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Wi-Fi

Interfacing ESP8266 Module Wi-Fi with ESP32

What is the ESP8266 Module?

A more fully-broken-out ESP8266 module than the ESP-01, exposing extra GPIO pins alongside its Wi-Fi radio. It packages the same ESP8266 Wi-Fi SoC used across the ESP-01 through ESP-12 family, but on a board layout that surfaces more of the chip's usable GPIO, ADC, and control pins, making it easier to wire directly into a breadboard project without the limited 2-GPIO constraint of the ESP-01.

Specifications

Wi-Fi chipsetESP8266 SoC, 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz Wi-Fi
CPUTensilica L106 32-bit RISC, up to 80/160 MHz
Operating voltage3.3V DC (NOT 5V tolerant on GPIO or power input)
Operating current~80 mA average, spikes to 200-300 mA during Wi-Fi transmit bursts
Flash memoryTypically 1MB–4MB onboard SPI flash, depending on module variant
GPIOMultiple usable GPIO pins broken out (varies by exact module, typically 8-9), plus one analog input (ADC)
ADC1 analog input, 0-1V range (some breakouts add a resistor divider for 0-3.3V)
Programming interfaceUART (TX/RX) for flashing via esptool or the Arduino IDE, requires GPIO0 pulled LOW to enter flash mode

ESP8266 Module Pinout

PinNameDescription
1VCCPower, 3.3V DC only — do not supply 5V
2GNDGround
3TX / RXDUART transmit/receive for programming and serial communication
4GPIO0General I/O; must be pulled LOW at boot to enter flashing mode, HIGH for normal run mode
5GPIO2General I/O; must be pulled HIGH at boot for normal operation
6CH_PD / ENChip enable — must be pulled HIGH for the module to run
7RSTActive-LOW reset pin
8A0 (ADC)Analog input, present on modules that expose it (e.g. ESP-12 based boards)

All ESP8266 GPIO and power pins are strictly 3.3V — connecting 5V logic or supply will damage the chip, so use a logic-level shifter or a 5V-to-3.3V regulator when interfacing with 5V boards like the Arduino Uno. GPIO0 and GPIO2 have boot-mode roles (LOW/HIGH respectively for normal run) that must be respected or the module will fail to start correctly.

Setting Up ESP8266 Module with ESP32

Library

ESP8266WiFi by ESP8266 Community

Bundled with the ESP8266 Arduino core

Library guide

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