Wireless Tag WT32-ETH01 ESP32 Board Offers Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Wired Ethernet for Under $6
Compact breadboard-friendly "serial to Ethernet module" comes with a dual-core ESP32 microcontroller.
Embedded specialist Wireless Tag is launching a new development board, based around Espressif's ESP32 system-on-chip, which includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and wired Ethernet connectivity — for under $6.
The Wireless Tag WT32-ETH01 is a breadboard-friendly module built around the company's in-house ESP32 module, which includes a dual-core ESP32 processor, 32Mb of flash memory, and on-board 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi 4 and Bluetooth 4.2 Basic Rate (BR), Enhanced Data Rate (EDR), and Low Energy (BLE) connectivity.
What sets it apart from most rival boards, though, is that the wireless connectivity is in addition to a full-size wired Ethernet port operating at 10Mb/s or 100Mb/s, powered by a LAN8720A transceiver. The castellated board also includes 26 pins covering general-purpose input/output (GPIO), I2C, SPI and UART, with the board able to run at 3V3 or 5V.
To make room for the Ethernet port, though, something had to give — and CNX Software, which brought the launch to our attention, points out that this is the USB port. Power must be provided over the GPIO header, while programming requires an external TTL serial connection.
The biggest advantage of the WT32-ETH01, though, is its price: The board is up for pre-order on Seeed Studio, ahead of a December 15th release date, for just $5.90 per unit.