Build the ESP Thread Border Router + Rainmaker application test environment

Overview

The complete application architecture of ESP Thread Border Router + Rainmaker as follows:

• The ESP Thread Border Router device must used the WiFi and Thread dual chips , such as ESP32-S3 + ESP32-H2. The ESP32-S3 performs the WiFi function, and the ESP32-H2 performs the Thread function
• The number of supported Thread End devices depends on the memory of the WiFi module (ESP32-S3).

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Test Preparation

1、PC Envirment：

• Linux or Ubuntu（Recommend）
• Windows 10
• MacOS

2、Install the ESP-Rainmaker APP on Phone

• ESP-Rainmaker APP of IOS version ：Search for ESP-Rainmaker in the APP Store and install it.
  

• ESP-Rainmaker APP of Android version：Install it on Google Play

3、Hardware Preparation：

• ESP Thread Border Router/Zigbee Gateway Board
  

• ESP32-H2-DevKitM-1 Board
  

4、Software Preparation：

• esp-idf SDK

  • RCP Devicedownload the esp-idf/examples/openthread/ot_rcp example

• esp-rainmaker SDK

  • Thread Border Router Devicedownload the esp-rainmaker/examples/thread_br example
  • Thread End Device download the esp-rainmaker/examples/led_light example

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Set up the ESP-IDF envirment

Step 1 :

First, You need to set up the ESP-IDFsoftware envirment，please refer to ESP-IDF SDK Installation Guide

Step 2 :

Then， you need to compilation the esp-idf/examples/openthread/ot_rcp example，this is to prepare for downloading the firmware for the RCP device. The RCP Device is the ESP32-H2 on ESP Thread Border Router/Zigbee Gateway board.

cd esp-idf/examples/openthread/ot_rcp

idf.py set-target esp32h2

idf.py build

Set up the ESP-Rainmaker envirment

Step 1 :

Clone esp-rainmaker SDK

git clone https://github.com/espressif/esp-rainmaker

cd esp-rainmaker

git submodule update --init --recursive

git pull

Step 2 :

Compilation the esp-rainmaker/examples/thread_br example，and download the firmware to ESP32-S3 on Thread Border Router board

cd esp-rainmaker/examples/thread_br

idf.py set-target esp32s3

idf.py menuconfig 

After running the idf.py menuconfig command，the following configuration options need to be enabled and modified：

• -> Component config -> OpenThread Rcp Update
  • **Enable [*] <AUTO UPDATE RcP> Update RCP automatically **
  • To checkout the ot_rcp example path
  • The firmware of the RCP device will be transmitted by ESP32-S3 through the UART interface and written to the Flash

• -> Component config -> LWIP
  • Modify the LWIP_IPV6_NUM_ADDRESS address from the default 8 to 12

idf.py build 

idf.py -p /dev/ttyACM0 erase_flash flash monitor

ESP32-S3 running the esp-rainmaker/examples/thread_br example and will print log as follows：

Step 3：Load the firmware for the RCP device

• On the ESP32-S3 device, the log of the firmware transmission for the RCP device will be printed as follows:

After the RCP firmware is loaded, the ESP32-S3 device will restart the software.
At this point, you can monitor the firmware running log on RCP Device as follows:

Step 4：Download the firmware for the Thread End Device

• Compilation the esp-rainmaker/examples/led_light example

cd esp-rainmaker/examples/led_light

idf.py set-target esp32h2

idf.py menuconfig 

After running the idf.py menuconfig command，the following configuration options need to be modified：

• -> Component config -> LWIP
  • Modify the LWIP_IPV6_NUM_ADDRESS address from the default 3 to 12

idf.py build

idf.py -p /dev/ttyUSB0 erase_flash flash monitor

• ESP32-H2 Thread End Device running the esp-rainmaker/examples/led_light example and will print the follows log：
  

Step 5：Configure the network for the Thread Border Router

• Open the ESP-Rainmaker APP Configure the network for Thread Border Router device

• Click Add Device
  

• Scan the QR code in ESP32-S3 log printf and goto the WiFi network configuration page
  

At this point, the phone can connect to a 2.4GHz WiFi hotspot. Then, select a 2.4GHz WiFi hotspot, send the WiFi connection informations, and click Start to configure the WiFi network

• When the WiFi provisioning process has completed the Confirming Node association process, you can click Done to exit the provisioning page.
  

• Then, you can seen that the ESP-ThreadBR device has been added to the main page of the ESP-Rainmaker APP

• Then click on the ESP-ThreadBR device control page and click on the Update Thread Dataset Settings to update.

Step 6：Configure the network for Thread End devices

• Click the + sign to add the Thread End Device

• Scan the QR code in the ESP32-H2 Thread End Device log print and goto the Thread network configure page for Thread End Device
  

• Click Next

• Goto the Thread network configure page for Thread /End Device

• When the Thread provisioning process has completed the Confirming Node association process, you can click Done to exit the Thread provisioning page.

• Then, you can seen that the Light （Thread End Device） device has been added to the main page of the ESP-Rainmaker APP

• Finally, goto the LED lights control page ，and you can turn on , turn off, adjust the color, and adjust the brightness the LEG light on ESP32-H2-DevKitM-1 board.