Pick the desired parts from the parts list. It is recommended to start with at least these items:
- Board (e.g. ESP8266). You will also need an USB cable (note that some Arduino boards work with MINI USB)
- Breadboard and a set of cables - needed to wire the things up
- A set of resistors - you might be able to go along without them, but they are needed in many cases (e.g. for wiring up the some of the temperature sensors)
- Actuator - this is a device that you control with the board. Could be just an LED or something else that you would enjoy controlling. Actuator is not mandatory. For example, you may want to just measure something and upload it to the internet.
- Some sensor - pick whatever you like and can have fun with. People usually start with temperature or motion. A sensor is not mandatory. For example, you may just want to control the actuator from the internet (e.g. turn the lights using a smartphone)
Also highly recommended
- Multimeter - you may go along for a while without this tool, but eventually you will need it, in order to measure voltages and resistance (value of resisors). Even the cheapes shall be fine, but a decent one costs around EUR30
- Tweezers - come in handy if you need to work on tiny/dense boards
- Small screw driver set - needed for some boards that have adjustment screws