Overview

This resource is used to teach The Internet of Things to 3rd year Computer Science Undergraduates. It is intended for students of that course, but should also be useful to anyone interested in the IoT and its expression in electronic devices based on microcontrollers in general (and the ESP32 family in particular).

For our undergraduates, the course is taught over a 12-week semester, with a 2-hour lab and a 1-hour lecture to attend each week. Labs take place in the Diamond Electronics & Control lab, giving students access to electronics hardware as well as test and measurement equipment to support their work on the course. Each student is also provided with an IoT kit to take home and work with in their own time. 

This book is comprised of 12 main chapters, each beginning with general discussion, history or theory, then finishing with instructions for a week’s worth of practical work. Although later material depends to varying degrees on preceding chapters, it is written to allow as much flexibility as possible, so that students can learn in whatever sequence is most convenient.

Resources Needed

Exercises are all based around the ESP32 microcontroller (the ESP32-S3 Feather, to be exact), with other low-cost electrical items also required to build circuits etc. All of the hardware can be purchased from maker/hobbyist electronics stores such as Pimoroni, Cool Components and The Pi Hut. 

Re-use or Adapt (for Educators)

You can use this resource as-is for your own teaching or you can adapt it to suit your own needs, as long as the full terms of the licence are followed. The course and code templates are all available on GitLab here, which you can download or fork should you wish to host your own version. See the README for more information on the tools required to do this.