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lamaPLC: ESP32 / ESP8266
The ESP32 can operate as a standalone system or as a slave device to a host MCU, reducing communication stack overhead on the central application processor. It can interface with other systems to provide Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functionality via its SPI/SDIO or I²C/UART interfaces.
Different between ESP32 and ESP8266
The main differences are that the ESP32 has significantly more processing power (a dual-core CPU), more memory, and Bluetooth, while the ESP8266 is older, single-core, and Wi-Fi-only. The ESP32 is better suited to complex projects due to its improved performance and peripheral features, while the ESP8266 is a more affordable choice for simple IoT applications.
Types of ESP32 / ESP8266
| Type of ESP32 | CPU | Max clock speed | Connectivity | RAM | GPIO | ADC | Security | Peripherials/Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESP8266 Cost-effective and highly integrated Wi-Fi MCU for IoT applications | Single-core L106 32-bit RISC | 160 MHz | Wi-Fi only | 160KB SRAM | 17 | 10-bit ADC | TLS encryption, validate certificates | SPI, I2C, and UART |
| ESP32 Integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity for a wide-range of applications | Dual-core LX6/LX7 | 240 MHz | Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (BLE) | Up to 520KB | Up to 34 | 12-bit ADC | Secure Boot, Flash Encryption, HMAC | Ethernet, USB, touch sensors, CAN, and hall sensor |
| ESP32-C2 Small-sized, cost-effective SoC | Single-core RISC-V | 120 MHz | Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 5 (LE) | 272 KB SRAM 576 KB ROM | 20 | 12-bit ADC | Secure Boot, Flash Encryption | SPI, UART, I2C, LED PWM controller, General DMA controller (GDMA), SAR ADC |
| ESP32-C3 A cost-effective RISC-V MCU with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5 (LE) connectivity for secure IoT applications | Single-core RISC-V | 160 MHz | Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 5 (LE) | 400 KB SRAM 384 KB ROM | 22 | 12-bit ADC | Secure Boot, Flash Encryption | Cost-sensitive applications, Pin compatible with ESP8266 |
| ESP32-C5 2.4 and 5 GHz dual-band Wi-Fi 6 MCU, along with Bluetooth 5 (LE) and 802.15.4 for secure and reliable connectivity | Single-core 32-bit RISC-V | 240 MHz | Wi-Fi 6 2.4/5 GHz, Bluetooth 5 (LE), Thread, Zigbee, Matter, HomeKit, MQTT | 384KB SRAM 320KB ROM | 29 | 12-bit ADC | Secure boot, flash, and PSRAM encryption, and cryptographic accelerators | ADC, SPI, UART, I2C, I2S, RMT, PWM |
| ESP32-C6 A low-power and cost-effective 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi 6 + Bluetooth 5 (LE) + Thread/Zigbee SoC | Single-core RISC-V | 160 MHz | Wi-Fi 6 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 5.3 (LE), Thread, Zigbee, Matter | 512 KB SRAM 320 KB ROM | 30 (QFN40) or 22 (QFN32) | 12-bit ADC | RSA-3072 support | Matter Gateways, Thread Border Routers or Zigbee Matter Bridges, SPI, UART, I2C, I2S, RMT, TWAI, PWM, SDIO, Motor Control PWM |
| ESP32-C61 Delivering affordable Wi-Fi 6 connectivity | Single-core RISC-V | 160 MHz | Wi-Fi 6 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 5.3 (LE) + Mesh 1.1, Matter | 320 KB SRAM 256 KB ROM | 30 (QFN40) or 22 (QFN32) | 12-bit ADC | secure boot, flash and PSRAM encryption | I2C, I2S, SPI, UART, LED PWM, ADC, GPIO, LP IO, Timers, and GDMA. Specialized peripherals include the Event Task Matrix (ETM) for automation-triggered tasks and the Analog Voltage Comparator for easy zero-crossing detection |
| ESP32-H2 Low power and secure connectivity | Single-core 32-bit RISC-V | 96 MHz | Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 5 (LE), Thread, Zigbee, Matter | 320KB SRAM 128KB ROM | 19 | 12-bit ADC | Secure Boot, Flash Encryption | ADC, SPI, UART, I2C, I2S, RMT, GDMA and LED PWM |
| ESP32-S2 Secure and Powerful Wi-Fi MCU with Numerous I/O Capabilities | Single-core Xtensa LX7 | 240 MHz | Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz, USB OTG | 320KB SRAM 128KB ROM | 43 | 2 × 13-bit SAR ADC | RSA-3072 support | Camera Interface, fit for lower-power applications like secure IoT |
| ESP32-S3 Powerful AI acceleration Reliable security features | Dual-core Xtensa LX7 | 240 MHz | Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 5 (LE), USB OTG | 512KB SRAM 384KB ROM | 45 | 2 × 12-bit SAR ADC | RSA-4096 support | Camera Interface, Accelerate machine learning applications |
| ESP32-P4 High-performing SoC offering extensive IO connectivity, HMI, and security | Dual-core RISC-V | 400 MHz | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5 (LE), USB OTG, ACK, AWS IoT ExpressLink, etc | 768KB SRAM | 55 | - | Secure Boot, Flash Encryption, cryptographic accelerators, and TRNG ensure | SPI, I2S, I2C, LED PWM, MCPWM, RMT, ADC, UART, and TWAI™. Additionally, it supports USB OTG 2.0 HS, Ethernet, and SDIO Host 3.0. Parallel display and camera interfaces. |