Low-cost WIFI modules as alternative

[Diego Baravalle]

Hello everyone!

First of all, you guys are the best, thank you for this great project and for all the effort you have put into it.

Henrik, I wanted to ask if you know low-cost WIFI modules ESP8266 that have been recently released to the market.

I've seen some experiences of using these modules with Arduino and seem promising.

In my opinion they can be a good alternative to the nRF24L01 +. And as WIFI modules you might think solutions where it is not required to have a controller and send the information directly to the cloud.

Do you think these new modules could be useful for the project?

https://espressif.com/en/products/esp8266/
http://www.esp8266.com/
http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/WiFi-Serial-Transceiver-Module-w-ESP8266-p-1994.html
http://www.instructables.com/id/ESP8266-Wifi-Temperature-Logger/

[soward]

I think these were covered to some extent in another topic.

I have a couple and have done some basic experimentation. There are some limitations. The power draw can be significant, rendering battery powered sensors using them impractical in most instances.

Not using the gateway and controller and instead communicating directly to a sensor using one is, of course possible, and might be optional in some situations. However, at that point, you aren't really using much or any of the MySensors project, so just build something and go.

I can see using one to make a 'wifi' gateway.

I can also see using one to allow for direct communication with a particular sensor in addition to using the nRF for some very specialized applications -- e.g. an RGBW LED controller, where you want to be able to have it participate in your overall HA setup, but also want a specialized and fast-to-react portable interface for selecting particular complex colors.

And I'm sure not in love with the extended AT command set and serial as the interface either...

Theoretically, if the compiler and other details of the native architecture are worked out over time, the device could be an entire sensor by itself, communicating directly with the gateway via IP. Granted, existing PCBs only have 2 GPIO pins exposed limiting functionality.

[Yveaux]

@soward said:

these were covered to some extent in another topic

FYI: http://forum.mysensors.org/topic/479/the-new-esp8266-wifi-models