Wireless is wonderful, but sometimes you want the strong reliability of a wire. If you want to incorporate an Ethernet port as a great addition to your IoT project, this WIZ5500 Ethernet Breakout will let you add quick and easy wired Internet. Just plug in a standard Ethernet cable, and run the Ethernet Arduino library (or CircuitPython) for cross-platform networking.

Ethernet is a tried-and-true networking standard. Every hub and switch supports it, and because there's a physical connection, you don't have to noodle around with SSIDs, passwords, authentication schemes, or antennas. The WIZ5500 chip communicates over SPI plus a single CS pin. The Arduino/CircuitPython support libraries work well, and within a few seconds of connection, it will perform the DHCP setup for you.

We made a nice little breakout board with the WIZ5500, all the support circuitry needed for use with 3V or 5V microcontrollers - all level shifting done for you! As a nice extra, the RJ-45 jack features both link and activity lights that indicate the current connection status through lighting or blinking. With a little bit of soldering and wiring you can connect this to just about any microcontroller.

If you want one specifically for use with Feathers, check out the Ethernet Featherwing

Note that this product does not have PoE support, but you can add it by the addition of a PoE splitter. We have a version that provides 5V at 2.4 Amp max into a USB connector.

Each order comes with one assembled and tested breakout, plus some header. You will need to solder in the header yourself, but it's a quick task. Check out our tutorial for code, schematics, files, and more!