Connect arduino with C# Desktop application wireless using esp8266

Question

I am using wifi module esp8266 , what is easiest way to communicate arduino with desktop application and make a wireless communication between them. Please refer any useful resources

• Majenko: Are you using the ESP with an Arduino or stand-alone?
• Ans Bilal: I am using esp with Arduino
• 001: There are many options. What exactly do you want to do?

Answer 1

Either use TCP or UDP to communicate. With TCP one end will be the server and will open a socket (your choice) and the other end will connect to it (much like communicating with a web server). With UDP both ends will open a socket and send discrete packets backwards and forwards.

How you would do either of those in C# is outside the scope of this website.

The ESP8266 has AT commands that perform the task for you - chiefly AT+CIPSTART.

The simplest to understand is probably TCP communication where you can just follow any of the myriad of website based examples. However instead of communicating with a website using HTTP you will be communicating with your own server software written in C# using your own custom designed protocol.

A simpler option may be to use a real web server as a "man in the middle" to which both the ESP8266 and your C# program communicate. That website could become a database back-end for your program.

Of course, what you decide to do depends entirely on how complex your program is and what data it is you want to transfer.

• Ans Bilal: I just want to send a simple string from esp8266 to my C# application. I do not want to go for a web server. Can we do this like we do with serial port and arduino. Can you send me some useful links
• Majenko: Learn what TCP sockets are.
• dandavis: you can use a serial port, but a web server would be much simpler to deploy as it would not require client drivers.