Industrial machinery automation with ESP32

a study on UART, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth communication

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the viability of the ESP32 microcontroller for communication applications in industrial automation, analyzing the performance of its UART, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth interfaces in terms of packet loss and data integrity, with a specific comparison of UART against the STM32F412VGT6. The methodology involved controlled tests conducted over 72 hours for each interface, transmitting 108-byte packets every minute and recording loss rates and CRC errors. The results indicated high reliability for UART communication on the ESP32 (0.069% loss), with performance comparable to the STM32 (0%), validating its use in industrial serial communication. The ESP32's Bluetooth interface showed good performance for short-range wireless communication (0.20% loss), while the Wi-Fi interface (0.16%) demonstrated potential for integration with IP networks and IIoT systems. It is concluded that the ESP32 is a versatile and low-cost platform with robust communication capabilities (both wired and wireless), suitable for various applications in modern industrial automation, provided that the interface is carefully selected and robustness mechanisms are implemented, especially for wireless communication