with WiFi and Bluetooth, and MKR NB 1500 equipped with an NB-IoT & LTE CAT M1 module. Arduino MKR WiFi 1010 MKR WIFI 1010 is an evolution of the MKR1000 board, and is equipped with a U-Blox ESP32 module. Preliminary specifications: MCU – Microchip SAMD21 Cortex-M0+ MCU @ 48 MHz with 32KB SRAM, 256 KB flash memory Wireless Connectivity – 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 4.2 LE via U-blox NINA-W10 Series module based on ESP32 processor. […]

Ebyte Offers Low Cost Wireless Modules for LoRa, Zigbee, NB-IoT, Bluetooth, and More

Chengdu Ebyte Electronic Technology Ltd (or just Ebyte for short) is a company based in Western China that design and manufacturer low cost wireless modules for LoRa, WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, NB-IoT & GPRS cellular connectivity, many of which appear to be FCC certified. The list of modules is way too long, so I’ll just have a look at two products from the company: Ebyte E32-915T20D LoRa 915 MHz module and Ebyte ME3612 NB-IoT wireless module. Ebyte E32-915T20D LoRa 915 MHz module Specifications: Connectivity Semtech SX1276 LoRa 900~931MHz (default: 915 MHz), 32 channels Range – up to 3 km with 20 dBm power, 5 dBi antenna Data rate – 2.4 kbps (default), configurable to 0.3, 1.2, 2.4, 4.8, 9.6, 19.2 kbps Rx Sensitivity – -138dbm at 0.3kbps Expansion – 7-pin header 2.54mm pitch with UART, USART host interface Power Supply – 2.1 to 5.5V DC Power Consumption – Standby: 2.0 uA; Tx: 120 mA […]

TTGO T5 is an ESP32 WiFi + Bluetooth Board with ePaper Display and Speaker

Lilygo has made another ESP32 board part of their TTGO family with TTGO T5 board powered by Espressif System ESP32 WiFI & Bluetooth SoC, and offering a choice of ePaper displays from 1.54″ to 2.9″, as well as built-in speaker. TTGO T5 board specifications: SoC – Espressif ESP32 dual core Tensilica LX6 processor with WiFi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.1 LE Storage – micro SD card slot Display (one of the other) 1.54″ 200×200 black & white ePaper display; Full refresh time – 2 seconds 2.13″ 250×122 black & white ePaper display; Full refresh time – 2 seconds 2.7″ 264×176 black & white ePaper display; Full refresh time – 6 seconds 2.9″ 296×128 black & white ePaper display; Full refresh time – 2 seconds Viewing angle – >170° Power Consumption – Refresh: 26.4mW(typ.); standby: <0.017mW Connected via SPI interface Audio – Mini Speaker Expansion – 24-pin header with GPIO, UART,  […]

Eufy EverCam Full HD Waterproof WiFi Security Camera Works for Up to a Year on a Single Battery Charge

Wired security cameras can be troublesome to installed due to the cabling required, but luckily there are solutions to avoid all those long cables with solar powered IP cameras, or battery powered IP cameras. A few years ago I wrote about Immedia Blink WiFi HD camera that claimed to last a year on a charge, and despite several complains on Kickstarter, they seem to still be in business.  There’s now a more advanced model by Eufy – an Anker brand – that supports 1080p video recording with motion sensing and face recognition, that also lasts up to one year on a charge, and offers free storage. Eufy EverCam specifications: Resolution – 1080p Video Format – H.264 High profile Image Sensor – Sony Exmor IMX323, 1/2 9-inch Field of View (FoV) – 140° Night Vision Range – up to 10 meters Digital Pan & Zoom  – Yes, up to 8x Motion […]

My Experience with Dodocool AC750 WiFi Repeater

Dodocool-AC750-WiFi-Repeater

A while ago, I tested Dodocool DC30S USB type C Hub with HDMI, USB port, and a card reader, and recently the company asked me whether I wanted to review another of their accessories. My ISP has recently taken the habit of being down several hours each month, so I rely on my neighbor’s WiFi (with he’s permission) in those case, but since the signal is too weak, I’m using a wireless audio streamer and a power bank to extend the signal and connect it to my router using WDS Bridging.  Then I saw Dodocool DC24 802.11ac WiFi repeater, so I decided to give it a chance. Dodocool DC24 A750 Repeater Unboxing I received the device is a cardboard box with some specifications. It’s an AC750 router/repeater with 300 Mbps @ 2.4 GHz + 433 Mbps @ 5 GHz. The product page linked above has some more details with the […]

Alfawise JD-T8610-Q2 is Both a WiFi Light Bulb and 360° IP Camera

Alfawise-IP-Camera-Light-Bulb

IP cameras and WiFi light bulbs are pretty common nowadays, but Alfawise JD-T8610-W2 combines both in a single device. The 3W white light bulb can be controlled with your Android/iOS smartphone to adjust the light, and a 360° camera with IR night vision is also built into the light bulb. Specifications: Camera + audio 1.3MP fisheye lens camera with 360° field of view (FOV) Built-in microphone and speaker Video / Audio format – H.264/AVI 960×960 @ 20 fps + audio (no format specified) Functions Interphone Motion detection up to 4 meters Night vision via 3 IR LEDs up to 8 meters Real-time video capture and recording Remote control Screenshot Storage – micro SD card slot up to 64GB Connectivity 802.11 b/g/n WiFi with WEP, WPA, WPA2 encryption, 10 meters range Protocols: DHCP, TCP/IP, RTSP Light – 3x 1W white light Power Supply – 110-240V via E27 socket (5V DC internally) […]

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