SONOFF ZBMicro Zigbee USB smart adapter adds any USB device to your Smart Home setup

SONOFF ZBMicro

SONOFF Micro Zibgee USB Smart adapter, or SONOFF ZBMicro for shorts, is a Zigbee 3.0 USB adaptor to remotely control USB devices via your smartphone app or home automation solution based on Home Assistant or other solution to turn on/off the device, set timers to control charging times, configure smart scenes, or control with voice commands. The new home automation device from ITEAD is based on a Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 multiprotocol SoC, works with the usual eWelink app, as well as Home Assitant and OpenHAB open-source solutions when the server is fitted with a compatible Zigbee 3.0 USB dongle SONOFF ZBMicro specifications: Wireless MCU – Silicon Labs EFR32MG21 MCU core – Arm Cortex-M33 microcontroller @ 80 MHz Memory – 96KB SRAM Storage – 352KB flash, 1024KB ROM for protocols and library functions Wireless –  Zigbee 3.0 USB – USB 2.0 Type-A port Misc User Button – single press: Turn on/off […]

Testing ntttcp as an iperf3 alternative in Windows 11 (and Linux)

ntttcp vs iperf3 testbed

ntttcp (Windows NT Test TCP) is a network benchmarking utility similar to iperf3 that works in both Windows and Linux written and recommended by Microsoft over iperf3, so we’ll test the alternative in this mini review. iperf3 is a utility of choice for our reviews of single board computers and mini PCs running either Windows or Linux, but we’ve noticed that while Ethernet (up to 2.5GbE) usually performs just as well in Windows and Linux, WiFi is generally much faster in Ubuntu 22.04 than in Windows 11. So when XDA developers noticed a post by Microsoft saying iperf3 should not be used on Windows 11, it caught my attention. Microsoft explains iperf3 should not be used in Windows for three main reasons: The maintainer of iperf – ESnet (Energy Sciences Network) – says “iperf3 is not officially supported on Windows, but iperf2 is. We recommend you use iperf2. Some people […]

LattePanda Mu is an x86 Compute Module based on Intel Processor N100 CPU

LattePanda Mu x86 Compute Module N100

The LattePanda Mu is a compute module/system-on-module based on the popular Intel Processor N100 quad-core Alder Lake-N processor that can run Windows or Linux and aims to provide a more powerful solution than the Raspberry Pi 5 and upcoming Raspberry Pi CM5 (Compute Module 5). The LattePanda Mu does not follow any SoM standard and instead comes in a custom 69.6 x 60mm form factor using a 260-pin SO-DIMM edge connector. The module is equipped with 8GB RAM and 64GB eMMC flash by default, and the interfaces exposed through the edge connector (PCIe, USB, Ethernet, HDMI…) make it suitable for a range of applications such as IoT, robotics, digital signage, and edge computing through custom carrier boards. LattePanda Mu specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N100 quad-core Alder Lake-N processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel HD graphics @ 750 MHz; TDP: 6W System Memory – […]

Banana Pi launches $30 WiFi 6 router with Triductor TR6560 SoC running a fork of OpenWrt

Banana Pi BPI-Wifi 6 Router

When Banana Pi started to sell the low-cost Banana Pi BPI-WiFi 6 router board powered by Triductor TR6560 dual-core SoC and TR5220 WiFi 6 chipset, I mentioned they should probably offer a complete system with enclosure and antennas for this to become more popular. It took a while, or about nine months to be precise, but the Banana Pi BPI-WiFi 6 router is now available with a plastic enclosure, four external antennas, an Ethernet cable, and a power supply for $30.90 plus shipping on Aliexpress. Banana Pi BPI-WiFi 6 router specifications: SoC – Triductor TR6560 dual-core Arm Cortex-A9 processor @ 1.2 GHz with LSW (Line-Card Switching) and hardware NAT up to 5 Gbps WiFi chipset – Triductor TR5220 WiFi 6 chipset System Memory – 512 MB DDR3 Storage – 128MB SPI NAND flash Networking 1x Gigabit Ethernet WAN port with optional PoE support 3x Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports 2.4 GHz […]

Industrial OpenWrt gateway features MediaTek MT7628 SoC, WiFi, LTE, and GNSS connectivity

Atreyo AG-702 industrial OpenWrt gateway

Atreyo AG-702 is an industrial OpenWrt gateway based on the MT7628 processor with dual Ethernet and WiFi connectivity as well as a built-in LTE and GNSS modem supporting two SIM cards. The gateway is equipped with isolated RS485 and RS232 interfaces, two digital isolated inputs, one relay output, and a USB host port that can be used to connect a flash drive or USB converters to various other interfaces. It is housed in an anodized aluminum enclosure and supports a wide 14-60V DC input range suitable for industrial settings. Atreyo AG-702 specifications: SoC – MediaTek MT7628 MIPS processor at 580MHz System Memory – 256MB Storage – 32MB eMMC flash + 512MB NAND flash with ExtRoot support (overlay) Networking 100Mbps Ethernet WAN port 100Mbps Ethernet LAN port LTE/GPRS with dual SIM, 1x external antenna 2.4 GHz WiFi with 1x external antenna GNSS with active antenna support USB – 1x USB 2.0 […]

Semtech AirLink XR60 is the world’s smallest rugged 5G router

Airlink XR60 world smallest rugged 5G router

Semtech AirLink XR60 is a tiny 5G router powered by a quad-core Cortex-A53 processor with up to two Ethernet ports (1Gbps and 5 Gbps), WiFi 6 connectivity, GNSS navigation, and an optional RJ45 serial port. Semtech is better known for its LoRa low-power transceivers, but the company acquired Sierra Wireless last year, so they’ll now have a wider range of wireless products to offer, and the AirLink XR60 5G gateway is the first we cover here on CNX Software since the merger between the two companies. Semtech Airlink XR60 specifications: SoC – Quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 processor Memory – 1.2 GB RAM (that should be the free memory) Storage –  1.7 GB (available storage) Networking 5G cellular Sierra Wireless EM9291 5G NR Sub-6 M.2 module Peak downlink – 2800 Mbps Peak uplink – 300 Mbps 4×4 MIMO 4x SMA antenna connectors Dual SIM (Nano-4FF) Carrier – AT&T, FirstNet 4G, T-Mobile, Verizon, […]

LinkStar H28K is a compact travel router with dual gigabit Ethernet based on Rockchip RK3528 SoC

LinkStar H28K Compact Quad Core Travel Router

The LinkStar H28K is a compact travel router equipped with a Rockchip RK3528 processor. It offers two Gigabit Ethernet ports and comes with 4GB of memory and 8GB of eMMC storage, which can be expanded to 512GB using a microSD card. Additionally, it features a 12V Type-C connector with Power Delivery (PD) capability. Sadly this router does not offer Wi-Fi capabilities, but the LinkStar H68K does. We’ve also looked at other small yet powerful routers like the NanoPi R5S, FastRhino R68s, and the Radxa E25.  Additionally, we’ve written about the X88Pro 13 8K TV box built around the same RK3528 SoC as found in the H28K router. LinkStar H28K travel router specifications: Processor – Rockchip RK3528 quad-core Arm Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 GHz Memory – 4GB LPDDR4X Storage: Onboard 8GB eMMC MicroSD card slot (supports up to 512GB) Network: 1x PCIe Gigabit Ethernet port 1x RGMII Gigabit Ethernet Port USB Ports: 1x […]

GL.iNet Flint 2 router review – Part 2: WiFi 6, 2.5GbE, WireGuard performance

GL.iNet Flint 2 Review

In the first part of the review of the GL.iNet GL-MT6000 “Flint 2” WiFi 6 router, I had a look at the package content and the hardware design with a teardown of the router, and quickly tried it out. I’ve now had more time to play with the router focusing the review on WiFi 6 and 2.5GbE performance, and checking whether of 900 Mbps Wireguard VPN claim had any truth to it. The router also supports the Tor network to anonymously browse the web, Adguard Home to get rid of unwanted ads, and Repeater mode among other features. Those all work with the Fliont 2 router, but I won’t cover those in detail here, and invite you to check out the GL.iNet Brume 2 security gateway review for Tor and Adguard Home and the GL.iNet Beryl AX review for the repeater mode test. Connecting wired and wireless clients The Flint […]

UP 7000 x86 SBC