Using a Raspberry Pi Pico W with MQTT
In this section, we will build the physical alarm part of our application using a Raspberry Pi Pico W. This microcontroller not only is affordable but also brings a range of capabilities to our project, allowing us to execute tasks efficiently without the full power of a Single-Board Computer (SBC) such as the Raspberry Pi.
The Raspberry Pi Pico W doesn’t replace our Raspberry Pi; it complements it, adding unique strengths to our toolkit. Being a microcontroller, the Pico W is substantially more cost-effective compared to the Raspberry Pi, and it typically doesn’t heat up as much due to its simpler architecture and lower power consumption. This distinction is pivotal for projects such as our IoT alarm module, where the primary task is to capture sensory data – a function that does not require the computational power of an SBC. This allows us to reserve our Raspberry Pi for tasks that demand more computational resources.
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