Hardware manufacturer
Espressif Systems
Maker of the ESP32 and ESP8266 SoCs, the backbone of maker IoT
Shanghái, CN
Website ↗Espressif Systems makes the ESP8266 and ESP32
HardwareESP32Dual-core WiFi + BT/BLE SoC at €-tier priceView profile SoCs, the chips that put Wi-Fi and Bluetooth within reach of any connected project. Founded in Shanghai in 2008, it is listed on the Shanghai STAR Market under 688018. The company reports more than 1.5 billion IoTITermIoT (Internet of Things)The IoT (Internet of Things) is the network of physical objects with sensors, software and connectivity that collect and exchange data and act autonomously.View profile SoCs shipped.
What it builds
Chips that put the microcontroller and the radio in one part, which is what made connected hardware cheap. The current families split into several series: ESP32-S and ESP32-P for the applications that need more compute, vision and audio included, and ESP32-C and ESP32-H, on RISC-V cores, for low power and for devices speaking 802.15.4, Thread or Zigbee
ProtocolZigbeeVeteran 2.4 GHz mesh — backbone of many smart home hubsView profile. Almost all of them carry Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy or both.
The ecosystem around the silicon matters as much as the chip: the ESP-IDF framework, official Arduino
CompanyArduinoOpen source hardware and software platform for makersView profile support, ESP-NOW for direct device-to-device links with no access point, and Matter support on the newer series.
Why it shows up in so many IoT projects
Price and documentation. An ESP32 module costs a few euros, ships with a certified radio, and has thousands of published examples behind it, so a prototype takes days instead of months. That made it the usual entry point both for makers and for manufacturers who later scale to production.
The flip side: it is a general-purpose chip, not a finished device. Power, antenna, enclosure, certifications and over-the-air updates are still the integrator's work.
How it fits with Cloud Studio IoT
An ESP32 based device connects to the platform over MQTT with TLS, against the instance's own MQTT
ProtocolMQTTThe standard pub/sub protocol of IoTView profile server, or over the HTTPS API when readings are occasional. No intermediate gateway is needed: the chip opens the connection and publishes to its topic. From there the telemetry is decoded, charted on a dashboard and wired to alarms like any other device.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the ESP32 and the ESP8266?+
The ESP8266 is the earlier part: a single core, Wi-Fi only, fewer pins. The ESP32 adds Bluetooth Low Energy, more memory, more peripherals and, depending on the series, one or two cores. The ESP8266 is still fine for a simple mains-powered sensor; for most other cases the ESP32 is the better start.
Is the ESP32 good for an industrial product or only for prototypes?+
It is used in products. Modules ship with the radio already certified, which is the expensive part of compliance. What stays with the manufacturer is power design, antenna, enclosure, the over-the-air update plan, and testing for the temperature and vibration of the place the device will live in.
How much battery does an ESP32 use?+
Almost entirely a question of how long it stays awake. In deep sleep it draws a few microamps, and transmitting over Wi-Fi it peaks in the hundreds of milliamps. That is why a sensor reporting hourly lasts months on a battery, while the same device with the radio always on needs mains power.
Can an ESP32 reach Cloud Studio IoT without a gateway?+
Yes. The chip opens an MQTT connection with TLS against the instance's MQTT server and publishes to its topic, or posts to the HTTPS API when readings are occasional. No intermediate gateway is required.
