If you’ve been following the smart home space lately, you’ve probably noticed that the protocol wars are… complicated. You’ve got Zigbee devices that need a coordinator, Thread devices that need a border router, Wi-Fi devices that clog up your network, and now Matter is supposed to tie it all together. It’s a mess, and picking the right protocol for your DIY projects can feel like choosing sides in a battle you don’t fully understand. Enter the ESP32-C6, a $5-ish microcontroller that says “why not all of them?”