Prop Boe-Bot WiFi Basic

Mike Green

I've been playing with RovingNetworks' RN-XV on a Prop BOE and have gotten a version of BoeBotBasic to run using an iPad or iPhone as a console. I'd recommend using an external Bluetooth keyboard, but it does work with the on-screen touch keyboard.

You need to pre-configure the RN-XV for either Ad-Hoc mode or your favorite WiFi network, then do some extra configuration to suppress extra messages and output the connection status on one of the RN-XV I/O pins as follows:

set comm open 0
set comm close 0
set comm remote 0
set sys prntlvl 0
set sys iofunc 0x40
save
reboot

You'll need jumpers from J5 to J2: DO to P13, DI to P12, and ASOC to P11. You may want to jumper J5 from xBee /RST to serial /RST to reset the RN-XV when the Prop is reset.

When there's no TCP connection opened, the Basic interpreter uses the PC for a console. I use BST's serial terminal for this. When a TCP connection is opened, the Basic interpreter switches to the TCP connection.

I use MochaSoft's Mocha Telnet Lite on the iPad and iPhone. It's free from the Apple App Store.

Edited: Modified interpreter to better reinitialize if TCP connection dropped and reestablished. No longer uses PC connection.

Mike Cook

Mike,

That's pretty neat! I don't have a Prop BOE, but used a Proto Board.

I downloaded MochaSoft's Mocha Telnet Lite and set:
set comm open 0
set comm close 0
set comm remote 0

but had some issues getting the session to open, I need to go read the help file for that program. However set those values back to default:
set comm OPEN *OPEN*
set comm CLOSE *CLOS*
set comm REMOTE *HELLO*
save

And was able to open a session.

I'm about ready to sell all of my XBEE radios in favor of there RN-XV's.

Thanks!

Mike Green

As suggested in the WiFly documentation, you keep the open/close/remote text at the default values while you're setting up and testing the WiFly configuration. Since the Basic interpreter will see the open text and the remote text, it'll think you've typed it as a statement and will give you a syntax error message which you can ignore.

Depending on what you're trying to accomplish, you might want to keep some of those xBees. They use less power than the RN-XVs and they're easier to set up. Still, the RN-XVs are handy and you can use them with your smartphone or tablet device. If you use an RN-XV with a WiFi network with Internet access, you can link to your device from anywhere else in the world with Internet access.

Rayman

Very nice Mike. That RN_XV looks great! Don't think I've seen that one before...

http://www.rovingnetworks.com/products/RN_XV

Didn't see the word XBee anywhere on the page, but it looks like the identical layout.
I guess you're using it in the Prop BOE XBee port.

Mike Green

Here's a picture. Note that the RN-XV hangs over the side of the PropBOE a little, not as much as it looks like from the photo.

Ron Czapala

I ordered the RN-XV with the U.FL Connector and the Duck antenna and interface cable like Mike Cook's setup.

What kind of distance from the router are you guys experiencing? I know a lot of factors come into play...

- Ron

Mike Cook

My router is an old Linksys WRT54G, loaded with the stock manufacturer's firmware (not dd-wrt). It's in the center of my house located on top of a book case. So No matter where I am I'm no more than about 60 to 70 feet from it. Signal strength is pretty good on the RN-XV.

<2.32> show rssi

RSSI=(-55) dBm
<2.32>

Ron Czapala

Thanks Mike.

I used to have a WRT45G but switched to a CISCO Valet Plus and the antennas are internal - might cut my range somewhat.

Mike Green

I have an Apple Time Machine router in the basement about 20 feet away.

Ron Czapala

Mike Green wrote: »

I have an Apple Time Machine router in the basement about 20 feet away.

I will probably write a socket server program in VB to experiment with the RN-XV since I don't have a Smart phone.
In fact I only have a pre-paid cell phone which I keep for emergencies (used it about 3 times in the last 18 months during power outages).

I might also look into Node.js or just create some ASP web pages for IIS.

Ron Czapala

I got my RN-XV from Sparkfun today. I used the Parallax USB XBEE board and PST to configure the module.

I had a little trouble because I use MAC filtering on my router and the RN-171 had too many numbers - (figured out that I needed to ignore the first two)

Also had trouble saving the configuration so that it would reestablish the connection at power-up - finnaly worked when I added the "set wlan ssid" command

set wlan auth 4
set wlan phrase *******
join czapnet
set wlan ssid czapnet
save

I used a little VB6 TCP chat program example to connect to the module and send/receive strings from PST.

Need to study the manual some more...