Arduino Oplà IoT Kit vs/ Arduino Explore IoT Kit

Projects General Guidance
1

Arduino Oplà IoT Kit vs/ Arduino Explore IoT Kit

Which kit would be the best starter for someone wqanting to get started with IoT?

They both seem to have the same parts and different projects, but not a lot of information it seems until you register the kit

Thanks in advance

Arduino Oplà IoT Kit

Arduino Explore IoT Kit

2

You could just buy a Nano every IOT and play with that .

You really need to think about what you actually want to do , what experience you have and then align it to the kit you want to buy or an alternative routes if just buying the parts you want .
If you are new to Arduino , i would just buy a UNO and play with that , before attempting anything a bit harder.

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Thanks much

I have been through I think 1.5 starter kits but have not done much for a few months so am more than a bit rusty - I am starting through the Arduino (here) starter/intro but a bit slow. On some things like this I usually do best with some structure and guidance. I get frustrated at times when trying to find the missing link on the internet - can waste hours trying to find someone that has posted accurate info and guides

I am looking for an overview and only have some vague ideas on a couple of projects

I have programmed in several languages over the years when I worked so programming and good design with comments and variable names is normal

Thanks again

4

This is the reply I received from Arduino support, thought I would pass it on:

Jazmin, Jan 10, 2022, 17:39 GMT+1

Hi Mike,

Thanks for your interest in our educational programs!

The Oplà IoT Kit is designed for individuals to use to add connectivity to the
devices around the home or in the office, while the Explore IoT Kit is an
educational kit developed for students to learn how to control objects remotely
using digital dashboards and learn the fundamentals of the Internet of Things.
Furthermore, they offer different online platforms and different projects — in
other words, a completely different experience.

  • Arduino Explore IoT Kit

The Explore IoT Kit teaches you fundamental concepts to control objects
remotely.
This educational kit includes 10 online student activities that adopt a
learning-by-doing approach.

Step-by-step students will acquire knowledge by constructing fully functional
solutions, including experiments, challenges, and building real-life
applications. Students also learn to control objects remotely using a digital
dashboard: the Arduino IoT Cloud.

  • Arduino Oplà IoT Kit (recommended for you)
    The Oplà IoT Kit adds connectivity to your home, office appliances, and
    applications without the need for soldering.
    This kit comes with a complete set of eight Internet of Things projects ready to
    turn everyday appliances into ‘smart’ appliances, e.g. a thermostat. More
    advanced users can create their own connected devices.

Feel free to get back to us if you have any further queries.

Hope you have an amazing day
Happy creations!

Best,
Jazmin

Arduino Support Team

5

Frankly, if you are going to be interested in IoT, you really need to look into the ESP8266 rather than an Arduino as such.

The WeMOS D1 Mini is a good start. :+1:

6

@Paul_B

Thanks for the suggestion - I will check out that chip and package.

One of the appeals of the Arduino package is that they have put together some pre-done package going through the Arduino Cloud with what they claim is an easy to use dashboard to display and change data in the MCU module - having some of the data handling already done appeals to me - there is a 12 month free subscription to their cloud - then seems to me it is about $ 5.--/month to use -