The ESP8266 WiFi Module is a self contained SOC with integrated TCPIP protocol stack that can give any microcontroller access to your WiFi network The ESP8266 is capable of either hosting an application or offloading all WiFi networking functions from another application processor Each ESP8266 module comes preprogrammed with an AT command set firmware meaning you can simply hook this up to your Arduino device and get about as much WiFiability as a WiFi Shield offers and thats just out of the box The ESP8266 module is an extremely cost effective board with a huge and ever growing community

This module has a powerful enough onboard processing and storage capability that allows it to be integrated with the sensors and other application specific devices through its GPIOs with minimal development upfront and minimal loading during runtime Its high degree of onchip integration allows for minimal external circuitry including the frontend module is designed to occupy minimal PCB area The ESP8266 supports APSD for VoIP applications and Bluetooth coexistance interfaces it contains a selfcalibrated RF allowing it to work under all operating conditions and requires no external RF parts