Wireless is wonderful, but sometimes you want the strong reliability of a wired connection. If your project is going to be part of a permanent installation, you'll want to add ethernet networking to your project. 

Ethernet is incredibly easy to use - there's no network configuration or device pairing. Just plug a standard Ethernet cable into an Ethernet FeatherWing or Ethernet Shield and use the CircuitPython Wiznet5k library for quick and reliable, networking.

• If you'd like to learn more about the Ethernet standard - check out its section in the All The Internet of Things: Transports guide.

We've built a module for CircuitPython compatible with WIZnet 5k-series TCP/IP Ethernet controllers to quickly get your projects online. Seconds after connecting, the module will handle performing the DHCP setup for you. You may also supply this module with a statically-assigned network configuration.

In this guide, you will set up your CircuitPython hardware and connect to the internet. We've included code walkthrough portions of this guide, so you can roll your own Ethernet-connected IoT CircuitPython project. 

Parts

The Ethernet FeatherWing is plug-and-play compatible with CircuitPython boards which use the Feather pinout, such as the Adafruit Feather M4 Express. 

The Ethernet Shield is compatible with development boards which use the pinout such as the Adafruit Metro M4 and the Adafruit Grand Central M4 Express. The shield includes a RJ45 Ethernet port and a microSD card holder for storing and reading data.