ESP8266 WiFi gateway port for MySensors

[robosensor]

@hek graphs are drawn by Zabbix. My own Perl script connects directly to gateway, reads sensor data and sends this data directly to Zabbix.

Also, I have tried to write raw data from gateway directly to file and execute "tail -f logfile.txt | grep sensor-specific-id". With old pro mini gateway data from sensor comes every 10 seconds. From esp8266 gateway sensor data comes very irregular.

Also, every send() call in all my nodes followed by wait(25) call to reduce possible power issues and interference issues.

UPDATE: I have recompiled esp8266-gateway sketch with debugging enabled, but I get the same results with loosing messages then I connecting directly to uart port of esp8266 uart-usb converter.

[Yveaux]

@robosensor What strikes me is the fact that most of the time not all sensor values seem to disappear at the same time. A failing WiFi connection would be the most likely cause when all dis/reappear at the same time (like at 13:44 and 13:22).
However, most of the time at least one sensor seems to report its values correctly. IMO This rules out the radio.
Is there anything interesting in the serial logs?

[robosensor]

@Yveaux thank you for your reply. It is not failing wifi connection, as the same problem exists then I using serial connection to esp8266 (via on-board usb-uart converter on nodemcu board).

Nothing interesting in the serial logs (with debug mode enabled), just random absence of sensor data. Seems like I should connect sensor node to collect debug logs from node side.

Also speed is changed - much faster CPU (80 MHz vs 8 MHz) and much faster connection (wifi vs uart 9600 bps). Maybe this affects.

[robosensor]

Seems like problem with loosing messages is gateway firmware related.

Then I connect two controllers (my own perl script and MYSController 0.1.2.282) to esp8266 gateway (#define MY_GATEWAY_MAX_CLIENTS 2), both controllers receiving exactly the same data from gateway, but messages lost even more.

1 on graphs = one controller connected
2 on graphs = two controllers connected.

I'm not familiar with esp8266 network programming, but could it be that firmware looses incoming packets from nrf24l01+ due to blocking call to wifi-related network functions? Seems like during sending data to wifi network firmware does not have time to pick up all incoming packets from nrf24l01+ chip.

[robosensor]

I think I found problem. As I said before, seems like WiFi's clients[i].write() call blocks thread for a very long time.

I added logging of write() time:

		// Send message to connected clients
		#if defined(MY_GATEWAY_ESP8266)
			unsigned long start_time = hwMillis();
			for (uint8_t i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(clients); i++)
			{
				if (clients[i] && clients[i].connected())
				{
					clients[i].write((uint8_t*)_ethernetMsg, strlen(_ethernetMsg));
				}
			}
			debug(PSTR("WiFi transaction time: %u ms\n"), hwMillis() - start_time);
		#else
			_ethernetServer.write(_ethernetMsg);
		#endif

And got following results:
For Perl script from FreeBSD server in another country (ping to server is about 55 milliseconds):

0;0;3;0;9;WiFi transaction time: 141 ms
0;0;3;0;9;read: 2-2-0 s=1,c=1,t=23,pt=2,l=2,sg=0:98
0;0;3;0;9;WiFi transaction time: 141 ms
0;0;3;0;9;read: 2-2-0 s=6,c=1,t=43,pt=3,l=2,sg=0:2
0;0;3;0;9;WiFi transaction time: 140 ms
0;0;3;0;9;read: 1-1-0 s=105,c=1,t=0,pt=7,l=5,sg=0:27.5000
0;0;3;0;9;WiFi transaction time: 136 ms
0;0;3;0;9;read: 1-1-0 s=106,c=1,t=0,pt=7,l=5,sg=0:52.8750
0;0;3;0;9;WiFi transaction time: 140 ms
0;0;3;0;9;read: 1-1-0 s=107,c=1,t=0,pt=7,l=5,sg=0:45.9375
0;0;3;0;9;WiFi transaction time: 142 ms
0;0;3;0;9;read: 1-1-0 s=108,c=1,t=0,pt=7,l=5,sg=0:34.4375
0;0;3;0;9;WiFi transaction time: 137 ms
0;0;3;0;9;read: 1-1-0 s=1,c=1,t=16,pt=0,l=1,sg=0:0
0;0;3;0;9;WiFi transaction time: 143 ms

Connection from LAN (windows telnet client):

0;0;3;0;9;read: 3-3-0 s=1,c=1,t=23,pt=2,l=2,sg=0:61
0;0;3;0;9;WiFi transaction time: 209 ms
0;0;3;0;9;read: 4-4-0 s=1,c=1,t=24,pt=2,l=2,sg=0:152
0;0;3;0;9;WiFi transaction time: 201 ms
0;0;3;0;9;read: 4-4-0 s=2,c=1,t=24,pt=2,l=2,sg=0:43
0;0;3;0;9;WiFi transaction time: 212 ms
0;0;3;0;9;read: 4-4-0 s=3,c=1,t=24,pt=2,l=2,sg=0:129
0;0;3;0;9;WiFi transaction time: 209 ms
0;0;3;0;9;read: 4-4-0 s=4,c=1,t=24,pt=2,l=2,sg=0:147
0;0;3;0;9;WiFi transaction time: 208 ms
0;0;3;0;9;read: 2-2-0 s=102,c=1,t=0,pt=7,l=5,sg=0:4.2500
0;0;3;0;9;WiFi transaction time: 221 ms
0;0;3;0;9;read: 2-2-0 s=103,c=1,t=0,pt=7,l=5,sg=0:27.4375
0;0;3;0;9;WiFi transaction time: 208 ms
0;0;3;0;9;read: 2-2-0 s=104,c=1,t=0,pt=7,l=5,sg=0:23.3750
0;0;3;0;9;WiFi transaction time: 210 ms
0;0;3;0;9;read: 2-2-0 s=3,c=1,t=1,pt=7,l=5,sg=0:99.9
0;0;3;0;9;WiFi transaction time: 208 ms

Seems like many packets coming to NRF24L01+ in this time interval (140-200 milliseconds) and this causes NRF buffer overflow and packet loss.

[hek]

Damn, 200 msec is a pretty long time.

[Yveaux]

@hek Yeah, but is this significantly longer than for a wired connection?
Only real solution would be to switch to interrupt based message handling for the MySensors network (hopefully the ESP stack can handle this...)
@robosensor Are these long delays (only) caused by the fact that this is a long distance connection?
How is your mileage for a server on e.g. the same lan?

[Fabien]

Exactly same problem here with RFM69W Radio. With 2 clients, i loose more packets. Both controller and ESP are on the same LAN. No probelm with Serial Gateway on Jeelink v3.

[robosensor]

@Yveaux seems like delays caused by low-level network/tcp code or settings of receiving side (maybe something as TCP ACK packet delays or Nagle algorithm or something like this).

ESP8266 connected directly to Mikrotik RB2011 router.

Then I connect from external server (ping to server is about 55 milliseconds, FreeBSD 9.3, Perl), delays about 140 milliseconds.
Then I connect from windows-based computer, connected directly to router, delays about 200 milliseconds (both windows telnet and PuTTy).
For 2 parallel above connections delays about 350 milliseconds.

Then I connect from router's internal telnet client, delays about 1-2 milliseconds
Then I connect from android-based phone (phone connected to router via wifi, using ConnectBot software), delays vary from 3-5 milliseconds (mostly) to 100-150 milliseconds (less frequently).

Seems like interrupts for nrf24 is the only solution. Seems like esp8266 gateway with such delays is completely unusable with high packet rates. With ~150 milliseconds delays no more than 6 messages/second packet rate allowed.

Just to reference: I'm using Arduino 1.6.5 with esp8266 libraries version 2.0.0 installed.

[Yveaux]

@robosensor @Fabien Please understand that this issue is not related to ESP8266. I expect delays to be nearly identical when using the Ethernet gateway (wired ethernet) and ATMega microcontroller. Of course the serial gateway will not suffer from these delays as it doesn't use ethernet as transport medium -- it is a direct connection.
Switching to interrupt-based message handling for the MySensorts stack is not a simple task. It will require locking and buffering, and footprint of the library (especially RAM) will increase.
Furthermore I don't know how the ESP's network stack handles interrupts during ethernet processing. Worst case it will just block interrupts or run from a higher-priority interrupt than the nRF and all efforts of making the MySensors library interrupt based will be in vain.
I personally would try to reduce the latency in your server connection by choosing a server nearby or by buffering your traffic by a server in your LAN. MQTT for example can easily be buffered by a local broker which then uses the slow connection to sync with another server.
Another option is switching to a serial gateway, but again you need a local server inbetween.
A simple Raspberry Pi or so could act as a server for these scenarios.

Another option would be to implement a retry mechanism on your sensors. If the gateway does not confirm reception of your message, then resend it.

[robosensor]

@Yveaux I completely agree with you. Rewriting gateway code to support interrupts is not very easy task and it is not clear what problems you will encounter. Furthermore, rewriting will not solve the problem of delays, this only can solve packet loss problem.

Just tried to connect from RPi 2 (connected using WiFi directly to router), average delay is 2-5 milliseconds, sometimes 5-10 ms. Seems like this is good temporary solution.

[D_dude]

@Yveaux said:

@D_dude flush the serial output after each print.
The ESP will output the serial data in the background while your programm continues and then it crashes.

Finally was able to get everything working.
Ordered a fresh nRF from Itead and started from scratch. everything worked fine first time. seems like the nRF from ebay was causing issues.

[robosensor]

Just tried old version of esp8266 libraries (1.6.5-947-g39819f0 instead of 2.0.0) with old version of esp8266 gateway (master branch, commit 9ef2604c81d2fea5d646a9a194f312192833a79b) and got exactly the same results.

WiFi write() time is about 150-200 milliseconds for remote server in another country, 200-210 milliseconds for windows7-based computer in local area network and 0-4 milliseconds for Raspberry Pi 2 in local area network.

To show transaction times just replace original output function in Esp8266Gateway.ino with following code:

void output(const char *fmt, ... )
{
  char serialBuffer[MAX_SEND_LENGTH];
  va_list args;
  va_start (args, fmt );
  vsnprintf_P(serialBuffer, MAX_SEND_LENGTH, fmt, args);
  va_end (args);
  Serial.print(serialBuffer);

  unsigned long start_time = millis();
  
  for (uint8_t i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(clients); i++)
  {
    if (clients[i] && clients[i].connected())
    {
//       Serial.print("Client "); Serial.print(i); Serial.println(" write");
       clients[i].write((uint8_t*)serialBuffer, strlen(serialBuffer));
    }
  }
  
  start_time = millis() - start_time;
  Serial.print("WiFi transaction time: "); Serial.print(start_time); Serial.println("");
}

Also disconnection of client during clients[i].write() call causes reboot by watchdog:

 ets Jan  8 2013,rst cause:4, boot mode:(3,7)

wdt reset
load 0x4010f000, len 1264, room 16 
tail 0
chksum 0x42
csum 0x42
~ld

[Yveaux]

@robosensor said:

WiFi write() time is about 150-200 milliseconds for remote server in another country, 200-210 milliseconds for windows7-based computer in local area network and 0-4 milliseconds for Raspberry Pi 2 in local area network.

So another confirmation of what we knew already.

Do you know how many nRF messages are actually sent during this wifi write call?
The nRF has a rx buffer for 3 messages -- not sure if MySensors uses all 3 of them.

Also disconnection of client during clients[i].write() call causes reboot by watchdog

I guess this is ESP core related. Is this fixed in code 2.0.0?

[robosensor]

@Yveaux said:

So another confirmation of what we knew already.

Yes. It seems that I now understand what is happening. WiFiClient::write() blocks thread until TCP ACK packet received or until timeout (5 seconds). Windows sending TCP ACKs after 200ms timeout. That's why write() delayed for ~200 milliseconds for windows-based controller. More information (and link to non-blocking library) is available here: https://github.com/esp8266/Arduino/issues/922

Do you know how many nRF messages are actually sent during this wifi write call?
The nRF has a rx buffer for 3 messages -- not sure if MySensors uses all 3 of them.

Nodes sending 3-7 (sometimes more) messages with 35 ms delay between messages, so in my case 3-packet hardware buffer in nrf24 is overflowed after 105-140 milliseconds of write() call.

Also disconnection of client during clients[i].write() call causes reboot by watchdog
I guess this is ESP core related. Is this fixed in code 2.0.0?

I did not tried to check this reboots in 2.0.0, but 2.0.0 is much more stable and I never seen any reboots/resets.

[Yveaux]

@robosensor said:

2.0.0 is much more stable and I never seen any reboots/resets.

That sounds promising! I'll have to give the 2.0.0 core a try myself then.

[patrick schaerer]

Thanks for your work!
I made my wifigateway today and added variables for a static IP Adress.
I also tried to add an DHT11 to the wifi gateway, but it didn't work. I cannot include those sensors because I need to startup while inclusion and this would restart the gateway.
Mabe someone has an Idea how to add a sensor to the wifi gateway. edit: I found this thread on the forum ... http://forum.mysensors.org/topic/1387/sensors-on-gateway

/**
 * The MySensors Arduino library handles the wireless radio link and protocol
 * between your home built sensors/actuators and HA controller of choice.
 * The sensors forms a self healing radio network with optional repeaters. Each
 * repeater and gateway builds a routing tables in EEPROM which keeps track of the
 * network topology allowing messages to be routed to nodes.
 *
 * Created by Henrik Ekblad <henrik.ekblad@mysensors.org>
 * Copyright (C) 2013-2015 Sensnology AB
 * Full contributor list: https://github.com/mysensors/Arduino/graphs/contributors
 *
 * Documentation: http://www.mysensors.org
 * Support Forum: http://forum.mysensors.org
 *
 * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
 * modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
 * version 2 as published by the Free Software Foundation.
 *
 *******************************
 *
 * REVISION HISTORY
 * Version 1.0 - Henrik EKblad
 * Contribution by a-lurker and Anticimex, 
 * Contribution by Norbert Truchsess <norbert.truchsess@t-online.de>
 * Contribution by Ivo Pullens (ESP8266 support)
 * 
 * DESCRIPTION
 * The EthernetGateway sends data received from sensors to the WiFi link. 
 * The gateway also accepts input on ethernet interface, which is then sent out to the radio network.
 *
 * VERA CONFIGURATION:
 * Enter "ip-number:port" in the ip-field of the Arduino GW device. This will temporarily override any serial configuration for the Vera plugin. 
 * E.g. If you want to use the defualt values in this sketch enter: 192.168.178.66:5003
 *
 * LED purposes:
 * - To use the feature, uncomment WITH_LEDS_BLINKING in MyConfig.h
 * - RX (green) - blink fast on radio message recieved. In inclusion mode will blink fast only on presentation recieved
 * - TX (yellow) - blink fast on radio message transmitted. In inclusion mode will blink slowly
 * - ERR (red) - fast blink on error during transmission error or recieve crc error  
 * 
 * See http://www.mysensors.org/build/ethernet_gateway for wiring instructions.
 * The ESP8266 however requires different wiring:
 * nRF24L01+  ESP8266
 * VCC        VCC
 * CE         GPIO4          
 * CSN/CS     GPIO15
 * SCK        GPIO14
 * MISO       GPIO12
 * MOSI       GPIO13
 *            
 * Not all ESP8266 modules have all pins available on their external interface.
 * This code has been tested on an ESP-12 module.
 * The ESP8266 requires a certain pin configuration to download code, and another one to run code:
 * - Connect REST (reset) via 10K pullup resistor to VCC, and via switch to GND ('reset switch')
 * - Connect GPIO15 via 10K pulldown resistor to GND
 * - Connect CH_PD via 10K resistor to VCC
 * - Connect GPIO2 via 10K resistor to VCC
 * - Connect GPIO0 via 10K resistor to VCC, and via switch to GND ('bootload switch')
 * 
  * Inclusion mode button:
 * - Connect GPIO5 via switch to GND ('inclusion switch')
 * 
 * Hardware SHA204 signing is currently not supported!
 *
 * Make sure to fill in your ssid and WiFi password below for ssid & pass.
 */
#define NO_PORTB_PINCHANGES 

#include <SPI.h>  

#include <MySigningNone.h> 
#include <MySigningAtsha204Soft.h>
#include <MyTransportNRF24.h>
#include <MyTransportRFM69.h>
#include <EEPROM.h>
#include <MyHwESP8266.h>
#include <ESP8266WiFi.h>

#include <MyParserSerial.h>  
#include <MySensor.h>  
#include <stdarg.h>
#include "GatewayUtil.h"


const char *ssid =  "yourSSID";    // cannot be longer than 32 characters!
const char *pass =  "yourPassword"; //
IPAddress local_ip(192,168,0,6);
IPAddress dns_address(192,168,0,1);
IPAddress gateway_ip(192,168,0,1);
IPAddress subnet(255,255,255,0);

//Code for DHT Temp and Hum
/*#include <DHT.h>  

#define CHILD_ID_HUM 9
#define CHILD_ID_TEMP 10
#define HUMIDITY_SENSOR_DIGITAL_PIN 1
long intervall = 300000; //read Temp and Hum every 5 minutes
long last_millis = -300000;
DHT dht;
float lastTemp;
float lastHum;
boolean metric = true; 
MyMessage msgHum(CHILD_ID_HUM, V_HUM);
MyMessage msgTemp(CHILD_ID_TEMP, V_TEMP);
//End of Temp and Hum */

#define INCLUSION_MODE_TIME 1 // Number of minutes inclusion mode is enabled
#define INCLUSION_MODE_PIN  5 // Digital pin used for inclusion mode button

#define RADIO_CE_PIN        4   // radio chip enable
#define RADIO_SPI_SS_PIN    15  // radio SPI serial select

#ifdef WITH_LEDS_BLINKING
#define RADIO_ERROR_LED_PIN 7  // Error led pin
#define RADIO_RX_LED_PIN    8  // Receive led pin
#define RADIO_TX_LED_PIN    9  // the PCB, on board LED
#endif


// NRFRF24L01 radio driver (set low transmit power by default) 
MyTransportNRF24 transport(RADIO_CE_PIN, RADIO_SPI_SS_PIN, RF24_PA_LEVEL_GW);
//MyTransportRFM69 transport;


// Message signing driver (signer needed if MY_SIGNING_FEATURE is turned on in MyConfig.h)
#ifdef MY_SIGNING_FEATURE
MySigningNone signer;
//MySigningAtsha204Soft signer;
#endif

// Hardware profile 
MyHwESP8266 hw;

// Construct MySensors library (signer needed if MY_SIGNING_FEATURE is turned on in MyConfig.h)
// To use LEDs blinking, uncomment WITH_LEDS_BLINKING in MyConfig.h
MySensor gw(transport, hw
#ifdef MY_SIGNING_FEATURE
    , signer
#endif
#ifdef WITH_LEDS_BLINKING
  , RADIO_RX_LED_PIN, RADIO_TX_LED_PIN, RADIO_ERROR_LED_PIN
#endif
  );
  

#define IP_PORT 5003         // The port you want to open 
#define MAX_SRV_CLIENTS 5    // how many clients should be able to telnet to this ESP8266

// a R/W server on the port
static WiFiServer server(IP_PORT);
static WiFiClient clients[MAX_SRV_CLIENTS];
static bool clientsConnected[MAX_SRV_CLIENTS];
static inputBuffer inputString[MAX_SRV_CLIENTS];

#define ARRAY_SIZE(x)  (sizeof(x)/sizeof(x[0]))


void output(const char *fmt, ... )
{
  char serialBuffer[MAX_SEND_LENGTH];
  va_list args;
  va_start (args, fmt );
  vsnprintf_P(serialBuffer, MAX_SEND_LENGTH, fmt, args);
  va_end (args);
  Serial.print(serialBuffer);
  for (uint8_t i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(clients); i++)
  {
    if (clients[i] && clients[i].connected())
    {
//       Serial.print("Client "); Serial.print(i); Serial.println(" write");
       clients[i].write((uint8_t*)serialBuffer, strlen(serialBuffer));
    }
  }
}

void setup()  
{ 
  // Setup console
  hw_init();

  Serial.println(); Serial.println();
  Serial.println("ESP8266 MySensors Gateway");
  Serial.print("Connecting to "); Serial.println(ssid);

  (void)WiFi.begin(ssid, pass);
  while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED)
  {
    delay(500);
    Serial.print(".");
  }
  Serial.println("Connected!");
  Serial.print("IP: "); Serial.println(WiFi.localIP());
  Serial.flush();
  
  (void)WiFi.config(local_ip, dns_address, gateway_ip, subnet);
  while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED)
  {
    delay(500);
    Serial.print(".");
  }
  Serial.println("Connected!");
  Serial.print("IP: "); Serial.println(WiFi.localIP());
  Serial.flush();
  
  
  setupGateway(INCLUSION_MODE_PIN, INCLUSION_MODE_TIME, output);

  // Initialize gateway at maximum PA level, channel 70 and callback for write operations 
  gw.begin(incomingMessage, 0, true, 0);
  
  // start listening for clients
  server.begin();
  server.setNoDelay(true);  
  
 /* //Code for Temp and Hum
  dht.setup(HUMIDITY_SENSOR_DIGITAL_PIN); 

  // Register all sensors to gw (they will be created as child devices)
  gw.present(CHILD_ID_HUM, S_HUM);
  gw.present(CHILD_ID_TEMP, S_TEMP);
  
  metric = gw.getConfig().isMetric;
  //End of Temp and Hum */
}


void loop() {
  gw.process();  
  
  checkButtonTriggeredInclusion();
  checkInclusionFinished();

  // Go over list of clients and stop any that are no longer connected.
  // If the server has a new client connection it will be assigned to a free slot.
  bool allSlotsOccupied = true;
  for (uint8_t i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(clients); i++)
  {
    if (!clients[i].connected())
    {
      if (clientsConnected[i])
      {
        Serial.print("Client "); Serial.print(i); Serial.println(" disconnected");
        clients[i].stop();
      }
      //check if there are any new clients
      if (server.hasClient())
      {
        clients[i] = server.available();
        inputString[i].idx = 0;
        Serial.print("Client "); Serial.print(i); Serial.println(" connected"); 
        output(PSTR("0;0;%d;0;%d;Gateway startup complete.\n"),  C_INTERNAL, I_GATEWAY_READY);
      }
    }
    bool connected = clients[i].connected();
    clientsConnected[i] = connected;
    allSlotsOccupied &= connected;
  }
  if (allSlotsOccupied && server.hasClient())
  {
    //no free/disconnected spot so reject
    Serial.println("No free slot available");
    WiFiClient c = server.available();
    c.stop();
  }
  
  // Loop over clients connect and read available data
  for (uint8_t i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(clients); i++)
  {
    while(clients[i].connected() && clients[i].available())
    {
      char inChar = clients[i].read();
      if ( inputString[i].idx < MAX_RECEIVE_LENGTH - 1 )
      { 
        // if newline then command is complete
        if (inChar == '\n')
        {  
          // a command was issued by the client
          // we will now try to send it to the actuator
          inputString[i].string[inputString[i].idx] = 0;
    
          // echo the string to the serial port
          Serial.print("Client "); Serial.print(i); Serial.print(": "); Serial.println(inputString[i].string);
    
          parseAndSend(gw, inputString[i].string);
    
          // clear the string:
          inputString[i].idx = 0;
          // Finished with this client's message. Next loop() we'll see if there's more to read.
          break;
        } else {  
         // add it to the inputString:
         inputString[i].string[inputString[i].idx++] = inChar;
        }
      } else {
        // Incoming message too long. Throw away 
        Serial.print("Client "); Serial.print(i); Serial.println(": Message too long");
        inputString[i].idx = 0;
        // Finished with this client's message. Next loop() we'll see if there's more to read.
        break;
      }
    }
  }
 /* //Code for Temp and Hum
  if (millis() >= last_millis + intervall) {
    float temperature = dht.getTemperature();
    if (isnan(temperature)) {
      Serial.println("Failed reading temperature from DHT");
    } else if (temperature != lastTemp) {
      lastTemp = temperature;
    if (!metric) {
      temperature = dht.toFahrenheit(temperature);
    }
    gw.send(msgTemp.set(temperature, 1));
    Serial.print("T: ");
    Serial.println(temperature);
    }
  
  float humidity = dht.getHumidity();
  if (isnan(humidity)) {
      Serial.println("Failed reading humidity from DHT");
  } else if (humidity != lastHum) {
      lastHum = humidity;
      gw.send(msgHum.set(humidity, 1));
      Serial.print("H: ");
      Serial.println(humidity);
  }
  last_millis = millis();
 }
  
 //End of Temp and Hum */
  
  
  
}

[Alex B Goode]

Any chance to achieve some success using ESP-01 or I really have to buy ESP-07/12?

I just have some ESP-01 modules already and I wonder if I can use them

[Yveaux]

@Alex-B-Goode the Spi bus is not available on the esp01 header, so you won't be able to connect the radio then...

[hek]

But I guess you could use it as a sensor node (mqtt/ethernet).