Network Bridge Example

When using an Arduino board without wifi access, it seems impossible to stream sensor data to the internet. But our team member Sneha showed it's quite possible. Code below.

This is a simple tutorial written during the AICU GmbH Team Retreat Q1-2026.
If you want to set up the Aicuflow Arduino Library, visit this setup guide instead.

How does it work?

The Arduino usually has a UART / Serial port that in many cases is connected to a USB Serial Port. You can stream (sensor) data though this port and upload it to the aicuflow cloud using the aicuflow python library.

pip install aicuflow

The end result: live (sensor) data that can be analyzed from the aicuflow flow dashboards and flow data manager. Cool stuff: you can gain insights from it, or even train AI models with the data.

The Code

Two parts: Arduino sketch & Python Bridge.

The following python code takes in values from your arduino and forwards them to your aicuflow. The serial port is auto-detected.

# forward values from your serial port to the cloud
import time, json, serial, serial.tools.list_ports, aicuflow

# connect to aicuflow (please configure)
ai = aicuflow.client(email="your-email", password="your-password")
flow = ai.ensure_flow_by_title("your-flow-name")
file = aicuflow.file.byname(ai, flow, "your-filename.arrow")

# connect to microcontroller (serial)
ser = serial.Serial(
    next(p.device for p in serial.tools.list_ports.comports()
         if any(k in p.device.lower() for k in ("usb", "acm", "com"))),
    115200, timeout=1 # baud rate (115200|9600) must match arduino
)
batch = []
try:
    while True:
        if ser.in_waiting and len(pkt:=json.loads(ser.readline())):
            batch.append(pkt)
            if len(batch) == 64:
              file.append(batch)
              batch.clear()
except KeyboardInterrupt:
    pass
finally:
    batch and file.append(batch)
    ser.close()

A compatible, very simple .ino sketch for your Arduino:

/* Example data sender */
unsigned long counter = 0;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);   // must match python
  while (!Serial) {}
}

void loop() {
  int a0 = analogRead(A0);  // changing signal

  Serial.print("{\"d\":");
  Serial.print(counter++);
  Serial.print(",\"a0\":");
  Serial.print(a0);
  Serial.println("}");

  delay(1000); // once per second
}

Try it!

In case you want a simple, pure serial reader without cloud connection:

# print values from your serial port
import json, serial, serial.tools.list_ports

ser = serial.Serial(
    next(p.device for p in serial.tools.list_ports.comports()
         if any(k in p.device.lower() for k in ("usb","acm","com"))),
    115200, timeout=1
)

while True:
    if ser.in_waiting:
        try:
            pkt = json.loads(ser.readline())
        except json.JSONDecodeError:
            pass

Ideas

You could expand on the code above, to make bridge-streaming even better.

You could...

connect it to an ESP32 to bridge
connect it to a Raspberry Pi to bridge
stream a binary format for efficiency
dynamically change batch size based on band width
experiment with different Serial baud rates
experiment with different sensor freqencies / timings

Check out our AI Sensor Predictions with Arduino Guide or learn to set up the library.

Network Bridge Example

How does it work?

The Code

Ideas

On this page

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