Best AI agent for hardware and IoT
Which agents people actually use for hardware and IoT, counted from 11 real use cases, with the top examples for each.
Going by documented use cases, not a lab test: of the 11 hardware & IoT use cases on agentsetups, Claude appears in 5, Codex appears in 3, Hermes Agent appears in 2.
Most-discussed: Let Codex operate a real iPhone over USB by zhongerxin (Codex).
Quick start (from Turn an unused Kindle into a photo frame by Niraj Rajgor):
- Start in an empty folder; give the agent the Kindle’s network address and model (all over Wi-Fi).
- Ask it to build custom software for personal use, adapting existing open-source jailbreak work (here SpiderCat / KindleModding).
- Have it build tools to send commands, transfer files and investigate errors; verify access survives a reboot.
+2 more steps in the copyable prompt.
Counts reflect what people post about, not quality or market share.
Last updated · based on 336 use cases on agentsetups, each credited to its author.
Agents by use cases
| Agent | Use cases |
|---|---|
| Claude | 5 |
| Codex | 3 |
| Hermes Agent | 2 |
| Grok Bot | 1 |
| Amp | 1 |
Claude for hardware & IoT 5
- Turn an unused Kindle into a photo frame
Codex with GPT-6 Astra adapted an open jailbreak over Wi-Fi, built KindleCTL tools and a slideshow app.
Claude, Codex · Hardware & IoT · by Niraj Rajgor (blog, 27 Sep 2026) · source
- Cut an ESP32 display’s wake time from 7s to 0.9s
Applying Anthropic’s “how we made it faster” method; battery life goes from ~1 month to ~10. Packaged as a Claude Code skill.
Claude · Hardware & IoT · by Steve Dakh (X post, 12 Oct 2026) · source
- Have Claude Cowork fix a years-old printer issue
Cowork got a 10-year-old printer’s “scan to computer” button working again after years of failed manual attempts.
Claude · Hardware & IoT · by Arpit Agarwal (X post, 8 Oct 2026) · source
Codex for hardware & IoT 3
- Let Codex operate a real iPhone over USB
iPhone-use: guided install, app automation, live screen and screenshot fallback for Codex.
Codex · Hardware & IoT · by zhongerxin (GitHub, 6 Oct 2026) · source
- Turn an unused Kindle into a photo frame
Codex with GPT-6 Astra adapted an open jailbreak over Wi-Fi, built KindleCTL tools and a slideshow app.
Claude, Codex · Hardware & IoT · by Niraj Rajgor (blog, 27 Sep 2026) · source
- Put an AI agent on a Nokia feature phone
With Codex’s help, a dev reverse-engineered Nokia 110 4G firmware; a chat app runs from RAM and can call, set alarms and toggle the torch.
Codex · Hardware & IoT · by anupray (Hacker News, 8 Oct 2026) · source
Hermes Agent for hardware & IoT 2
- Feed a Raspberry Pi dot-matrix display from your agent
A 90s-pinball style display shows weather, lake fishing conditions, bird reports, local shows, sports and AI news.
Hermes Agent · Hardware & IoT · by Zachary Taylor (X post, 8 Oct 2026) · source
- Build a $30 ESP32 voice gadget with Hermes
An open-source alternative to the Muse Charm: ESP32-C6 hardware, Hermes Agent as the brain, Venice for inference.
Hermes Agent · Hardware & IoT · by Kakusan (X post, 30 Sep 2026) · source
Grok Bot for hardware & IoT 1
- Talk to your agents through Alexa
Debbie O’Brien had her agent guide her through building an Alexa skill that talks to Grok Bot.
Grok Bot · Hardware & IoT · by Debbie O'Brien (DEV post, 13 Oct 2026) · source
Amp for hardware & IoT 1
- Build a Garmin watch face in a cloud Amp Orb
An Amp Orb set up with the Garmin Connect IQ SDK and simulator built a recreation of a favourite old Garmin watch face.
Amp · Hardware & IoT · by Robert (X post, 12 Oct 2026) · source
Questions people ask
What is the best AI agent for hardware and IoT?
There is no single winner in the data. Of 11 hardware & IoT use cases on agentsetups, Claude (5), Codex (3), Hermes Agent (2), Grok Bot (1). Pick the one whose examples look most like your task.
Which AI agents do people use for hardware and IoT?
From the sources: Claude (5), Codex (3), Hermes Agent (2), Grok Bot (1), Amp (1).
How do I set up an AI agent for hardware and IoT?
Copy a setup that already worked. Turn an unused Kindle into a photo frame by Niraj Rajgor (Claude, Codex): 1) Start in an empty folder; give the agent the Kindle’s network address and model (all over Wi-Fi). 2) Ask it to build custom software for personal use, adapting existing open-source jailbreak work (here SpiderCat / KindleModding). 3) Have it build tools to send commands, transfer files and investigate errors; verify access survives a reboot. The use-case page has the full prompt.
Claude vs Codex for hardware and IoT?
Claude has 5 and Codex has 3 hardware & IoT use cases here. Compare them side by side.