MOD-WIFI-ESP8266

An Olimex MOD-WIFI-ESP8266 module: an ESP8266 UART to Wi-Fi chip on a UEXT connector, with 2 MB of SPI flash. It adds Wi-Fi to an Olimex board that has a UEXT port.

The ESP8266 is the chip that made cheap Wi-Fi ubiquitous in embedded projects. It takes a serial stream on one side and puts it on a network on the other, which is exactly what a controller board needs when the requirement is to get data off it without adding a whole computer.

UEXT is what makes this a module rather than a project. It is Olimex's standard ten pin expansion connector, so a board with a UEXT port takes this with one cable and no adapter. The module only uses the first four pins: 3.3 V, ground, and the two serial lines.

In EV work this is usually about telemetry. Getting pack data, charge state or controller logs off a vehicle and onto a phone or a laptop, without running a cable to it every time.

Key specifications

Features

• Adds Wi-Fi to any Olimex board with a UEXT connector, with one cable
• 2 MB SPI flash, enough for custom firmware rather than just AT command use
• Uses only the four UEXT pins it needs, leaving the rest free
• ESP8266, which has very wide community and toolchain support

Compatibility

For Olimex development boards with a UEXT connector. It will also work with any 3.3 V host that can present the four signals, but then it is a wiring job rather than a plug in.

It is 3.3 V. The ESP8266 is not 5 V tolerant on its serial pins. Connecting it directly to a 5 V UART will damage it, so level shift if your host is 5 V.

Wi-Fi in a vehicle needs thought about where the antenna sits. A module inside a metal pack enclosure will not reach anything. Plan for that before you mount it.

In the box

• 1 x MOD-WIFI-ESP8266 module

Downloads

No document is published here. Olimex publish the schematics, the user manual and the firmware sources for this module, and we can point you to them.