From Serial to Ethernet: Supercharging Your Embedded Systems

The serial interface has long been a foundational element of embedded systems development, and it has been explored in depth across the last three Embedded Online Conferences. Serial links remain simple, reliable, and easy to implement, which explains their continued relevance in many designs. However, as embedded systems grow more complex and demands for higher data throughput, remote management, and network interoperability increase, serial communication begins to reveal its limitations. This year, we’re raising the bar by shifting our attention to Ethernet—an interface that delivers dramatically higher bandwidth, greater scalability, and broad compatibility with modern networking ecosystems.

Of course, these benefits come with additional design considerations. A practical Ethernet-capable system often requires extra hardware such as an RJ45 connector, an Ethernet PHY, increased RAM, and a more capable microcontroller to handle the expanded protocol stack. On the software side, integrating a TCP/IP stack introduces new layers of abstraction, configuration, and debugging challenges.

The goal of this workshop is to demystify Ethernet integration and make it approachable within the context of the Embedded Online Conference. We’ll present a clean and efficient architecture implemented on the STM32F769 Discovery Board, illustrating how to expose a robust CLI over Ethernet and perform firmware upgrades without requiring a system reboot.

By the end of the session, you’ll leave with a clear, actionable understanding of how to introduce Ethernet connectivity into your embedded systems—confidently, efficiently, and with far less complexity than you might expect.