Embedded Networking and Communications

Group Assignment:

• Send a message between two projects
• Document your work to the group work page and reflect on your individual page what you learned

What is Embedded Networking and Communication?

Embedded networking and communication involve connecting and enabling communication between embedded systems, typically microcontrollers or microcomputers, to exchange data and perform coordinated tasks. This can include communication between sensors, actuators, and control units within a system or between different systems over various communication protocols such as I2C, SPI, UART, or wireless protocols like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and ESP-NOW.

Group Assignment: Embedded Networking and Communication

In this group assignment, we focused on transmitting data from a gas sensor connected to an XIAO ESP32C3 microcontroller unit (MCU) to a NodeMCU ESP8266 board. The data received by the NodeMCU was then displayed on the serial monitor.

Objectives and Implementation

The main objective was to establish a wireless communication link between two different MCUs using ESP-NOW, a protocol developed by Espressif that enables multiple devices to communicate with each other without the need for a Wi-Fi network.

Steps and Processes

Connected a gas sensor to the XIAO ESP32C3

Programmed the XIAO to read data from the gas sensor and send it via ESP-NOW.

Configuring the NodeMCU ESP8266

Set up the NodeMCU to receive data sent by the XIAO ESP32C3

Displayed the received data on the serial monitor for verification.

Establishing ESP-NOW Communication:

Both MCUs were programmed to use ESP-NOW for communication.

The XIAO ESP32C3 was set as the sender, and the NodeMCU ESP8266 as the receiver.

Testing and Validation:

Conducted multiple tests to ensure data integrity during transmission.

Verified that the data sent from the gas sensor was accurately displayed on the NodeMCU serial monitor.

h2>Video of how it works

Skills and Learning Outcomes

This project enhanced our understanding of embedded networking and communication, particularly in using ESP-NOW for wireless data transmission. We learned to:

1. Set up and configure MCUs for ESP-NOW communication.
2. Interface sensors with MCUs and read sensor data.
3. Transmit data wirelessly between different types of MCUs.
4. Debug and troubleshoot communication issues.

Through this group assignment, we successfully managed to send data from one MCU to another wirelessly using ESP-NOW. This experience not only improved our technical skills in embedded networking but also demonstrated the importance of reliable communication protocols in building interconnected systems. The skills and knowledge gained from this project will be invaluable for our individual tasks and future projects involving embedded systems and wireless communication.