So, we have a project that is developing nicely on the RP2040, and currently uses WiFi. However, a new use-case is emerging where it may need to be in a noisy industrial environment. As such it makes sense for it to be physically connected (ethernet) rather than wifi (industrial environments can be very noisy, and not every factory has a full high quality wifi). I know there are SPI modules such as a board based on the W5500 chipset, but they beg questions:
- will I lose the IoT and OTA update capability this way?
- Can I get PoE via a module as well, so my customers have an easier installation? The RP2040 is an ideal unit for us - IoT and OTA updates, with huge flash as well, so I'm not sure there's a sensible alternative (unless anyone can suggest one!). Everything else we need is in the arduino libraries as well, so that is also a great fit for us.
