DFRobot FireBeetle 2 ESP32-C5 Development Kit

Overview

The DFRobot FireBeetle 2 ESP32-C5 Development Kit (SKU: DFR1236) is a compact, multi-protocol IoT board built on Espressif's ESP32-C5 module. Its RISC-V single-core processor runs at 240MHz and supports an impressive range of wireless protocols: dual-band WiFi 6 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth 5 with mesh, Zigbee 3.0, Thread 1.3, and Matter -- making it one of the most versatile connectivity platforms available at this price point.

The kit includes a solderless IO expansion board that breaks out 11 GPIOs, I2C, UART, SPI, and power pins for easy breadboard-free prototyping. The board features integrated lithium battery charging with solar panel input (4.5-6V), battery level monitoring, and an ultra-low deep sleep current of just 21 microamps, making it ideal for battery-powered and solar-powered IoT sensor nodes. A controllable 3.3V power output lets you shut down external sensors during sleep for maximum power savings.

With native support for Thread and Zigbee alongside WiFi 6 and BLE 5, this board is particularly well-suited for Home Assistant integrations and Matter-compatible smart home devices. DFRobot provides Arduino IDE, ESP-IDF, and MicroPython development support along with a dedicated MQTT-based Home Assistant tutorial.