Quick summary: SparkFun released two IoT RedBoard development boards on 6 November 2026. Both use an ESP32-P4 application processor in an Arduino Uno-style footprint; one adds an ESP32-C5PricePriceAliExpress price module for dual-band wireless, while the other provides 10/100 Ethernet and Power over Ethernet. SparkFun lists them in stock at US$49.95 and US$55.95 respectively.
SparkFun has launched a pair of ESP32-P4 IoT RedBoards that offer a choice makers do not often get on otherwise closely matched hardware: modern wireless connectivity or a single-cable wired installation. These are complete development boards, not new Espressif chips or modules, and their underlying ESP32-P4 does not contain a radio of its own.
Two RedBoards, two networking strategies
| Board | Connectivity | US price |
|---|---|---|
| IoT RedBoard ESP32-P4, ESP32-C5AliExpress price WiFi/BLE (DEV-30909) | ESP32-C5PriceAliExpress price-WROOM companion module: 2.4/5GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE and 802.15.4 capabilities for Zigbee and Thread | US$49.95 |
| IoT RedBoard ESP32-P4, PoE (DEV-30910) | 10/100 Ethernet through a MagJack, plus a 5V/1.8A PoE power stage | US$55.95 |
The wireless version uses an ESP32-C5-WROOM as a network coprocessor, giving the board dual-band Wi-Fi rather than relying on the P4 itself. SparkFun also lists Bluetooth 5, Zigbee and Thread capability, although the radio hardware alone should not be read as a promise that every protocol is ready in every software framework. The PoE model instead targets fixed controllers, gateways and displays that benefit from reliable wired networking and power over the same cable.
Shared ESP32-P4 hardware
Both boards are built around an ESP32-P4NRW32X package, with dual 400MHz high-performance RISC-V cores, a 40MHz low-power core, 32MB of PSRAM and 16MB of flash. SparkFun has retained the familiar R3/Uno-style board outline and exposes six analogue inputs and 16 digital I/O connections.
- Two USB-C ports: one for USB OTG and one for serial/JTAG
- Qwiic connector for I²C accessories
- MIPI-CSI and MIPI-DSI connectors for camera and display hardware
- microSD card slot
- LiPo battery charging and monitoring
That combination makes the boards more general-purpose than a narrowly focused HMI module. The P4’s processing and display interfaces suit local user interfaces and vision projects, while the networking choice lets designers favour either mobility or a predictable wired link. Recent P4 designs have taken several forms, including the SCINTIX P4 compute module and Wireless-Tag’s WT32P4C5-43S touchscreen board; SparkFun’s boards are aimed more directly at conventional bench development and shield-compatible projects.
The Arduino caveat matters
SparkFun says MicroPython is preloaded, and ESP-IDF is the native route for working with the hardware. Arduino users need to pay closer attention. At launch, the standard Arduino-ESP32 3.3.12 core does not natively provide the board-specific ESP32-C5 network-coprocessor support or the PoE model’s Ethernet setup. SparkFun supplies a patch script and supporting files in its open-source repository, but that is an extra installation step rather than out-of-the-box support in the stock core.
This limitation does not make the boards unusable with Arduino, but it does affect maintainability and first-time setup. Buyers planning deployed products should review the patch workflow and pin definitions before treating either RedBoard as a drop-in Uno replacement. It is also worth distinguishing these boards from radio-first products such as M5Stack’s recent ESP32-C61 CoreMatrix: here the ESP32-P4 is the main processor and connectivity is supplied separately.
Price and availability
SparkFun’s US store listed both development boards as in stock when checked. The ESP32-C5 wireless model costs US$49.95, while the PoE version costs US$55.95. Those prices exclude any regional tax, shipping or distributor mark-up, and SparkFun had not provided equivalent UK pricing in the announcement.
