Espressif
Overview
Espressif is a semiconductor company that develops SoCs, microcontrollers, and development boards for IoT applications.
Hardware
Espressif's SoCs (System-on-Chips) enable wireless communication for IoT applications. Development boards integrate these SoCs with power circuits, USB interfaces, and breakout pins, making them easy to use for prototyping and automation projects.
The following development boards are used in this system:
ESP32-H2-DevKitM-1 is a development board with Thread and Bluetooth LE connectivity, designed for low-power applications.
ESP32-C6-DevKitC-1 is a development board with Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth LE, and Thread connectivity.
ESP32-DevKitM-1 is a development board with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE connectivity, designed for general-purpose applications.
ESP Thread Border Router is a development board that acts as a Thread Border Router, enabling communication between Thread networks and Wi-Fi or Ethernet for external connectivity.
ESP-IDF Framework
ESP-IDF (Espressif IoT Development Framework) is Espressif’s official IoT Development Framework for the ESP32, ESP32-S, ESP32-C and ESP32-H series of SoCs.
ESP Matter Solution
The Espressif's SDK for Matter is the official Matter development framework for ESP32 series SoCs.
Wi-Fi-enabled ESP32, ESP32-C, and ESP32-S series can be used to build Matter Wi-Fi devices, with the ESP32-S series also supporting Ethernet connectivity via an external controller.
ESP32-H series SoCs, which support IEEE 802.15.4, are used for Matter-compatible Thread end devices.
ESP Thread Border Router Solution
The Espressif Thread Border Router SDK is a FreeRTOS-based solution built on the ESP-IDF and OpenThread stack. It supports both Wi-Fi and Ethernet interfaces as the backbone link, combined with 802.15.4 SoCs for Thread communication.
The Wi-Fi-based Espressif Thread Border runs on two SoCs:
The host Wi-Fi SoC, which runs OpenThread Border Router (ESP32, ESP32-S, or ESP32-C series SoC).
The Radio Co-Processor (RCP), which enables the Border Router to access the 802.15.4 physical and MAC layers (ESP32-H series SoC).
Espressif also provides a single ESP THREAD BR-ZIGBEE GW board that integrates both the host SoC and the RCP into a single board.
Espressif also provides a ESP Thread BR-Zigbee GW_SUB daughter board for building an Ethernet-enabled Thread Border Router. It must be connected to a Wi-Fi-based ESP Thread Border Router.
ESP-Mesh-Lite
ESP-Mesh-Lite is a Wi-Fi Mesh networking solution based on the Wi-Fi protocol. It supports Espressif's Wi-Fi SoCs, including ESP32, ESP32-C, and ESP32-S.
In a traditional Wi-Fi network, all devices must connect directly to the router, limiting coverage and the number of connected devices based on the router's capacity. With ESP-Mesh-Lite, devices can connect to nearby nodes instead of relying solely on the router. This extends Wi-Fi coverage and allows more devices to join the network without router limitations.