Waveshare ESP32-C5 Development Board Brings Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 and Zigbee

ESP32-C5 Dual-Band Wi-Fi 6 Development Board (ESP32-C5-WIFI6-KIT)

Waveshare has introduced the ESP32-C5 Development board, a compact development platform built around the ESP32-C5-WROOM-1 module for IoT gateways, smart home hubs, and multi-protocol wireless applications. The board targets developers looking for a flexible wireless solution that combines Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth LE, Zigbee, and Thread support on a single RISC-V platform.

The board uses the Espressif ESP32-C5 SoC, a single-core 32-bit RISC-V processor running at up to 240MHz. It integrates 384KB SRAM, 320KB ROM, and 8MB PSRAM, while offering 16MB or 32MB SPI flash options depending on the variant. Waveshare also provides versions with either a built-in PCB antenna or an external dual-band Wi-Fi antenna for improved wireless coverage.

ESP32-C5-WIFI6-KIT Development Board Top and Bottom

Waveshare ESP32-C5-WIFI6-KIT specifications:

• Processor: Espressif ESP32-C5 single-core 32-bit RISC-V CPU running at up to 240MHz
• Low-power core: 40MHz low-power RISC-V core for energy-sensitive tasks
• Memory: 384KB SRAM, 320KB ROM, and 8MB PSRAM
• Storage: 16MB or 32MB SPI flash options
• Wireless connectivity:
  • Dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
  • Backward support for 802.11 b/g/n
  • Bluetooth 5 LE
  • IEEE 802.15.4 with Zigbee 3.0 and Thread 1.3 support
• Wi-Fi features: OFDMA, MU-MIMO, and Target Wake Time (TWT) support
• USB:
  • USB Type-C for power, programming, and JTAG debugging
  • USB-to-UART interface supporting baud rates up to 3 Mbps
• Expansion: Dual 16-pin GPIO headers compatible with ESP32-C5-DevKitC-1 layout
• Other features: RGB LED, Boot and Reset buttons, power LEDs, and current measurement jumper
• Power input:
  • 5V USB-C, 5V GPIO input, or 3.3V input
  • Battery support: Onboard charging circuit with 3.7V lithium battery connector
• Dimensions: 61.4 × 25.4 mm

ESP32-C5-WIFI6-KIT Specifications

The board follows a design similar to Espressif’s official ESP32-C5-DevKitC-1 but expands the hardware options with larger flash storage, external antenna support, and onboard battery charging. The castellated module design also allows developers to directly solder the module onto custom carrier boards for embedded projects.

ESP32-C5-WIFI6-KIT pinout diagram

For software development, the board supports the official ESP-IDF framework along with the Arduino IDE. Waveshare also provides SDK resources, tutorials, example projects, and hardware documentation for Wi-Fi, BLE, Zigbee, GPIO, and LVGL applications. Since the hardware remains compatible with the ESP32-C5 ecosystem, developers can also use existing ESP32-C5 libraries and code examples with minimal modifications. More details available on the wiki page.

ESP32-C5-WIFI6-KIT dimensions

The ESP32-C5 Development board is available in multiple variants with different flash sizes, antenna options, and header configurations. Pricing starts at $9.99 and goes up to $13.99 on the official Waveshare store, while AliExpress listings range from $10.79 to $15.29. Amazon pricing ranges between $18.23 and $21.99 depending on the selected model.

Images used courtesy of Waveshare.