Give your Arduino project WiFi connectivity with the Adafruit AirLift Shield. This shield uses an ESP32 as a WiFi co-processor, handling all the heavy lifting of network connections and TLS/SSL encryption so your main microcontroller can focus on your application logic.

The ESP32 communicates over 8 MHz SPI for high-speed data transfer, requiring just an SPI bus and 2 control pins. It comes pre-programmed with WiFi co-processor firmware (a variant of Arduino WiFiNINA) and has root certificates pre-burned in for secure HTTPS connections. The shield also includes a microSD card socket for data storage or hosting content retrieved from the Internet.

Key Features

• ESP32 WiFi Co-Processor – Handles WiFi networking and TLS/SSL encryption
• 8 MHz SPI Interface – High-speed communication with just SPI + 2 control pins
• Pre-Programmed Firmware – Ready to use out of the box with Arduino and CircuitPython
• TLS/SSL Support – Root certificates pre-burned for secure connections
• MicroSD Card Socket – For data storage and hosting
• 3V and 5V Compatible – On-board 3.3V regulator for the ESP32
• Shared SPI Bus – Tri-state MOSI allows sharing with other shields
• Arduino Shield Form Factor – Plugs directly into Arduino-compatible boards

Compatibility

• Arduino – Works with Metro M0, M4 and similar (recommended for best results). ATmega328-based boards can do basic connectivity but have limited RAM.
• CircuitPython – Requires Metro M4 or equivalent SAMD51/Cortex M4 minimum
• SD Card – ATmega328-based boards cannot use both WiFi and SD card simultaneously due to RAM limitations

Also Available

• AirLift ESP32 WiFi Breakout – Universal breakout for any microcontroller
• AirLift FeatherWing – Feather form factor version
• AirLift Bitsy Add-On – Compact version for ItsyBitsy boards

Ideal For

• Adding WiFi to Arduino projects
• IoT data logging with SD card storage
• Web API integrations
• Secure HTTPS communication

Package Contents

• 1× Adafruit AirLift Shield (assembled and tested)
• 1× Header strip