An IoT device is only useful once it can talk to something else, and most of the time that means doing it without a cable. Choosing how to connect is a trade-off between range, power use, speed, and cost, and no single technology wins on all four.
You'll start with the foundations of TCP/IP networking, covering IP addresses, ports, and how data travels between devices. From there you'll look at three wireless options: Wi-Fi on the ESP32 for fast connections to a router, Bluetooth Low Energy for short-range, battery-friendly links to phones and peripherals, and LoRa for sending small amounts of data over long distances.
Once you've finished, move on to IoT Protocols & Cloud to send your device's data to the internet.
How IP addresses are assigned and used, how data is packetized, what ports and sockets are, and how common services such as DHCP and DNS work, taught for engineers adding network connectivity to a product.
Setting up the ESP32's built-in Wi-Fi: scanning for networks, connecting to a router in station mode, creating its own network in access point mode, and serving web pages that control LEDs.
The core ideas of Bluetooth Low Energy: how it differs from classic Bluetooth, peripherals and centrals, advertising and scanning, connections, and how data is organised into services and characteristics.
A low-cost, licence-free way to send short bursts of data over long distances, covering how LoRa works and how to use it with Arduino, ESP32, and Raspberry Pi Pico boards.