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Connecting your Arduino to WiFi via an ESP-

8266 module
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ESP-8266 is an easy and low-cost alternative to the expensive

Arduino WiFi shields. While those shields can cost over USD
50, you can find an ESP module for less that USD 3 at ebay
There are several ESP module models around there. All of them
are based on the same IC. This article is based on the ESP-01,
which is, probably, the most common model.
All ESP-8266 modules are programable. You can use the
default factory firmware or you can write your own firmware
and upload it to your module. My module came with the
firmware version 0018000902-AI03.
The default firmware provides a serial communication that you
can use to send AT commands to your module, just like in the
old telephone/modem days. These commands provide
everything you need to connect to an WiFi router and
send/receive data.

Connecting the ESP to an Arduino

The logic connections between Arduino and ESP are very
simple: ESP-Rx goes to Arduino Tx, ESP-Tx goes to Arduino Rx.
However, all ESP-8266 run on 3.3V, while Arduino pins run on

5V. Before connecting them, you shall provide a way to adapt

5V. Before connecting them, you shall provide a way to adapt
these voltages, or you could damage your ESP.
I'm using an CD4050 to adjust the voltage between the Tx/Rx
pins. Check it:

Note that I'm using the CD4050 only to adapt the Arduino-Tx to
ESP-Rx. There's no need to adjust the ESP-Tx to Arduino-Rx,
since the Arduino port can handle 3.3V.
Also note that the Arduino 3.3V regulated output (50 mA max)
can't drive the current requested by the ESP (Up to 200 mA).
Some tutorials on the Internet use the Arduino 3.3V to power
the ESP, but it didn't worked for me. I'm using an external power
supply (An old 5V Android charger).
I'm using a diode and resistor (17 kOhms, but any large value
will work) to decrease my 5V power supply (Here depicted as a
battery pack). Depending on the quality of your power supply,
you can use one or two diodes. As mine wasn't a good one, a
single diode was enough to get 3.7V when the circuit was
powered on.
I made a PCB with this circuit. You'll find the link at the end of
this post
Important:
Never power your ESP with 5V. You'll destroy it. The same
goes for any logic input (In this case, the Rx pin)
If your ESP receives less than 3.3V, you'll end up with a lot
of transmission errors (You'll see a lot of garbage on your
serial communication)
When using an external power, do not forget of
interconnecting both Arduino-GND and power supply GND,
to keep the voltage reference. If you don't do that, you'll
end up with a lot of transmission errors, again.

ESP-8266-01 terminals
The terminals for this ESP models are depicted here:

VCC shall be connected to the 3.3V power supply

GPIO0 and GPIO2 are general purpose digital ports. GPIO0
also controls the module mode (programming or normal
operation). In our case (normal operation), it shall be
connected to 3.3V (high). GPIO2 is not used in this
example, so I put it on 3.3V to simplify the connections
CH_PD: Chip enable. Keep it on high (3.3V) for normal
operation
 RST: Reset. Keep it on high (3.3V) for normal operation.
Put it on 0V to reset the chip.
Tx: Goes to Arduino Rx
Rx: Goes to Arduino Tx (But needs a voltage adjusting)
GND is ground
You can see that, in this example, all pins go to VCC (3.3V),
except GND, Rx and Tx.
Note that the module also has two-color led (or two separate
leds, depending on your vendor)
Red led indicates the board is powered
Blue led indicates module activity (Initializing, Rx/Tx, etc)

Test code
In order to test your ESP, you'll need two serial ports:
One dedicated serial port, connected between Arduino and
ESP, where Arduino will send AT commands to ESP.
A second serial port, connected between Arduino and the
computer, where you can type your AT commands.

So, the best Arduino model for this task is Mega, since it
provides up to 4 serial ports. You can still try other models,
using the SoftSerial lib, but this library has some speed
limitations, and it may not work with some ESP models.
You can test your ESP connection with the following simple
code:

void setup()
{
Serial.begin(9600);
Serial1.begin(9600);
}
void loop()
{
while (Serial1.available()) {
Serial.write(Serial1.read());
}
 while (Serial.available()) {
Serial1.write(Serial.read());
}
}

This code simply relays data from both Arduino serial. It gets
the AT commands you type at your computer and sends them
directly to your ESP. It also gets ESP return data and sends to
your computer.

Once you upload this code to your Arduino, you'll see this on
your terminal:

Note that, as there are some differences among modules from

different manufacturers, the information available at Internet is,
several times, contradictory. If your module doesn't work, try
other different baud rates
The "ready" text on your terminal means that your ESP is ready
to receive your AT commands. You can get a list of them at the
bottom of this page.
However, you'd rather use a high level library, since using AT
However, you'd rather use a high level library, since using AT
commands may be tricky. A good one is also available at the
bottom links. An example of what you can achieve with this
library:

The code for this example can be found at the bottom

(Portuguese tutorial)

Links
My projects with ESP826 at github (Includes all circuits
shown at this page)
List of ESP AT commands
ESP-8266 Library for Arduino
A great tutorial, in Portuguese
CD45050 Datasheet
A very good reference doc for ESP8266 (PDF)

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