WeAct launches $6 ESP32-C6 development board, ESP-IDF 5.1 framework released

WeAct ESP32-C6 development board

As expected, Espressif has just released the ESP-IDF 5.1 framework with ESP32-C6 and ESP32-H2 support, so more ESP32-C6 boards should become available, and after Olimex ESP32-C6-EVB launched earlier this week, we’ve noticed WeAct had introduced a low-cost ESP32-C6 development board that sells for just $6.43 plus shipping a few weeks ago. WeAct ESP32-C6 board The WeAct board offers 2.4 GHz WiFi 6, Bluetooth LE 5.0., and Zigbee/Thread connectivity through the ESP32-C6-WROOM-1 module, two USB-C ports, two 16-pin headers for GPIOs, and if it looks familiar, it’s because it closely follows the design of the official ESP32-C6-DevKitC-1 development kit, albeit with some small modifications. WeAct ESP32-C6 board specifications: Wireless module  – ESP32-C6-WROOM-1 with ESP32-C6 single-core 32-bit RISC-V clocked up to 160 MHz, with 320KB ROM, 512KB SRAM, low-power RISC-V core @ up to 20 MHz Wireless – 2.4 GHz WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, 802.15.4 radio for Zigbee 3.0 and Thread. […]

$19.90 nRF52840 Connect Kit board supports Bluetooth LE, NFC, Zigbee, and Thread connectivity

nRF52840 Connect Kit

Makerdiary nRF52840 Connect Kit is a development board based on Nordic Semi nRF52840 multiprotocol wireless microcontroller with support for Bluetooth Low Energy, Bluetooth Mesh, NFC, Thread, Zigbee, 802.15.4, ANT, and 2.4 GHz proprietary connectivity. The nRF52840 Connect Kit comes in a compact form factor with a USB-C port for power and programming, a 64 Mbit QSPI flash, flexible power management, and a rich set of features. Makerdiary offers two versions, one with a chip antenna, and another with an external u.FL antenna. nRF52840 Connect Kit specifications: SoC – Nordic nRF52840 Arm Cortex-M4F WiSoC @ 64 MHz with 1 MB FLASH and 256 kB RAM, Arm TrustZone Cryptocell 310 security subsystem External Storage – 64-Mbit QSPI flash Wireless Connectivity (on-chip) Bluetooth 5, Bluetooth Mesh IEEE 802.15.4 radio for Zigbee and Thread ANT, 2.4GHz proprietary On-chip NFC-A tag Antenna – On-board 2.4GHz chip antenna or u.FL connector for external antenna USB – […]

Olimex ESP32-C6-EVB supports WiFi 6, BLE, Zigbee, comes with four relays, four opto-isolated inputs

Olimex ESP32-C6-EVB

Olimex ESP32-C6-EVB is an open-source hardware board based on an ESP32-C6 wireless module with 2.4 GHz WiFi 6, Bluetooth LE, and Zigbee connectivity, and offering four relays and four opto-isolated inputs, as well as further expansion via two UEXT connector. So far we had a limited amount of third-party ESP32-C6 boards, with Espressif making their own module and development board available in January, and 01Space launching a tiny ESP32-C6 board in April, a time when a lot of software work was still needed.  But the ESP-IDF v5.1 with ESP32-C6 support is nearing release (now RC2), and the Olimex board may mark the start of greater availability of ESP32-C6 hardware with stable/usable firmware. ESP32-C6-EVB specifications: Wireless module – ESP32-C6-WROOM-1-N4 module with Espressif Systems ESP32-C6 single core 32-bit RISC-V processor @ 160 MHz with 2.4 GHz WiFi 6 1T1R with Target Wake Time (TWT) support, Bluetooth LE 5.0, and 802.15.4 radio for […]

Zvidar Z-GW-V01 Smart Gateway runs Home Assistant on Allwinner A133 processor

Allwinner A133 SBC Home Assistant Gateway

Shenzhen Zvidar Technologies’ Z-GW-V01, also known as the Zvidar Smart Gateway is a single board computer powered by an Allwinner A133 quad-core Cortex-A53 processor and running Ubuntu with the Home Assistant open-source automation framework. The SBC provides Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 5, and Bluetooth connectivity by default, but also supports plenty of optional wireless modules with Z-Wave, Zigbee, Thread/Matter, LoRa, or 4G LTE connectivity that are either soldered to the board connected by a mini PCIe socket. The board also includes a few USB ports, and it’s apparently possible to connect a 7-inch display and/or audio interfaces if needed. Zvidar Smart Gateway (Z-GW-V01) specifications: SoC – Allwinner A133 quad-core Cortex-A53 processor @ up to 1.6GHz with Imagination PowerVR GE8300 GPU with support for OpenGL ES3.2, Vulkan 1.1, OpenCL 1.2 System Memory – 1GB RAM (option for 512MB, 2GB, or 4GB) Storage – 8GB eMMC flash (option for 4GB, 16GB, or 32GB), […]

Broadcom unveils 2nd generation WiFi 7 chipsets: BCM6765, BCM47722, BCM4390

Broadcom WiFi 7 Gen2: BCM6765, BCM47722, BCM4390

Broadcom has announced its second generation WiFi 7 chipsets: the BCM6765 residential WiFi 7 access point chip, the BCM47722 enterprise WiFi 7 access point chip with dual IoT radios that support simultaneous operation for Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Zigbee, Thread, and Matter protocols, and the BCM4390 low-power Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth, and 802.15.4 combo chip designed for use in mobile devices. This follows the introduction of Broadcom’s first WiFi 7 chipsets in April 2022 with residential and enterprise WiFi 7 access point chips, and a WiFi 7 client chip, but the second generation access point chipsets support 320 MHz 2-stream Wi-Fi operation and add extra features, and the BCM4390 optimized costs bringing WiFi 7 to lower-prices phones and devices. BCM6765 residential Wi-Fi access point chip highlights: CPU – Quad-core ARMv8 CPU with 10Gbps Ethernet PHY WiFi 7 Dual 2×2 tri-band (2.4, 5, and 6 GHz) capable radios that support simultaneous operation […]

Espressif ESP Thread Border Router board combines ESP32-H2 & ESP32-S3 wireless chips

ESP Thread Border Router Zigbee Gateway

Espressif Systems has launched the ESP Thread Border Router/Zigbee Gateway board based on ESP32-H2 (802.15.4) and ESP32-S3 (WiFi + BLE) modules following the contention of the Thread Interoperability Certificate V1.3 for the board and associated ESP Thread Boarder Router SDK built on top of the ESP-IDF framework and the open-source OpenThread protocol stack. The ESP Thread Border Router supports the protocol functions of the 1.3 Thread standard such as bidirectional IPv6 connectivity, Service Discovery Delegate, Service Registration Server, Multicast Forwarding, NAT64, and more, as well as product-level features such as a Web GUI for device configuration, automatic RCP (Radio Co-Processor) upgrade, RF coexistence, and so on. ESP Thread Border Router/Zigbee Gateway board specifications: Wireless modules ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 wireless module SoC –  ESP32-S3 dual-core Tensilica LX7 microcontroller @ 240 MHz with 2.4 GHz 802.11n WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 LE connectivity Memory – 2MB PSRAM Storage – 4MB SPI flash PCB antenna […]

$5 Ai-M62-12F-Kit RISC-V development board features BL616 WiFi 6, BLE 5.2, and Zigbee MCU, plenty of I/Os

Ai-M62-12F-Kit

Ai Thinker Ai-M62-12F-Kit is a development board based on Bouffalo Lab BL616 RISC-V microcontroller with 2.4 GHz WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 LE, and an 802.15.4 radio (Zigbee/Thread), plus thirty I/O pin for expansion. We had already covered the tiny Sipeed M0S module based on BL616 MCU earlier this year along with its M0S dock board that exposed eight GPIO pins via a 12-pin header, and the “NodeMCU” Ai-M62-12F basically offers the same features but with many more I/Os thanks to two 15-pin headers, as well as an RGB LED and two user-programmable LEDs. Ai-M62-12F-Kit specifications: MCU – Bouffalo Lab BL616 32-bit RISC-V (RV32IMAFCP) microcontroller @ up to 320 MHz (384 MHz overclocked) with 480KB SRAM, 4MB flash, 2.4 GHz WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 dual mode, and 802.15.4 radio (Zigbee) Antenna – PCB antenna USB – 1x USB Type-C port for power and programming I/Os – 2x 15-pin headers with Storage […]

zigpy-zboss library makes Nordic Semi nRF52840 Zigbee dongles compatible with Home Assistant

nRF52840 Home Assistant

zigpy-zboss is a Python library that adds support for Nordic Semiconductor nRF52840 modules to zigpy open-source Python Zigbee stack project, as well as other Network Co-Processor radios that run firmware based on ZBOSS Open Initiative (ZOI). This enables integration with compatible Zigbee gateway implementations such as Home Assistant’s ZHA integration component and allows users to directly control Zigbee devices from a wide range of manufacturers such as IKEA, Philips Hue, SmartSung SmartThings, ITEAD SONOFF, Xiaomi Aqara, and others. Home Assistant’s ZHA integration already worked with Zigbee dongles based on Silicon Labs Mighty Gecko EFR32MG21 or Texas Instruments CC2652P microcontrollers, but now it’s possible to use nRF52840 dongles and development as Zigbee Coordinators thanks to the zigpy-zboss library.   The zigpy-zboss ZBOSS radio library for zigpy source code and resources can be found on GitHub, but note that this is still an unofficial and experimental port, so testers need to manually […]