Espressif's First Wi-Fi 6-Capable SoC, ESP32-C6, Now Shipping Samples and DevKit Boards
BLE, Matter, Thread, and Zigbee are supported now as well.
After its introduction almost two years ago, Espressif's 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 6-capable SoC, the ESP32-C6, is finally available (and shipping!) on their AliExpress store. There are limited quantities of standalone modules and complete development boards, but developers can finally get their hands on them!
The ESP32-C6 features two 32-bit RISC-V cores. It has a high-performance (HP) core that runs up to 160 MHz and a low-power (LP) core that can run up to 20 MHz. There are 512 kilobytes of SRAM and 320 kilobytes of flash memory.
In addition to the usual microcontroller interfaces, the ESP32-C6 has RF capability for 2.4 GHz WiFi 6 (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5, Bluetooth Low Energy, and IEEE 802.15.4. This combination of features means you can build Matter-compliant, Thread-, or Zigbee-based applications. The last three are a slight surprise since the original introduction did not mention them. However, Espressif has prominently positioned them as features on the ESP32-C6's product page.
Check out our previous ESP32-C6 coverage for more details on the SoC, including its security features.
Now Shipping!
Espressif's official AliExpress store offers the SoC either as the ESP32-C6-WROOM-1 (sold in packages of 5) or as the ESP32-C6-DevKitC-1.
The DevKit board contains the SoC, two USB-C ports, an RGB LED, and (up to) 22 GPIO headers. One USB-C port connects through a USB-UART bridge. It provides power to the board and an interface for serial-based programming. The other USB-C port is native to the ESP32-C6. Additionally, the board contains a header for current consumption measurements of the ESP32-C6-WROOM-1 SoC.
Before clicking the buy button, you should check the current state of software support. This GitHub issue tracks Espressif IDF's support for the ESP32-C6. Currently, the stable SDK does not fully support the SoC. However, Espressif expects the 5.1 release to support the Wi-Fi 6-capable SoC.
In addition to the usual microcontroller interfaces, the ESP32-C6 has RF capability for Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5, Bluetooth Low Energy, and IEEE 802.15.4. This combination of features means you can build Matter-compliant, Thread-, or Zigbee-based applications. The last three are a slight surprise since the original introduction did not mention them. However, Espressif has prominently positioned them as features on the