M5Stack has also launched a small development platform called the Thread Border Router kit, which eases the development of Matter and Thread-based IoT gateways. The kit is based on the CoreS3 controller and includes a Thread radio package, Ethernet connectivity, and a touchscreen interface, and thus can be used in both a smart home and industrial IoT.
The kit is a Thread Border Router designed to support developers who are developing Matter controllers, Thread networks, and IP-based Internet of Things gateways. It brings Thread mesh networks to Ethernet or Wi-Fi backhaul, allowing low-power devices, local networks, and cloud services to communicate in a seamless manner. Processing, connectivity, and expandability are integrated together in a single ready-to-use platform by M5Stack, which saves setup time and hardware integration work.
The kit includes the ESP32-S3-based CoreS3 as the principal controller and is paired with a special radio that is a Thread radio to enable low-power mesh networking. It has inbuilt display and physical buttons that can be used directly to interact with, debug and monitor the device without any external tools. Ethernet can give a stable and reliable backhaul that is appropriate to use in applications of the gateway where a steady network performance is needed.
Thread Border Router kit Specifications:
The M5Stack CoreS3 Thread Border Router is a board that is built around ESP32-S3 dual-core with the Xtensa LX7 architecture, which can run at a frequency on the lower end of 240 MHz. It has a 16 MB flash and 8 MB PSRAM, plus 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and USB-OTG capabilities. It combines a 2.0-inch IPS capable of capacitive touchscreen, 320 x 240 pixels resolution, 0.3 MP GC0308 camera, microSD card reader, and AXP2101 power management IC, in the main board. Sensor support includes a 6-axis BMI270 IMU, a BMM150 3-axis magnetometer, an LTR-553ALS-WA proximity sensor, and a BM8563 real-time clock.
In case of Thread and Matter connectivity, the kit utilizes the Module Gateway H2 (RCP) that is based on ESP32-H2-MINI-1 which has one core of RISC-V processor with a frequency of 96 MHz. This module is compatible with IEEE 802.15.4 and provides the ability to use Zigbee, Thread, and Matter networks. Ethernet also offers fixed IP backhaul connectivity with Grove expansion ports easily connecting external sensors and peripherals. There is also the audio hardware like the ES7210 audio codec, dual microphone input, Hi-Fi AW88298 power amplifier, and a 1 w onboard speaker.
The enclosure is also designed to fit on a DIN-Rail and has an internal 500 mAh lithium battery with a TP4057 charging IC. It has an extensive DC input of 9 V up to 24 V and has a separate power switch. It is relatively small, 54.0 x 54.0 x 38.1 mm, weighing approximately 140.8 g and can be easily installed out of the box in embedded applications, yet is also desktop development and gateway deployment friendly.
The Thread Border Router kit supports OpenThread Border Router (OTBR) firmware and integrates with ESP-IDF and Arduino development environments. Developers can deploy Matter controllers, Thread routers, and gateway applications using standard OpenThread and Matter SDKs. The platform supports Ethernet-based backhaul and allows easy integration with Linux hosts or cloud services. M5Stack also provides documentation, example projects, and configuration guides to speed up development and testing.
Previously, we covered several M5Stack products such as the NanoH2 Dev Kit, LLM-8850 Card, Cardputer ADV Edition, C6L LoRa module, and the ESP32-based Air Quality Kit v1.1. Feel free to check them out if you are interested in these products.
M5Stack sells the Thread Border Router kit directly through its official store. The kit is currently listed at around USD 49.90, which includes the CoreS3 controller and Thread Border Router hardware. Developers can purchase it from the official product page.
Niladri Chowdhury