Adafruit AirLift User Manual

Adafruit IO Basics: AirLift

Created by Brent Rubell

Last updated on 2021-03-03 05:48:44 PM EST

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Guide Contents

Guide Contents
Overview

Why use AirLift?
External AirLift
AirLift all-in-One Boards

Adafruit IO Setup
CircuitPython

Install CircuitPython
Internet Connect!
Secrets File Setup for Adafruit IO
CircuitPython Library Installation
CircuitPython Usage
Adafruit IO Usage
Next Steps

Arduino IO Library

Installation

Usage

Usage
Adafruit IO Usage
Next Steps

IO FAQ

Can I build my own Client Library for Adafruit IO?
My data isn't displaying, is Adafruit IO's {service/MQTT/API} down?
Is my data being sent properly? Am I sending too much data?
What about the data that my project generates? Where does it go? What happens to it? Are you going to sell it?
I have an Alexa/Echo Dot/AI Voice Assistant. How do I interface it with Adafruit IO?
I don't see my question listed.

© Adafruit Industries https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-io-basics-airlift Page 2 of 20

Overview

Adafruit IO is the easiest way to stream, log, and interact with your data (https://adafru.it/eIC). It's built from

the ground up to be easy to use - we do the hard stuff so you can focus on the fun stuff.

If you want to the best way of bringing your project online - combine Adafruit IO and AirLift! Our ESP32­based AirLift boards and breakouts are the newest way to connect your project to Adafruit IO, our

internet-of-things service for everyone (https://adafru.it/eIC)!

Before you continue with this guide, you should run through the guide for your connecting specific board
or breakout to the Internet. This guide assumes your AirLift hardware is set up, connected to the Internet,
and ready to connect to Adafruit IO.

Why use AirLift?

Having WiFi managed by a separate chip means your code is simpler, you don't have to cache socket
data, or compile in & debug an SSL library. With AirLift, you can send basic but powerful socket-based
commands over 8MHz SPI for high speed data transfer. The ESP32 can handle all the heavy lifting of
connecting to a WiFi network and transferring data from a site, even if its using the latest TLS/SSL
encryption (it has root certificates pre-burned in).

The firmware on board is a slight variant of the Arduino WiFiNINA core, which works
great, (https://adafru.it/E7O) and our Adafruit IO Libraries for CircuitPython (https://adafru.it/Ean) and
Arduino (https://adafru.it/fpd) support AirLift!

External AirLift

If you already have a project which uses a popular microcontroller (like the ATMega328 or ATSAMD51),
you can easily add WiFi by using an externally connected AirLift module.

© Adafruit Industries https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-io-basics-airlift Page 3 of 20

Adafruit AirLift – ESP32 WiFi Co-Processor Breakout Board

Give your plain ol' microcontroller project a lift with the Adafruit AirLift - a breakout board that lets you use
the powerful ESP32 as a WiFi co-processor. You probably...
Out of Stock

AirLift all-in-One Boards

Don't want to add extra hardware to your project?

Consider grabbing a board which has an ESP32 WiFi

co-processor built-in!

Out of

Stock

© Adafruit Industries https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-io-basics-airlift Page 4 of 20

Adafruit Metro M4 Express AirLift (WiFi) - Lite

Give your next project a lift with AirLift - our witty name for the ESP32 co-processor that graces this Metro
M4. You already know about the Adafruit Metro...
$34.95
In Stock

Add to Cart

© Adafruit Industries https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-io-basics-airlift Page 5 of 20

Adafruit PyPortal - CircuitPython Powered Internet Display

PyPortal, our easy-to-use IoT device that allows you to create all the things for the “Internet of Things” in
minutes. Make custom touch screen interface...
Out of Stock

Out of

Stock

© Adafruit Industries https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-io-basics-airlift Page 6 of 20