The ESP8266 is wifi. The slightly more expensive ESP32 adds Bluetooth and some extra features. You can use them to run mini web server, MQTT, etc. Think of them like a supercharged Arduino with connectivity built in.
Ahh - so coupled with whatever sensor you have, you can have a wifi broadcast capability at extreme low cost...
So, ostensibly - if you have these all participate in an SSID of e.g. "sensors", then you can place these all over and have a low-cost mechanism to deliver the reads to your (already) existing wifi infra...
So the key, then, is the family of sensor types you want to place on them. The limitations in the case of this object are power and size....
So given that - whats the minimum size battery req'd to run this little guy?
Then What is the power req of the sensors you attach -- then whats the lifespan of that power budget and then servicability to replace it?
I like this... a lot.
I have a bunch of BLE sensor beacons from china which cost ~8 but they are dumb as rocks.
This provides a heck of a lot more functionality than those...
The esp8266 module itself runs at 3.3V but seems happy with a couple of AA batteries. Tried with CR3032 but it can't deliver enough current. After all, it is doing WiFi.
So, ostensibly - if you have these all participate in an SSID of e.g. "sensors", then you can place these all over and have a low-cost mechanism to deliver the reads to your (already) existing wifi infra...
So the key, then, is the family of sensor types you want to place on them. The limitations in the case of this object are power and size....
So given that - whats the minimum size battery req'd to run this little guy?
Then What is the power req of the sensors you attach -- then whats the lifespan of that power budget and then servicability to replace it?
I like this... a lot.
I have a bunch of BLE sensor beacons from china which cost ~8 but they are dumb as rocks.
This provides a heck of a lot more functionality than those...
Unless there are gotcha's which I am naive to?