“This is inexpensive enough to be very much in the territory of ‘thousands of sensors-launched-out-of-a-cannon’-cheap.”
Couple the ESP8266 with one of the inexpensive DHT series digital temperature and humidity sensors and we have a project that may literally be deployed anywhere to broadcast sensor data.
The broadcasting used in this tutorial is using the ESP8266 web server code and respond to web requests (like in a browser or a web client) to return temperature and humidity data (in a REST type format).
This project demonstrates the programming of the ESP8266 ESP-01 module with the Arduino IDE and interfacing with a DHT temperature/humidity sensor. Using other sensors and their corresponding libraries, other electronics may be interfaced with the ESP8266 and monitored via wifi.
This tutorial was written before we put in the HUZZAH ESP8266 breakout in the shop https://www.adafruit.com/product/2471 – we recommend going with that as it has a regulator, level shifter and is breadboard friendly!
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.