Expanded mesh and cloud support for wireless SoC

Responding to customer demand, Espressif Systems has extended its support for mesh networks to the ESP32 wireless system-on-chip. This bridges the gap between the earlier-generation ESP8266’s mesh support and the more advanced security features available on the flagship ESP32.

ESP-MDF (Mesh Development Framework) works hand-in-hand with the ESD-MESH protocol, which is designed to improve support for larger venues or multiple floors in big buildings. The topology’s structure is robust since even if certain nodes fail, other nodes in the network will get dynamically self-organised, thus overcoming the damage. Any two mesh nodes can communicate with each other, which is suitable for networking demands in large venues and places with multiple layers. Over 1000 devices can be connected to each other and form a wireless network.

The company also announced that Atmosphere IoT has started supporting ESP32. Atmosphere IoT is a robust platform for creating, deploying and managing smart connected devices. Cloud-enabled embedded applications on ESP32 can now try the Atmosphere platform and discover what it has to offer. The platform is still in beta, supporting Bluetooth Low Energy on ESP32 while support for Wi-Fi is coming soon.

The advantages for ESP32 users include simultaneous development of the firmware, application interface and cloud capabilities; drag-and-drop style of development; and device management/monitoring through a browser-based software or mobile app.

ESP32 users who want to try the Atmosphere IoT platform, have access to a getting-started guide, and a trial is available with a limit of five devices and 10 MB per device.