Getting Started with ESP8266 WiFi Transceiver (Review)

The ESP8266 is a Wi-Fi module great for IoT and Home Automation projects. This article is a getting started guide for the ESP8266 development board.

About the ESP8266

The ESP8266 is a $4 (up to $10) Wi-Fi module. It allows you to control inputs and outputs as you would do with an Arduino, but it comes with Wi-Fi.
So, it is great for home automation/internet of things applications.

So what can you do with this low cost module?

• create a web server
• send HTTP requests
• control outputs
• read inputs and interrupts
• send emails
• post tweets

If you want to create a web server with the ESP8266, we highly recommend following our tutorial: Build an ESP8266 Web Server

ESP8266 specifications

• 11 b/g/n protocol
• Wi-Fi Direct (P2P), soft-AP
• Integrated TCP/IP protocol stack
• Built-in low-power 32-bit CPU
• SDIO 2.0, SPI, UART

Comparing the ESP8266 with other Wi-Fi solutions on the market, it is a great option for most “Internet of Things” projects! It’s easy to see why it’s so popular: it only costs a few dollars and can be integrated in advanced projects. 

There is a successor of the ESP8266 – the ESP32. The ESP32 combines Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and is dual core. Read the following article to find the differences between the ESP8266 and the ESP32:

ESP8266 Versions

The ESP8266 comes in a wide variety of versions (as shown in the figure below). The ESP-12E or often called ESP-12E NodeMCU Kit is currently the most practical version, in our opinion.

ESP8266 Pinout

The most widely used ESP8266 development boards are the ESP-01, the ESP8266-12E NodeMCU Kit and the Wemos D1 Mini.  We’ll show you the pinout for those boards. If you’re using another development board, make sure you have the right pinout.

ESP-12E NodeMCU Kit Pinout

Here’s a quick overview of the ESP-12E NodeMCU Kit pinout: