I have been avoiding the ESP8266 because of the toolchain - when it was released, it was essentially a complete (buggy) proprietary firmware with the ability to write simple Arduino-like plugins.<p>The situation is better now, but it still requires several proprietary bits: <a href="https://github.com/pfalcon/esp-open-sdk" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/pfalcon/esp-open-sdk</a><p>The cost of the esp8266 is very nice. A comparable solution from TI (the CC3200) is $15. But it's sad to see the hardware needlessly crippled by bad software.
There is now also the option to use an Arduino-compatible IDE with the ESP8266:<p><a href="https://github.com/esp8266/Arduino" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/esp8266/Arduino</a>
Like many, I'm excited about the MIPS Espressif chips. I have had several on my desk since the end of last year along with with various "programmers" from Tindie for flashing bootloaders, firmware, etc.<p>At less than $4 for an ESP8266 on ebay, the lack of security support is a critical, if not fatal, flaw.<p>Until it supports crypto, reliable SSL/TLS connections, and ability to securely store Wifi passwords / credentials in flash - it's a liability to use one of these chipsets for WiFi - not a benefit.
I have not yet heard of any of the ESP8266 modules getting FCC module certification. The page implies it is coming soon, but my understanding is that those that have looked at it before had doubts that it would meet the certification criteria. I wonder if/how they resolved these issues...