Datasheet Directories

IoT Interface Modules

Written by Jeff Child

Wireless Wonders

As the IoT phenomenon continues to gather momentum, so too is the demand for highly integrated modules designed for the IoT edge. Feeding those needs, a new crop of IoT modules have emerged that offer pre-certified solutions ready for design in.

  • IoT Interface Modules

  • Wi-Fi

  • Bluetooth

  • LTE

  • NB-IoT

The Internet of Things (IoT) has become one of the most dynamic segments of today’s embedded system design. The scope that comprises IoT edge devices includes a combination of embedded processors and microcontrollers (MCUs) that provide intelligence. Those are combined with various wireless, cellular and other connectivity solutions to connect to the network.

To get to market quickly, IoT system designers are looking to modular solutions that combine intelligence and connectivity, while also taking on the vital certifications needed to get IoT implementations up and running. Over the past 12 months, a new crop of module-based products have emerged aimed directly at IoT. The product gallery in the next two pages provides a representative look at some of these modules.

An example application using modular IoT technology, is an ESP8266-based, distance monitor designed to help people properly maintain the official guidelines for social distancing during the COVID-19 crisis. ESP8266 is an integrated Wi-Fi MCU for IoT applications from Espressif Systems. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a number of basic protective measures against the new coronavirus. Along with practicing meticulous personal hygiene and wearing a mask as appropriate, one important piece of advice from the WHO experts has been to maintain social distancing. This has been specified as keeping a specified distance between yourself and other people.

With that in mind, Sahil Rastogi and his team at Random Stuff We Make! (RSWM!) in Delhi, India, built a gadget that can help people properly implement the WHO guidelines about social distancing. The gadget that RSWM! created is called “Wearable Corona Distance Monitor” (Figure 1). This simple wearable device changes its color and pitch of sound, whenever a person comes closer than one meter to you. The key components of the device are an Espressif ESP8266-based NodeMCU ESP8266 breakout board and an Adafruit WS2812 5050 RGB LED NeoPixel Ring.

This simple wearable device changes its color and pitch of sound, whenever a person comes closer than a certain distance. The key components of the device are an Espressif ESP8266-based NodeMCU ESP8266 breakout board and an Adafruit WS2812 5050 RGB LED NeoPixel Ring.

PUBLISHED IN CIRCUIT CELLAR MAGAZINE • JULY 2020 #360 – Get a PDF of the issue


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Former Editor-in-Chief at Circuit Cellar | Website | + posts

Jeff served as Editor-in-Chief for both LinuxGizmos.com and its sister publication, Circuit Cellar magazine 6/2017—3/2022. In nearly three decades of covering the embedded electronics and computing industry, Jeff has also held senior editorial positions at EE Times, Computer Design, Electronic Design, Embedded Systems Development, and COTS Journal. His knowledge spans a broad range of electronics and computing topics, including CPUs, MCUs, memory, storage, graphics, power supplies, software development, and real-time OSes.

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IoT Interface Modules

by Jeff Child time to read: 2 min