Interfacing Pine A64 with ESP32 for Sensor Logging via Serial or MQTT?

[aria22]

Hi all, I’m building a logger platform with the Pine A64 board that collects environmental data from multiple ESP32 modules, and I’m deciding whether to use MQTT over local Wi‑Fi or direct USB/UART communication. I recently found this guide on ESP32 MQTT setup and found it an excellent primer for structuring reliable publishing from sensors:
https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/2...-mqtt.html
I’ve also been exploring how to implement MQTT on ARM boards using Mosquitto on Armbian, and came across a hands-on ESP32 + MQTT + Node-RED sensor dashboard project. My main concern is latency, long-run stability, and ease of integration via UART. Has anyone built a similar real-time logging system on Pine A64 with multiple ESP32s? Which communication method worked best for you in terms of reliability and scalability?

[georgegohl888]

MQTT over Wi-Fi was way easier to scale and manage. Once you get Mosquitto set up on the Pine, the ESP32s publish cleanly with good reliability. Latency stays low if you keep the network local and stable. UART/USB is okay if you’ve got just one or two ESP32s and care more about simplicity or power savings. But once you hit 3+ devices, it turns into a cabling mess and gets fragile, especially over time.