Ethernet shields are electronic boards used to connect Arduino boards to internet through Ethernet. Ethernet shields have suitable pinout for Arduino Uno R3 pinout. Similar to other Arduino shields, Ethernet shields consist of an Ethernet module and the circuits that it needs to properly work. The pinout of the shield is designed so that the shield can be stacked on an Arduino. Like all Arduino shields, Ethernet shields can also be used with other shields if there are no conflicting pins.
Ethernet shields make it possible for Arduino microcontrollers to connect to internet. Internet of things projects can be developed by using these shields. By using Ethernet shield your Arduino can be controlled over the internet, or send data over internet.
Internet of things is the name given to the network that embedded systems use to communicate with themselves. Officially “Internet of Things” phrase is first used by British entrepreneur Kevin Ashton in 1999. The purpose of IoT applications are enhancing data sharing among embedded systems and make it more effective than machine-to-machine(M2M) communications. Experts estimate that in 2020, applications running on IoT network will be more than 50 billion.
