DFRobot Edge101 is an industrial-grade IoT controller built around the ESP32 MCU, designed as a bridge between development boards and industrial IoT systems. Housed in a full metal enclosure, it comes with various protection features including surge, ESD, lightning, overvoltage, and reverse polarity protection, and supports continuous 24/7 operation in harsh environments.
It integrates RS-485, CAN bus, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and RTC, and supports expansion via a PCIe slot for 4G LTE cellular communication, making it suitable for automation, environmental monitoring, and remote data acquisition in industrial or outdoor settings. The IoT controller also offers flexible mounting options such as DIN rail or ear mounting.
DFRobot Edge101 specifications:
- Wireless MCU – Espressif Systems ESP32
- CPU – Dual-core Tensilica LX6 microcontroller @ up to 240 MHz
- Memory – 520 KB SRAM, 16 KB RTC SRAM
- Wireless – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 4.2
- Storage – 4MB SPI NOR flash, MicroSD card slot
- Connectivity
- 10/100Mbps Ethernet RJ45 port
- 2.4 GHz 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi 4
- Bluetooth 4.2 Classic + BLE with +12 dBm Tx power output, -94 dBm BLE Rx sensitivity
- Optional 4G/NB-IoT via mini PCIe slot and Nano SIM card slot
- External antennas through 2x SMA connectors
- USB – USB Type-C port for power and programming
- Serial
- Isolated RS485 (Modbus compatible) via 2-pin terminal block
- Isolated CAN bus via 2-pin terminal block
- Expansion
- GPIO header with 11x ESP32 native GPIOs
- Header with 3x I2C interfaces
- Misc – Reset and User buttons
- Power Supply
- 9–26V DC input via 2-pin terminal block
- 5V/2A via USB Type-C
- Standby consumption – 50mA @ 12V, 100mA @ 5V
- Dimensions – 128 x 76 x 31 mm
- Weight – 335 grams
- Temperature Range – -20°C to +75°C
- Enclosure – Metal enclosure with ESD, over-voltage, reverse polarity, and lightning protection
- Mounting – DIN rail mount and metal mounting brackets included
While writing, I noticed that the product page image shows only one antenna, but the wiki page mentions that the Edge101 has two antennas. It turns out that the Edge101 supports an additional 4G module, and if that module is added, you can attach a second antenna via an SMA connector for 4G connectivity.
The company mentions that the DFRobot Edge101 ESP32-based industrial IoT controller can be easily programmed with Arduino. You just need to add the custom board URL to your Arduino settings and select “Edge101 IOT Controller” to get started. It also supports Python via the PinPong library for easy coding with GPIO, ADC, PWM, and more. The company also provides tutorials and example code for MQTT, and there is also a web-based interface for quick setup, firmware updates, and system monitoring, all of which can be found on the wiki.
It’s not the first ESP32-based industrial IoT controller, and we previously covered Seeed Studio’s EdgeBox-ESP-100 ESP32-S3-based industrial controller with very similar features, as well as the LILYGO T-Connect Pro and eModGATE Moduino X0 with a different set of features.
The Edge101 IoT controller can be purchased directly from DFRobot’s store page for $39.90. In the package, you will have a DIN rail clip, metal mounting brackets, a Wi-Fi antenna, and a terminal block connector.
Debashis Das is a technical content writer and embedded engineer with over five years of experience in the industry. With expertise in Embedded C, PCB Design, and SEO optimization, he effectively blends difficult technical topics with clear communication
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