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Back in my college days (which is about 3 years ago) we used to do some microchip programming. I've always enjoyed programming those things.

Now I'm thinking about buying such things to make me enjoy it once more :)

But to be very honest, I only have knowledge about the programming part, and not about the differences between the microchips (since there are so many available).

What I am basically looking for is a microchip which we can connect with buttons, lights, etc but which we can also connect to the internet using UTP or wireless (preferred).

The lights and buttons are easy, but what about the network connectivity?

I hope I can find some help here, since I really lack this knowledge...

BTW, the programming language does not really matter, if I can choose i'd go for C#. But I will be able to work with most of the languages. (C, C++, Java, ... but again I'd prefer c# if possible)

BTW What about Arduino or Netduino?

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1 Answer

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Arduino with a wifi shield or an ethernet shield is a great start. The Arduino IDE is functional, and there are a lot of libraries and great support on here and elsewhere on the web. However the programming language is C++ and typical Arduinos have RAM (1 - 2kB) and clock speed (8 - 16MHz) is on the lower end of things.

OR

Netduino. C# programming language. Better IDE with Microsoft Visual C#, although normal Arduinos can be written for using Visual Studio and the Visual Micro plugin. Much faster clock speed and more RAM, but more power. Arduino shields can be used on the Netduino. The Netduino Plus 2 has ethernet. Some people have had success connecting a WiFly shield for WiFi connectivity.

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So, if I am correct, Netduino is not some crap microship. I will not do any harm buying it for testing purposes ? Thanks for the reply man! :) – Frederik Nov 9 '12 at 12:12
Only harm will be to your wallet. :P Most people go with normal arduino because it seems to be the heart of most uni projects. But netduino has c#... I love c#! Still, I have not used it myself so this is only going off reading forums and the like. – geometrikal Nov 9 '12 at 12:50
Well, I have no issue with different languages. So maybe it might be cool to go for arduino. But I guess I will start using the c# one... Since I have been using Visual Studio every day for the last 5 years. So it might be easier to get started! :) Thanks again man – Frederik Nov 9 '12 at 14:03

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