A couple of days back, some guys ported a version of LUA (hadnt heard of that before), onto the ESP8266.

This replaces the stock firmware, and makes things much easier, apparently. Also lets you manipulate/read the ESP8266's own IO bits, enabling the module to be used as a standalone controller for simple tasks.

http://importhack.wordpress.com/2014...or-web-client/

Regards,

Anand