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Networking

The micro:bit hardware supports different networking technologies, depending on the use-case required.

If you need to talk to connected devices such as phones or computers, you can use the standard BLE protocol.

If you want to communicate between different micro-bits, it’s possible to use the radio as a broadcast send - receive channel.

Finally if you need to communicate on the internet, you have the option to connect the micro:bit with a Wifi-powered board such as an ESP8266, controlled using the Micro:bit serial port.

Bluetooth low energy

BLE is a standard protocol for low power networking, especially made for sensors.

While the Micro:bit has a BLE Radio, it’s a little harder to program a BLE application than a normal one.

If you only need to read the Micro:bit sensors from a mobile phone, there’s a ready to use firmware for that.

See the Bluetooth section for more references.

Radio

The Micro:bit radio uses the BLE modem to share data with several Micro:bit boards in the same physical location.

This is a very easy and intuitive way to create pop-up networks and develop interactive applications with multiple boards.

See the Radio section for more information.