How to Choose Your ESP8266 Module

The first module of this guide, which is one of the first ESP8266 modules that came out on the market, is the ESP-01 module. It is the cheapest and nearly the smallest module available. It is perfectly usable with the Arduino IDE for example. However, it comes with serious disadvantages. First, you can't plug it into a breadboard without an adapter. Then, you don't have access to all the input/output pins of the ESP8266 chip, which is a problem if you have complex projects that you want to build. However, for simple projects, this is a good module to start with.

The next one I wanted to mention in this list is the ESP-07, which is the one you see on the right on the picture. This module can't be used alone on a breadboard, as you need an adapter board (usually sold with the module) to use it in your breadboard projects. It is actually the base of several other ESP8266 modules, as we will see later in this guide. The advantage of this module is that it's quite easy to integrate on a PCB later on, so if you plan to develop your own ESP8266 home automation projects in the future, that might be the ideal solution for you.

Next, we have the SparkFun Thing which includes built-in micro-USB connector for power and a LiPo battery connector, making it perfect for battery-powered IoT projects.