Connect IoT devices to Azure AI Speech using Azure Functions: Review

The title doesn't mention you need an MXChip IoT DevKit. I hit that wall about a third of the way in. The whole exercise section is about flashing firmware and configuring this specific piece of hardware. I don't have one. They run about $40-60 on eBay if you can find one, which defeats the purpose of a free module for me.

I tried to follow along by just reading the steps and looking at the code. You can still create the Azure resources—the IoT Hub, the Speech service, the Function app—using the free tier, which is a decent exercise in itself. But you can't actually deploy or test anything without the physical device sending telemetry. You're just setting up plumbing with no water.

It feels like this was designed for a corporate workshop where everyone got a device in a box. For a self-learner, it’s a dead end. The module before this, about image recognition, was much better because it used a webcam, which everyone has. This one is too specific.

I spent an afternoon just setting up an Azure account and clicking through the portal to create the services, then deleted them all so I wouldn't get a surprise bill. I learned a little about the architecture, I guess. But I didn't get to see Speech translation work, which was the entire point. It's a shame, because the concept is cool.