ESPHome: Introducing the Seeed Studio Xiao ESP32-C5

Hot off the press is the brand new Seeed Studio Xiao ESP32-C5. This is the first Seeed Studio Xiao module with 5 GHz Wi-Fi support. Built on the RISC-V architecture, it brings together 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz dual-band Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5 (LE), and IEEE 802.15.4 (Zigbee, Thread) connectivity, while offering full support for IoT application protocols including ESPHome, Matter, HomeKit, and MQTT. At USD $7, they are very affordable.

The Xiao ESP32-C5 joins a family of ESP32 boards that share the same thumbnail physical design. A comparison of various SKUs in the Seeed Studio Xiao ESP32 family is below. Before the C5 was released my favorite ESP32 board for ESPHome Bluetooth proxies was the C6.

ESPHome Compatibility

Out of the box, as of February 2026, the ESPHome WebSerial component does not properly support the C5. In fact, I opened a GitHub issue for the ESPHome project on this very issue. However, not all is lost. For the initial serial based flash, you can use the ESP_Flasher by Jason2866. After the initial serial flash, I was able to do all subsequent updates via Wi-Fi OTA from within ESPHome.

To use Jason’s ESP Flasher, follow this procedure:

Hop over to my Github repo for C5 and download the applicable YAML file. For example, Seeed xiao ESP32-c5 base.yaml.
In ESPHome builder create a new device using unique OTA/API keys.
Build the firmware and download as Factory Format to your PC.
Connect the ESP32-C5 to your PC via USB and load any needed drivers.
Launch Jason’s ESP flasher, select the appropriate serial port and firmware BIN image.
Flash.
Power cycle the ESP32-C5 and verify in ESPHome that it connects.

Note: On modern macOS versions the unsigned binary will be blocked from execution. You will need to go into Privacy & Security to allow the app to run.

My ESPHome ESP32-C5 Github Repo

Over on my Seeed Studio Xiao ESP32-C5 Github repo I have a few example ESPHome YAML configuration files. The repo covers two basic use cases:

ESPHome Bluetooth proxy
ESPHome Bluetooth Identity Resolving Key (IRK) Capture

Wi-Fi 5 GHz Support

As previously mentioned, the Xiao C5 is the first Seeed Studio ESP32 model to support both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. In my house I have separated the 2.4 GHz band SSID from my combined 5 and 6 GHz SSID. To use the C5 on the 5 GHz band I defined 5 GHz specific Wi-Fi credentials in my ESPHome builder secrets file.

If you have a combined 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz SSID and want to force the 5 GHz band, you can modify ‘band’ setting in the YAML. I haven’t personally tested this, so I can’t guarantee this works.

Fun ESPHome Uses

If you are wondering what type of fun things you can do with ESPHome and an ESP32-C5, I wrote a couple posts:

Summary

The Seeed Studio Xiao ESP32-C5 is my new favorite ESP32 device for Bluetooth proxies. With Wi-Fi 6 and 5 GHz band support, it really modernizes ESP32 connectivity. It also supports Thread/Zigbee and Matter. Once ESPHome works through the serial flashing issue, using the C5 will be seamless experience. I plan on using the C5 for all future ESP32 projects.