The workbenches of hobbyists, hackers, and makers have become overrun with microcontrollers, computers-on-a-chip that power homebrewed video games, robots, toys, and more. In Making Things Talk, Tom Igoe, one of the creators of Arduino, shows how to make these gadgets talk. Whether you need to connect some sensors to the Internet or create a device that can interact wirelessly with other creations, this book shows you what you need. Although they are powerful, the projects in this book are inexpensive to build: the Arduino microcontroller board itself ranges from around $25 to $40. The networking hardware covered here includes Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and can be had for $25 to $50. Fully updated for the latest Arduino hardware and software, this book lets you combine microcontrollers, sensors, and networking hardware to make things... and make them talk to each other!

Jump into the world of Near Field Communications (NFC), the fast-growing technology that lets devices in close proximity exchange data, using radio signals. With lots of examples, sample code, exercises, and step-by-step projects, this hands-on guide shows you how to build NFC applications for Android, the Arduino microcontroller, and embedded Linux devices. You'll learn how to write apps using the NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF) in PhoneGap, Arduino, and node.js that help devices read messages from passive NFC tags and exchange data with other NFC-enabled devices. If you know HTML and JavaScript, you're ready to start with NFC. Dig into NFC's architecture, and learn how it's related to RFID Write sample apps for Android with PhoneGap and its NFC plugin Dive into NDEF: examine existing tag-writer apps and build your own Listen for and filter NDEF messages, using PhoneGap event listeners Build a full Android app to control lights and music in your home Create a hotel registration app with Arduino, from check-in to door lock Write peer-to-peer NFC messages between two Android devices Explore embedded Linux applications, using examples on Raspberry Pi and BeagleBone

If you want to experiment with radio frequency identification (RFID), this book is the perfect place to start. All you need is some experience with Arduino and Processing, the ability to connect basic circuits on a breadboard with jumper wire--and you're good to go. You'll be guided through three hands-on projects that let you experience RFID in action.

RFID is used in various applications, such as identifying store items or accessing a toll road with an EZPass system. After you build each of the book's projects in succession, you'll have the knowledge to pursue RFID applications of your own.Use Processing to get a sense of how RFID readers behaveConnect Arduino to an RFID reader and discover how to use RFID tags as keysAutomate your office or home, using RFID to turn on systems when you're present, and turn them off when you leaveGet a complete list of materials you need, along with code samples and helpful illustrationsTackle each project with easy-to-follow explanations of how the code works