There are already plenty of board or modules based on Espressif ESP8266 WiFi SoC, but if you don’t like soldering, or would rather avoid breadboards and some cables for your or your kids’ projects, Wio Link may be interesting, as all you need to is to connect Grove modules required for your applications to get started, and Seeed Studio also took care of the low level software part and a drag-and-drop mobile app is provided, so software programming has been made easy too.
Wio Link hardware specifications:
- SoC – Espressif ESP8266EX Tensila SoC
- Storage – 4MB flash
- Connectivity – 802.11b/g/n WiFi, with WEP/TKIP/AES encryption support
- Expansion – 6x Grove connectors: 3x digital, 1x analog, 1x UART and 1x I2C (3.3V I/Os)
- Power Supply
- 5V via micro USB port
- 3.4 ~ 4.2V via external battery
- Output DC Current – 1000mA MAX
- Charge Current: 500mA MAX
- Dimensions – 55mm*48mm
- Weight – 26g
- Certifications – CE/FCC/IC
That’s for the main board, and you can connect one or more of the many Grove modules available so far. Now just power the board with a USB charger or a LiPo battery, and start the mobile app, available for Android and iOS, in order to setup the board, by dragging and dropping the Grove module(s) you’ve connected. The app will also let you upgrade the firmware over the air (OTA).
The behavior of the board can either be set using IFTTT (if-this-then-that) applications through Seeed IFTTT channel, or programming the board with a RESTful API in Python, JavaScript, Node.js, PHP, Objective-C or Java.
Some sample applications include connected traffic lights, pet feeder, plant watering, and whatever you may think of, as you can see in the video below.
Seeed Studio has already raised well over their $20,000 target on the Kickstarter campaign in less than day, and while all $9 early bird rewards are gone, you could still pledge for a Wio Link development board for $12. You may also consider a kit with the board and some Grove modules starting at $29, and up to $89 for a kit with two Wio Link boards, and 16 Grove modules including sensors, a relay, some buttons, a servo, a speaker, and LED strip, and more. Shipping is $5 for most rewards, and free for the larger ones. Delivery is planned for March 2016.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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As usual, the software buildout is the make-or-break aspect of it.
You can get something with similar hardware for crazy cheap:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shipping-2pcs-lot-Smart-Electronics-ESP-12E-WeMos-D1-WiFi-uno-based-ESP8266-shield-for/32494825633.html?ws_ab_test=searchweb201556_7_79_78_77_80%2Csearchweb201644_5%2Csearchweb201560_6
But you’re left to start from the bare building blocks. Having all the software work done for you makes all the difference in the world. The WifiMCU is another great example of this … great hardware, zero buildout, so then RedBearLab just does the same hardware, but promises to develop the software along with it.