The ESP8266EX has a complete and self-contained Wi-Fi network function that can be used either standalone or as a slave running on other host MCUs. The ESP8266EX can boot directly from an external flash when used standalone. The built-in high speed buffer memory facilitates high system performance and optimises the storage system. In addition, the ESP8266EX can be used as a Wi-Fi adapter in any microcontroller-based design by simply using the SPI/SDIO connector or the UART connector. the ESP8266EX integrates antenna switches, RF baluns, power amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers, filters and power management modules. This compact design requires minimal external circuitry and minimises PCB size. The ESP8266EX also integrates an enhanced version of Tensilica's L106 drill-down family of 32-bit core processors with on-disk SRAM.
The ESP8266EX can be used to externally connect sensors and other devices via IO. A software development kit (SDK) provides sample code for use.
Leading features of the ESCP-Espressif Systems' Smart Connectivity Platform include:
- Fast switching between sleep/wake modes for energy savings
- Adaptive RF tuning for low-power operation
- Front-end signal processing capabilities
- Troubleshooting and RF coexistence mechanisms to eliminate cellular/Bluetooth/DDR/LVDS/LCD interference