SparkFun: WiFi Shield - ESP8266

The SparkFun ESP8266 WiFi Shield is an Arduino compatible shield for the ESP8266 WiFi SoC – a leading platform for Internet of Things (IoT) or WiFi-related projects. There are a variety of designs based around the ESP8266, including tiny, modular boards and more accessible development boards like our very own SparkFun ESP8266 Thing. The ESP8266 WiFi Shield finds a middle ground between the Module and the Thing that provides a great introduction to the ESP8266 – without leaving the comfortable hardware confines of your Arduino. If you just have an Arduino project that needs an inexpensive gateway to the Internet, the ESP8266 WiFi Shield does everything from turning on an LED to posting data online to a data streaming service. The ESP8266 WiFi Shield 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. Since this is an Arduino shield, it makes it easy to attach to any devel