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Wifi controlled smart light bulbs can now be purchased from less than USD 10. However, those can often only be used by a specific application provided by the vendor and can involve exchanging data with a third party server. I wanted a solution to use my own software while benefiting from the cheap hardware so I replaced the wifi module of a a cheap Wifi light bulb my own electronics.

Modules like the Wemos D1 mini are a relatively cheap and easy way to integrate an ESP8266 in a project. However, one would sometimes require to have more freedom over the electronics, especially when it comes to PCB layout. For this purpose, the ESP8266 can be used in a form factor closer to its raw form, the ESP12-F module.