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Is it possible to reliably and economically add Wifi+ Micro-controller(for very simple logic and GPIO) to a non-moving device? I see some wifi soc in the market too. are these a viable options? I am hoping that the wifi+logic won't cost more than 5$ or 6$. Is this event possible?

Gustavo Litovsky
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iCode
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  • This is not shopping question. I simply want to know how this is possible. Specific models are not being asked here. Simply the how part. – iCode Oct 18 '12 at 10:47
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    Questions about component selection are very much on-topic for EE. "Shopping" refers to complete assemblies such as consumer or industrial goods. – Dave Tweed Oct 18 '12 at 12:14
  • The "how" part of... adding something to something else... is exactly what it is. The question you're asking literally does not make sense. Please reformulate your question. – Toby Lawrence Oct 18 '12 at 12:49
  • @DaveTweed Shopping implies using the site to go out and shop around for products for your, irregardless of if it is an all together model. This seems to be asking about the feasibility of a certain project requirement and just on the borderline of answerable as to how you would go about adding wifi to a project, chipset/module/not possible at all at price range. – Kortuk Oct 18 '12 at 14:34
  • Thanks for the notes guys. I reformulated my question to make it more clear what I am asking here. While I was not asking about parts in here, I do support you Dave 500%! A major part of electronic design is to pick up the right part and I would love to be able to use other's experience here (specially for me as a newbie) else I have to spend hours, days and sometimes weeks to figure why I should have selected part x over y! I sincerely ask all moderators here not to kill questions like that and let people share their perspectives on the right parts as such are invaluable. – iCode Oct 18 '12 at 20:32

2 Answers2

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Unless you are talking astronomical volumes, it's just not going to happen in your price range with parts that are currently on the market.

The cheapest wifi implementations tend to be no-name USB dongles (about at your total price point), but to use one of those you need to have a microcontroller with USB host capability, which all by itself exceeds your budget.

Something like the eletric imp device might approach what you want, but you'll see the pricing is nowhere near your goal. It's possible that up at the top of the supply chain the actual parts cost of that module might be about your target, but to get that you would have to have their volume, and make your own run through all the design, certification, and manufacturing hurdles of making something like that from components, at the investment of a lot of cost and time.

(But this disappointing reality doesn't make your question a bad one to have asked)

Chris Stratton
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  • Oh, many thanks, I had no idea. What do think about the wifi soc's? Will they work or is it again too much work to use in lower quantities? – iCode Oct 18 '12 at 20:35
  • Of course technology marches on. Depending on how extensively something like an ESP8266 can be reprogrammed (beyond just wifi functionality), that in quantity would probably now meet your budget, as a module. – Chris Stratton Mar 05 '15 at 14:53
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The SOCs aren't helpful since it is a non trivial cost to make the PCB for one and via layout and assembly populate it with the various support components such as an antenna, decoupling capacitors, SOC programming connector, et. al. Most SOCs are over $6 in low volumes and typically a WiFi circuit would use a 4-layer PCB which itself is usually between $15 and $300 depending on quantity ordered with prices in the $15 range usually requiring quite small PCBs and probably ordering many dozens if not over a hundred PCBs. Then there's the assembly costs which will be alone higher than $6/PCB in any modest quantity, particularly for the first prototypes. Then there's the cost to develop/test the PCB, program the code for the SOC, program each PCB with firmware, etc. The cheapest thing to do in low quantities would be to integrate commercially available WiFi/MCU hardware like the USB dongles others have mentioned, but those are still often too expensive and generally useless for GPIO or custom programming.
Also the product EMC / RF testing and certifications are a non-trivial expense for commercialization of your product if that is your intention, particularly if you use a custom RF solution instead of a pre-certified module for the main RF/MCU functions. Just look at some development board or module product like one of these:

They're not 802.11 WiFi compatible for the least expensive options, but if your data rate and communications can be handled by one of the alternative technologies and protocols there are some relatively easy to use relatively ready to integrate options. If you need WiFi (802.11.whatever) compatibility of course that is available in a MCU module as well, probably for a price several times higher than the $6 you desire. IR communications like IRDA is easier and cheaper if it'll work for you.

whatever102904
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