ESP32-C6 Zigbee Router

A dedicated Zigbee router firmware for an ESP32-C6 development board. Its purpose is to extend the range and improve the reliability of a Zigbee mesh network.

Hardware

• ESP32-C6 Development Board (with 4MB Flash)

Software

• ESP-IDF v5.4.2

Build and Flash

1. Clone the repository.
2. Navigate to the project directory.
3. Source the ESP-IDF environment:

   . /path/to/esp-idf/export.sh
   

4. Set the target and open the configuration menu:

   idf.py set-target esp32c6
   idf.py menuconfig
   

5. Confirm the settings are correct (especially Partition Table and Flash Size), then Save and Quit.
6. Build the project:

   idf.py build
   

7. Flash the device (replace /dev/ttyACM0 with your device's port):

   idf.py -p /dev/ttyACM0 flash
   

Key Configuration & Troubleshooting Notes

This project required several specific configurations to resolve build and runtime errors:

1. Partition Table (partitions.csv): The ESP-Zigbee stack requires zb_storage and zb_fct partitions. These must be defined in partitions.csv with explicit hexadecimal sizes to ensure correct parsing.

2. menuconfig - Partition Table: The build system will ignore the custom partitions.csv file unless explicitly configured. This is set under Partition Table ---> by changing the type to Custom partition table CSV.

3. menuconfig - Flash Size: The project must be configured to match the board's physical flash size (4MB). This is set under Serial flasher config --->. A mismatch causes a boot loop with invalid header: 0xffffffff errors.

4. main/CMakeLists.txt Dependencies: The main component requires explicit dependencies to find necessary headers. The REQUIRES line must include esp-zigbee-lib, nvs_flash, and freertos.

5. API Versioning: The Zigbee configuration macros must match the installed esp-zigbee-lib version. This firmware uses:

   • .esp_zb_role = ESP_ZB_DEVICE_TYPE_ROUTER
   • .nwk_cfg.zczr_cfg for the router network configuration.
   • .app_device_id = ESP_ZB_HA_TEST_DEVICE_ID as a valid, defined device ID.

Behavior

Once flashed and powered, the device will automatically attempt to join an open Zigbee network. To pair, put your Zigbee coordinator (e.g., ZHA, Zigbee2MQTT) into "Permit Join" or "Add Device" mode and power on the router.