Few devices have hit the hacker/maker word with quite as large a bang as the ESP8266. [Brian] first reported a new $5 WiFi module back ... an on-board ATmega328 for Arduino Uno compatibility ...

Despite a wealth of tutorials for setting up and writing code for the ESP8266 WiFi module, there has not been much of anything on programming this cheap wireless module with the Arduino IDE.

Then, an Arduino board might be exactly what you're looking for. This open-source hardware platform comes in a multitude of versions, from the classic Uno ... a Wi-Fi shield and a Bluetooth module ...