[REQUEST] Add support for "hosted OpenThread" (ESP32 Hosted supporting Thread protocol) to ESPHost?

[Hedda]

Component name

ESP32 Hosted

Link to component documentation on our website

https://esphome.io/components/esp32_hosted/

Describe the enhancement

Please consider adding support for hosted OpenThread (hosted Thread protocol) on chips like ESP32-S3 and ESP32-P4 which do not have an embedded Thread radio like ESP32-H2, ESP32-C6, and ESP32-C5 has, enabling IPv6 connectivity (through external Thread Border Router).

• https://esphome.io/components/esp32_hosted/

If this solution could be extended to also support Thread (OpenThread) it be even greater as it would enable OpenThread/Thread capabilities on the primary ESP32 without it having native Thread radio.

• https://esphome.io/components/openthread/

Upstream feature request for Espressif's esp-hosted-mcu library:

• [REQUEST] Add support for "hosted OpenThread" (ESP32 Hosted supporting Thread protocol)? (EHM-113) espressif/esp-hosted-mcu#110

Use cases

ESP32 Hosted (ESP-Hosted-MCU) is a solution that allows you to use ESP32 modules as communication co-processors to provide wireless connectivity for the main ESP32 host module via a second ESP32 chip (with currenly Wi-Fi and Bluetooth being supported). Extending this support to OpenThread (Thread) would allow the main host chip that do not have a radio for OpenThread to communicate over a Thread network mesh using IPv6 using a secondary/external SPI-connected ESP32-module that does have a Thread radio.

• https://esphome.io/components/esp32_hosted/

  • https://esphome.io/components/network/

Development could be for example tested on Espressif's ESP Thread Border Router SDK hardware (based on ESP32-S3 and ESP32-H2), or anpther example setup would be combining the ESP32 DevKitC with the ESP32-H2 DevKitC (connect via UART):

• https://github.com/espressif/esp-thread-br

• https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/tree/master/examples/openthread/ot_br

Anything else?

I believe this is indirectly related to @swoboda1337 's work extending ESP32 Hosted support (ex. PR for hosted BLE Bluetooth Low Energy):

• [esp32_ble] Add support for hosted BLE esphome#11167
• [esp32_hosted] Add support for remote wifi esphome#8833
• [wifi] Check for esp32_hosted on no wifi variants esphome#10528

PS: Also ping @mrene, @lboue and @felipejfc who all worked/working on OpenThread (Thread protocol) support in ESPHome:

• Add OpenThread support on ESP-IDF esphome#7506

• [nrf52] Add openthread support esphome#8410

[swoboda1337]

As far as I can tell only wifi and bt are supported atm: https://github.com/espressif/esp-hosted-mcu

[Hedda]

Yes this is a feature request asking for hosted OpenThread/Thread support

[swoboda1337]

That repo is owned by Esprissif though and ESPHome has no control over it. You would have to open an issue there.

[Hedda]

OK, done, but would just like to point out but the esp-hosted-mcu library is Apache-2.0 licenses though and they accept pull requests:

• [REQUEST] Add support for "hosted OpenThread" (ESP32 Hosted supporting Thread protocol)? (EHM-113) espressif/esp-hosted-mcu#110

[mrene]

There is already an officially supported mechanism for using an external thread radio via SPI or UART by compiling the ot_rcp example and using it as a firmware, would esp-hosted-mcu offer any additional benefits?