Espressif Introduces the ESP32-C61 for Cost-Focused Wi-Fi 6 IoT Devices

ESP32-C61 includes a RISC-V core, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5, security features, and software dev support for Matter applications.

Espressif, makers of the ESP32 series of microcontrollers, announced a new entry to the family aimed at affordability. The low power-consumption ESP32-C61 is an affordable option for developing IoT devices with Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and the Matter Protocol.

The new ESP32-C61 clearly targets applications using Matter, the open source IoT protocol for home automation. At a high level, Matter communicates via Internet Protocol (IP). On the hardware level, devices need BLE support to commission an IoT device for use on a Wi-Fi network. The new SoC contains a Wi-Fi 6- and Bluetooth 5-capable radio. Additionally, Espressif supports the new SoC with their ESP-Matter-SDK.

The 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi radio covers the legacy 802.11/b/g/n protocols and the newer 802.11ax. Support for Wi-Fi 6 features includes Target Wake Time (TWT), OFDMA Modulation, and MU-MIMO. These new capabilities reduce IoT device power consumption, improve network efficiency, and increase data throughput to multiple devices.

The CPU is the most apparent difference between the existing ESP32-C6 and -C61. The ESP32-C61 has a single 32-bit RISC-V core that runs up to 160 MHz. On-chip memories include 320 kilobytes of SRAM and 256 kilobytes of ROM. You can expand both with Quad-SPI devices and secure them with built-in encryption. External PSRAM can operate up to 120 MHz.

An array of security features compliments the SoC, including features for a secure boot, an ECSDA-based digital signature Peripheral (hardware-based), and a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) using Access Permission Management (APM) hardware block and Physical Memory Protection (PMP).

In addition to the typical microcontroller interfaces, like SPI, I2C, and UART, the ESP32-C61 includes specialized peripherals like an Event Task Matrix. This module allows peripherals to interrupt and interact with each other without involving the CPU.

The ESP32-C61 can also function as a wireless co-processor. This role can add Wi-Fi 6, BLE, and Matter support to almost any non-wireless microcontroller. Espressif says they will add ESP-Hosted and ESP-AT firmware options for this use model.

Espressif will add support for the ESP32-C61 to their IoT Development Framework (ESP-IDF). This announcement only covers an SoC. However, we expect Espressif and third-party providers to offer devkits based on the ESP32-C61 soon. You can find more information and Espressif's contact team in the ESP32-C61 press release.

James Lewis
Electronics enthusiast, Bald Engineer, AddOhms on YouTube and KN6FGY.
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