I would like a microcontroller already interfaced to a WiFi module, with the WiFi interface taken care of. Also, I want to be able to program the MCU to interface sensors or whatever…possibly with the outputs broken out for ease of connecting. Almost like a development board, but small and cheap enough to interface a few sensors or such and send over wifi.
These guys are close Roving Networks, but the interface to the MCU is very limited. I know wifi is overkill for sensor data, but it is also ubiquitous.
I guess what I am saying is that I hate laying out boards. I have done some serious google searching and haven't found anything. Anybody using anything like this?
Update:
The ESP8266 is probably the answer to this question
Best Answer
It could be cheaper to sacrifice the ubiquity of the WLAN protocol (that maybe it's not so necessary) and switch to other 2.4 GHz protocol, such as 802.15.4 (Physical and MAC protocol, low level) or things such as Bluetooth or (better) ZigBee.
You could still easily interface the network with your computer using a USB dongle, and you gain in range, power consumed and you find also readymade modules, such as Jennic, that has also a built-in PCB antenna.