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 […]

ASUS ExpertCenter PN42 mini PC with Intel Processor N100 launched for $220 and up

ASUS ExpertCenter PN42

We’ve covered several Intel Processor N100 mini PC, mostly from smaller Chinese companies with models such as the Morefine M9, the ZX01 Plus/Topton M6S, or the Beelink EQ12 which we reviewed with Windows 11, TrueNAS, pfSense, Ubuntu, etc… But if you prefer to rely on more established brands, the MSI Cubi N ADL is an option for $289 on Amazon with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage, or the ASUS ExpertCenter PN42 fanless Intel N100 mini PC which is now listed for pre-order on B&H for $220 and up. ASUS ExperCenter PN42 specifications: SoC – Intel Processor N100 quad-core Alder Lake-N processor @ up to 3.4 GHz (Turbo) with 6MB cache, 24EU Intel HD graphics; TDP: 6W System Memory – Up to 16GB single-channel DDR4 3200MHz memory via one SO-DIMM socket Storage – 1x M.2 22080 PCIe 3.0 x4 socket for NVMe SSD Video Output HDMI DisplayPort 1.4 up to 4Kp60 […]

$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 […]

GEEKOM AS 6 mini PC review – Part 3: Ubuntu 22.04 Linux

GEEKOM AS 6 Ubuntu 22.04 Review

We’ve already checked out GEEKOM AS 6 (ASUS PN53) mini PC’s hardware based on AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX CPU, have tested its performance and features in Windows 11 in the second part of the review, and we’ve now taken the time to review GEEKOM AS 6 (Ryzen 9 6900HX) with Ubuntu 22.04 Linux operating system.

We had to disable BitLocker disk encryption in Windows 11, before resizing the partition in the Disk Management program in order to install Ubuntu 22.04 from a USB flash drive. The installation went smoothly once we disable BitLocker.

Ubuntu 22.04 system information

Nordic Semi nRF7001 is a 2.4GHz WiFi 6 companion IC for nRF52, nRF53, and nRF91 wireless chips

nRF7001 2.4GHz WiFi 6

Nordic Semi nRF7001 is the second nRF70 Series WiFi 6 companion IC. It is designed to add 2.4 GHz WiFi 6 connectivity to Nordic Semi nRF52 and nRF53 wireless SoCs and nRF91 cellular IoT system-in-package and support both client and access point mode. The nRF7001 follows the introduction of the nRF7002 dual-band (2.4GHz/5GHz) WiFi 6 companion IC last year, and target power or cost-optimized use cases where 5 GHz WiFi 6 may not be required or even suitable. Nordic Semi nRF7001 key features specifications: Complies with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4 GHz band Wi-Fi 6 Station (STA) 1x Spatial Stream (SS) 20 MHz channel bandwidth 64 QAM (MCS7), 86 Mbps PHY throughput OFDMA (Downlink and Uplink) BSS coloring Co-existence interfaces, including Bluetooth LE Low-power and secure Wi-Fi for the IoT Target Wake Time (TWT) Security – WPA3 Host interface – SPI / QSPI Package – 6×6 mm QFN Since the nRF7001 is based […]

Rikomagic RKM V7P TV stick and digital signage gets 4GB RAM, 32GB flash, WiFi 6

Rikomagic RKM V7P

Rikomagic RKM V7P is an upgrade to the Rockchip RK3568-powered RKM V7 HDMI TV stick with 4GB RAM, 32GB eMMC flash, and WiFi 6 connectivity, as well as the existing Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port, and HDMI 2.0 female port. The RKM V7P TV stick runs Android 11 and can be used as a 4K digital signage player with features such as an RTC (Real-time clock) for time on and off, a watchdog to make sure the system runs 24/7 even if it hangs, portrait/landscape rotation selection, support for USB touchscreen displays, and so on. Rikomagic RKM V7P specifications: SoC – Rockchip RK3568 quad-core Cortex-A55 processor @ up to 2.0 GHz with Arm Mali-G52 2EE GPU with support for OpenGL ES 1.1/2.0/3.2, OpenCL 2.0, Vulkan 1.1, 0.8 TOPS NPU for AI acceleration, 4Kp60 H.265/H.264/VP9 video decoding, and 1080p100 H.265/H.264 video encoding System Memory – 4 GB LPDDR4 Storage – 32 GB […]

Realtek WiFi 7 and WiFi 6 roadmap for routers and clients

Realtek Testbed WiFi 7

We’ve just written about Realtek 5 Gbps Ethernet chips, but the company also has some roadmaps for WiFi 6 and WiFi 7 router chips, and a WiFi 7 client module demonstrated at COMPUTEX 2023. The company’s roadmap include five WiFi 7 router solutions: WiFi 7 BE6500 router with a Realtek 8198DS dual Arm core processor @ 1.2 GHz with an RTL8952AR 2×2 MIMO 5 GHz and 6 GHz chip, RTL8902A 2×2 2.4 GHz chip, and an RTL8221B 2.5GbE PHY WiFi 7 BE9400 router with a Realtek 8198DS dual Arm core processor @ 1.2 GHz with an RTL8952AR 2×2 MIMO 5 GHz chip, RTL8902A 2×2 2.4 GHz chip, an RTL8934AR 4×4 MIMO 6 GHz chip, and an RTL8221B 2.5GbE PHY WiFi 7 BE3400 router with a Realtek 8198DS dual Arm core processor @ 1.2 GHz with an RTL8952AR 2×2 MIMO 5 GHz chip, and an RTL8221B 2.5GbE PHY WiFi 7 BE6400 […]

Reolink E1 Outdoor Pro 4K smart security camera supports WiFi 6 connectivity

WiFi 6 security camera

Reolink E1 Outdoor Pro is a 4K smart security camera with PTZ and auto-tracking like the Reolink TrackMix, but instead of relying on PoE or WiFi 4/5, the camera comes with WiFi 6 connectivity for a faster and more stable network connection with less latency. Most of the WiFi security cameras I’ve been using come with 2.4GHz WiFi 4, and I’ve found connectivity to the solar-powered Reolink security cameras I’ve been using to be somewhat unreliable with difficulty connecting to them through the mobile app, although uploads to the cloud don’t suffer from those issues. So I typically prefer PoE or 4G LTE security cameras since the connectivity is more stable, but Reolink E1 Outdoor Pro security camera’s WiFi 6 support could help depending on the environment. Reolink E1 Outdoor Pro specifications: Camera – 4K Ultra HD resolution with 3x optimal zoom Color night vision with spotlight PTZ – 355º […]

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