So there is this very cool project name ESP32 C5 C ITS. It is a board you can build yourself for free. It catch informations from air using 802.11p V2X radio. It spy on things close to it like traffic lamp, bus, tram, big truck, normal car, motor bike, and even people walking on street. After it get the data, it show everything on internet map.
How it working is it use ITS G5 system. This system need special WiFi in 5.9 GHz. ESP32 C5 chip is very perfect for this because it can do it. The rule of this system say car and street must have a box to send and take signal. Then this project board will work like a catcher. It catch the wireless signal, open the secret C ITS message, and send the info to open maps like OpenTrafficMap website. You can look the picture under this.
This is the spec list for the board thing:
- Main brain module is ESP32 C5 WROOM 1.
- The chip is ESP32 C5.
- CPU have 32 bit RISC V that can go very fast to 240 MHz.
- It also have slow RISC V 40 MHz so it not eat too much battery.
- Memory inside is 384 KB SRAM.
- Storage for system is 320 KB ROM.
- For internet it have new WiFi 6 dual band 2.4 and 5 GHz. If no new WiFi it can still use old WiFi 4.
- It have 20MHz wide for WiFi 6.
- It have 20 or 40MHz wide for old WiFi.
- It use magic trick like OFDMA for upload and download.
- It use MU MIMO trick for download only.
- It support TWT sleep mode.
- It have Bluetooth 5.0 LE for connect phone.
- It have 802.15.4 radio so it can talk to Zigbee 3.0 and Thread 1.3 smart home.
- Big memory is 8MB PSRAM.
- Big file storage is 8MB or 16MB flash.
- The antenna is draw on the board.
- You can put MicroSD memory card inside.
- It have LAN internet cable hole RJ45. It use KSZ8851SNL chip to do this.
- It have two USB type C plug for JTAG and UART stuff.
- It can feel hot or cold because it have LM75BDP sensor.
- For power you can use the LAN cable from 7 Volt to 58 Volt. It follow 802.3af at rule.
- Size of the board is 93 x 50 millimeter.
If you want make this, all drawing file for KiCAD 10 is free on internet. The code program and Node js script is free too. The script take raw WiFi packet to NATS system and then throw it to tshark terminal. After that it send JSON data back to NATS again. You can download all this file in Codeberg website search OpenTraffic.
The guy who make this do a speaking in Graz Linux Days 2026 last month. He speak German language. He put his presentation slide in internet and AI translate it to English for us. He say he already put 20 board in real life. In busy city it can catch signal hundred meter away. If nothing block the view, it can catch signal more than 10 kilometer! You can plug 4G LTE modem so it always have internet. Also they give 3D print file if you want make plastic box for it.
This project will be very good if government put the 802.11p V2X thing in their traffic lamp and public bus. Also it need many normal people to build this board and put it everywhere in city.
You cannot buy this board in normal online shop like Amazon. But many people want it after the guy do presentation. So the maker buy 450 boards from factory. You can join to buy together with other people for 20 Euro. You can get the plastic box too if you want. How to buy is write in the Wiki page. But sad thing is they only send package to some Europe country. Or if you live close you can just go to Graz in Austria country to take it yourself.