FAQ
TL;DR: At least 12 GHome EP2 plugs with the Realtek W701/RTL8720CF have surfaced, and "This is a very rare chip" [Elektroda, p.kaczmarek2, post #21006660] Flash succeeds once A0 + CEN are tied to 3.3 V and UART2 is used [Elektroda, Raufaser, post #21006736]
Why it matters: Rare chip support keeps DIY firmware projects such as OpenBeken and LibreTiny growing.
Quick Facts
• MCU: Realtek RTL8720CF dual-band Wi-Fi/BT, 125 MHz max [Realtek DS].
• Power-meter IC: BL0937 on daughterboard [Elektroda, Raufaser, post #21005786]
• Flashing pins: UART2 TX=16, RX=15; pull A0 & CEN to 3.3 V [Elektroda, Raufaser, post #21006736]
• Idle heap after boot: ~94 kB free (0x17018) [Elektroda, Raufaser, post #21005817]
• Two hardware revisions: W701 or ESP8285; ESP variant allows Tuya-Convert OTA [Elektroda, Hilgude, post #21277836]
What processor is inside the GHome EP2 smart plug?
Most recent batches host a Realtek RTL8720CF (W701 module); earlier lots carry an ESP8285 module [Elektroda, Raufaser, #21005786; Hilgude, #21277836].
How can I tell which version (W701 or ESP8285) I own?
Remove the plastic shell: the radio daughterboard is visible. A metal-canned module labelled W701-VA2-CG indicates Realtek; a smaller black castellated board without shielding is ESP8285 [Elektroda, Raufaser, #21004569; Hilgude, #21279506].
Is the W701 truly rare?
Yes. Only two forum users reported 12 total units, and the maintainer called it “very rare” [Elektroda, p.kaczmarek2, post #21006660]
How do I enter UART flashing mode on the W701?
- Solder wires to pads 16 (TX) and 15 (RX).
- Pull A0 and CEN high to 3.3 V.
- Power the board; the bootloader prints “Download Image over UART2”. [Elektroda, Raufaser, post #21006736]
Which pins provide power and ground on the module?
Outer row pad 5 is GND, pads 1 & 2 are 3.3 V VCC per traced schematic [Elektroda, Raufaser, post #21005786]
Is OpenBeken ready for the RTL8720CF platform?
Not yet. Core developers said support is pending and requested sample hardware [Elektroda, p.kaczmarek2, post #21006660] RTL8720CF development thread was later opened [Elektroda, divadiow, post #21355742]
Can I use Tuya-Convert on the ESP8285 batch?
Yes. One user flashed three ESP8285-based EP2 units over-the-air with Tuya-Convert and loaded Tasmota [Elektroda, Hilgude, post #21277836]
Is there a Tasmota template for the ESP8285 EP2?
Template: {"NAME":"EP2-A","GPIO":[576,1,320,1,2656,2720,1,1,2624,32,1,224,1,1],"FLAG":0,"BASE":18} [Elektroda, Hilgude, post #21280776]
What causes the ‘dead plug’ failure some users saw?
Rapid on/off cycles on a loose wall outlet destroyed the BP2525 5 V regulator, disabling the plug [Elektroda, Hilgude, post #21280776]
Does the plug support power monitoring?
Yes, via the BL0937 IC. Calibration constants are stored in flash; loss triggers error logs like “ele_save_key err 8” [Elektroda, Raufaser, post #21005817]
Are there official pinouts or datasheets?
A consolidated W701/WBR3 flashing guide with pin diagrams is now published [Elektroda, p.kaczmarek2, post #21379253]
What’s the typical idle RAM usage?
Boot log shows 0x17018 bytes free (~94 kB), roughly 52 % of total SRAM [Elektroda, Raufaser, post #21005817]
Can the plug reconnect after Wi-Fi loss?
Yes; logs display automatic Wi-Fi re-init and DHCP renewal within 3 s after drop [Elektroda, Raufaser, post #21005817]
Is 3.3 V tolerant enough for VCC lines?
Both VCC pads accept standard 3.3 V; no 5 V tolerant pins reported [Elektroda, Raufaser, post #21005807]
Where can I follow development progress?
Watch the RTL8720CF development thread and the W701 flashing guide linked above [Elektroda, divadiow, #21355742; p.kaczmarek2, #21379253].
Comments
I haven't seen that kind of W701 module before. Can you desolder it and show the high quality photos of the pad markings, where is VDD, GND, etc? [Read more]
Mmmhhh I am trying to desolder at the moment. It is difficult to reach the back side of the solder spots. The front side is pretty clean. Already tried hot air and soldering iron with desolder wire... [Read more]
I had a similiar device some time ago. It was based on ESP8266. Here you can see my teardown: https://www.elektroda.pl/rtvforum/topic3941251.html I just desoldered top board from the bottom board. [Read more]
I managed to get this nasty little fella out. First the side with the W701 https://obrazki.elektroda.pl/1143914600_1710535968_thumb.jpg And now the other side with the BL0937 and some labels. The... [Read more]
found elsewhere but looks to be a W701H, so maybe pins are diff https://obrazki.elektroda.pl/2716082100_1710537491_thumb.jpg https://obrazki.elektroda.pl/8406209200_1710537501_thumb.jpg from... [Read more]
Nice find. Thanks a lot. What means 2x VCC ? 6,6V? Edit: I got it. Both pins are VCC. Sorry. I mean i could solder some wires and see if the thing draws current ... Added after 1 [minutes]:... [Read more]
Excellent and exciting!! I'm not sure what's next tbh. Ideally I'd be a developer and I'd help with OBK expansion, but I'm not at that point just yet. [Read more]
This is a very rare chip. You need to wait a bit for us to add support for this platform. How many pieces of this plug do you have? [Read more]
So i inspected the PCB a little further and traced the outer pads to the W701. That is what i got: https://obrazki.elektroda.pl/7050653700_1710610265_thumb.jpg So it seems to have the same pin out... [Read more]
I have 8-10 of that model. I'd be happy to send you one if you want to give it a try [Read more]
Thanks, are you somewhere near Poland? I don't know how high the shipping ratio would be if you're outside EU. [Read more]
I live in Sweden so I don't think shipping will be that expensive [Read more]
Got some EP2-A recently in a pack of 4 explictly advertised as runnning an ESP8285. The full teardown will be exactly the same. The internal and external is the same device, except the module, is... [Read more]
https://obrazki.elektroda.pl/4797252600_1730074652_thumb.jpg [Read more]
Interesting, so you've got a different or older batch? When are they using W701, and when ESP? Do you have Tasmota template? [Read more]
Hard to say why there is two versions of these plugs ... The Amazon vendor explicitly advertised it as it can be Tasmota converted with Tuya-Convert. See this : https://amzn.eu/d/4jDsu5C Here is... [Read more]
This sounds very interesting. Once you finish your repair, can you consider posting it as step by step tutorial in our Smart Home Tutorials section? I would like to make some more repairs too, but... [Read more]
https://www.elektroda.com/rtvforum/topic4093142.html - RTL8720CF development underway [Read more]
New guide for those WBR3 chips: WBR2, WBR3, WBRU, W701-VA2-CG pinout, datasheet, flashing for Home Assistant [Read more]