WRL-13287 Datasheet, PDF (1/15 Pages) SparkFun Electronics – WiFi Shield Hookup Guide

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ESP8266 WiFi Shield Hookup Guide
Introduction
The ESP8266 is a popular, inexpensive WiFi/microcontroller system-on-
chip (SoC). Although it can be programmed like any microcontroller, the
ESP8266’s popularity was gained as a simple, serially-controlled WiFi
gateway. Using an AT command set, any microcontroller with a UART can
use the ESP8266 to connect to WiFi networks, and interact with the rest of
the Internet world over TCP or UDP. It’s an easy (and cheap!) way to get
your Arduino on the Internet!
There are a variety of designs based around the ESP8266, including tiny,
modular boards and more accessible development boards like the
SparkFun ESP8266 Thing. The ESP8266 WiFi Shield finds a middle
ground between the Module and the Thing – it comes pre-flashed with an
AT-command firmware, so it can be controlled by any UART, but it also
breaks out and provides command access to all of the ESP8266’s I/O. It
comes in the familiar Arduino Shield shape, and should work with any
similarly-sized Arduino-compatible development board out there.
Whether you want an introduction to the ESP8266 – without leaving the
comfortable hardware confines of your Arduino – or you just have a back-
stock of Arduino’s that need an inexpensive gateway to the Internet, the
ESP8266 WiFi Shield may meet your needs.
Covered In this Tutorial
This tutorial details the hardware and firmware design behind the ESP8266
WiFi Shield. It also explains how to use the Shield with an Arduino-
compatible development board and the Arduino IDE. The guide is broken
down into a few sections, which you can navigate around using the bar on
the right. Those sections include: