HARDWARE · 2 MIN READ

Choose your hardware

ESPectre supports six ESP32 chip families. A small board is usually enough for a dedicated sensor.

Six supported ESP32 boards arranged in a row — Choose the smallest board with the radio, antenna, power, and USB connection you need.

Supported chips

Supported ESP32 chip families, Espressif CSI performance ranking, receiver sensitivity, and hardware characteristics
Chip	CSI performance	RX sensitivity	Hardware notes
ESP32-C5	1st	2.4 GHz: −95.0 dBm 5 GHz: −94.0 dBm	Single-core RISC-V at 240 MHz, 384 KB of SRAM. Wi-Fi 6 on 2.4 and 5 GHz, Bluetooth 5 LE, and Thread/Zigbee (IEEE 802.15.4).
ESP32-C6	2nd	−93.6 dBm	RISC-V at 160 MHz plus a low-power core, 512 KB of SRAM. Wi-Fi 6 on 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth 5 LE, and Thread/Zigbee.
ESP32-C3	≈ 3rd	−93.6 dBm	Small single-core RISC-V at 160 MHz, 400 KB of RAM. Wi-Fi 4 on 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth 5 LE.
ESP32-S3	≈ 3rd	−92.6 dBm	Dual-core Xtensa LX7 at 240 MHz, 512 KB of SRAM, with vector instructions that speed up signal processing and neural networks. Wi-Fi 4 on 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth 5 LE.
ESP32	5th	−93.0 dBm	The original ESP32: one or two Xtensa LX6 cores at 240 MHz, 520 KB of SRAM. Wi-Fi 4 on 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth LE 4.2, and Bluetooth Classic, which the newer chips lack.
ESP32-S2	Not ranked	−92.0 dBm	Single-core Xtensa LX7 at 240 MHz, 320 KB of SRAM, and native USB. Wi-Fi 4 on 2.4 GHz only, no Bluetooth.

Espressif ranks CSI performance as C5 > C6 > C3 ≈ S3 > ESP32, without saying how it measured it, and does not rank the S2. Treat it as a vendor ranking, not a measurement. RX sensitivity is the receiver's typical datasheet value at HT20 MCS0 (VHT20 MCS0 for the C5 on 5 GHz). The module, antenna, board layout, band, and placement still change real sensing performance. Detection quality is measured on 2.4 GHz HT20.

What matters

The antenna: a board with an external antenna connector (U.FL/IPEX) lets you place the antenna where it works best. This helps when the case, the mounting spot, or the distance makes the built-in antenna hard to position.
The power supply: use a stable supply rated for the board; USB boards usually expect 5 V. If readings stay erratic in a good position, try another power adapter.
The placement: keep the sensor out of metal cabinets and, if the room allows it, start 3–8 m from the access point. See the placement guide.
The programming connection: if the board has USB, flash it with a data cable. Some very small boards need a serial or JTAG adapter instead.