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Posts tagged ‘wifi’

Welcome Arduino Yún

Arduino_Y_n_isoMassimo Banzi announced it some minutes ago during his annual “The state of Arduino” presentation at Maker Faire Bay Area:  Arduino Yún  is the first of a revolutionary family of wifi products combining Arduino with Linux.

Yún means “cloud” in chinese language,  as the purpose of this board to make it simple to connect to complex web services directly from Arduino.

Designed in collaboration with Dog Hunter, a company with extensive experience with Linux, the board adopts the Linino distribution which provides signed packages to ensure the authenticity of the software installed on the device.

Historically, interfacing Arduino with complex web services has been quite a challenge due to the limited memory available and they tend to use verbose text based formats like XML that require quite a lot or ram to parse. On the Arduino Yún we have created the Bridge library which delegates all network connections and processing of HTTP transactions to the Linux machine.

Arduino Yún is the combination of a classic Arduino Leonardo (based on the Atmega32U4 processor) with a Wifi system-on-a-chip running Linino (a MIPS GNU/Linux based on OpenWRT). It’s based on the ATMega32u4 microcontroller and on the Atheros AR9331, a system on a chip running Linino, a customized version of OpenWRT, the most used Linux distribution for embedded devices.

Like a Leonardo, it has 14 digital input/output pins (of which 7 can be used as PWM outputs and 12 as analog inputs), a 16 MHz crystal oscillator and a micro USB connector.

More info here.

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Tiny low-power Wi-Fi module enables Internet of Things

297474-econais_EC32WxxThe WiSmart EC32Wxx from Econais is an ultra-low-power embedded Wi-Fi platform that can fit in any existing or new electronic device. The module is based on the STM32F1x microcontroller and, according to the company, uses the lowest-power-consumption Wi-Fi chip on the market.

The device runs a tiny TCP/IP stack, with WPA/WPA2 support, leaving 115K (EC32W10)/243K (EC32W11)/371K (EC32W12) Flash Memory available for any third-party application that can make use of the well-defined API exported by the module. More flash is available in bigger versions of the MCU.

Key features (EC32W1x) include the following:

  • 3.3V supply
  • Operational modes as low as 1.1 uA current consumption
  • Rx power consumption (mA): (b/g/n) 48 / 50 / 51
  • Tx power consumption (mA): (b/g/n) 237@21dBm / 219@18 dBm / 214@17 dBm
  • 802.11 power save
  • IBSS and BSS mode
  • TCP/IP, Telnet, Web Server
  • Interfaces: SPI, UART, ADC, DAC, I2C, I2S, MCU JTAG, SDIO

The module includes an embedded PCB antenna with range up to 400m, but optionally an external antenna can be mounted on the board. The WiSmart EC32Wxx measures 27.5mm x 18.5mm x 1.5mm and is priced at less than $15 each in quantities greater than 1K. Samples are $20 per unit, and an available software development kit is $249.

More info here.

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On Sale At Last: Twine, Your Gateway To The Internet Of Things

A year ago, two MIT Media Lab graduates raised half a million dollars on Kickstarter to create Twine, a cigarette-pack-sized chunk of Internet magic that promised to turn any object in your home into a web-connected, interactive “smart product”. Want your basement pipes to send you a text message when they’re in danger of freezing up, or your garage door to ping you if you forget to close it? No problem: With Twine, building your own personal “Internet of things” is supposed to be easier than programming a VCR. And now that the product is available for purchase, it looks like creators John Kestner and David Carr have very nearly delivered on that ambitious promise.

How do you get a non-hacker to even understand a device like Twine? With product design that would make Steve Jobs proud. Kestner, who studied industrial design as an undergraduate, tells Co.Design that “we wanted to wrap the functionality in something that didn’t read as an electronic object.” Twine is packed with sensors that detect temperature, moisture, and position, but it’s as light, small, and unassuming as a pack of gum. “It’s just a solid chunk of connectivity,” Kestner says. “We settled onelastomer [for the outer case]–it feels great to the touch, and reads as durable, friendly, and decidedly non-electronic.”

But Twine is also intriguingly mysterious: Flip the rubbery, featureless box over on its back and two instructions reveal themselves: “Place this side up,” and “go to Twinesetup.com.” From there, configuring Twine feels like an adventure instead of a chore. Wow, it just connected to the Web by itself–now a little light is turning on–whoa, now I can see an image of it in my Web browser, sensing the temperature–what will this thing do next?

Building this sense of wonder and delight right out of the box is essential to making Twine feel useful. If you think of it as a little magic box that can do anything–kind of like a Swiss Army knife crossed with a Tamagotchi–you’re more likely to find its open-ended possibilities inspiring instead of intimidating. After all, there’s no instruction manual. Once your Twine is set up, the dashboard in your Web browser invites you to set up “rules” (which are actually simple programs) for telling it what to do. I just moved into a new house with a cold basement office, so I used the simple drop-down menus to program my Twine to send me a text message saying “Get a space heater, doofus” whenever the temperature drops below 70°.

More info here.

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Sensors to Detect iPhone and Android devices

The new sensing technology integrated in Meshlium Xtreme is able to detect any Smartphone (iPhone, Android) in the area by measuring Wifi and Bluetooth activity; allowing to know in real time people and vehicle presence and fluency. Applications of this new technology go from street activity measurement to vehicle traffic management. Read more.

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Econais Releases Ultra Low Power TCP/IP and Application Ready Wi-Fi Module

Econais Inc. – a leader in development of wireless modules, today announced their new line of ultra low power, TCP/IP and application ready Wi-Fi modules, under the family name WiSmart-32. All the parts of the family have the same small size 20mm x 27mm and come with on board antenna while they integrate power and clock management units. They can be directly supplied from battery and they provide analog and digital interfaces to connect with almost any industry standard interface.

With the incorporation of an embedded processor, ample application memory space is left for the developer due to the low footprint of the eConais TCP/IP stack. The developers can configure their applications rather than develop them using the eConais Application Program Interface (API) Library. As Mr. Costas Kontogiannis, General Manager and VP of Operation said: “WiSmart-32 requires only 20 lines of code to create an application that connects the device over standard Wi-Fi network infrastructure with an Internet or local server. By supporting digital communication ports like I2S, SPI, I2C, UART and programmable GPIOs as well as ADCs and DACs, a wide range of application varying from telemetry, medical electronic systems, POS equipment, smart grid and metering equipment, M2M communications, remote configuration and stereo audio streaming over wireless can be supported

The WiSmart-32 modules are FCC-certified and support WPA/WPA2, 802.11b/g ad-hoc and infrastructure mode. Wi-Fi certification is also supported by eConais for the end customers. The WiSmart-32 family variants are pin compatible and offer variable memory space for application development starting from 30Kbytes up to 256Kbytes and SRAM up to 64Kbytes.

The Development Kit for WiSmart-32 modules includes full software support based on a well-defined and fully documented Application Program Interface (API) library, allowing the user to configure their application using free development tools. The kit contains a free IDE, code examples, application notes, ‘Libwismart’ eConais library, and source code for all the communication ports. The proprietary eConais software stack ‘Libwismart’ is a highly efficient software implementation that integrates into a tiny footprint the Wi-Fi Connection Manager, the TCP-IP, FTP, HTTP, DHCP, system calls and the transport layer for the communication with the Wi-Fi Physical Layer.

More info here.

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Digi Launches Wi-Fi Version of Popular XBee Module

Digi International  today introduced the XBee Wi-Fi, an embedded module that enables industry leading low power, serial-to-Wi-Fi networking in the popular XBee form factor.  Because of the XBee’s common footprint and application programming interface (API), customers can now create a single board design for wireless products that supports 802.15.4, ZigBee, ZigBee Smart Energy, 2.4 GHz, 900 and 868 MHz, Wi-Fi and proprietary DigiMesh protocols.

“XBee modules offer developers tremendous flexibility and are extremely easy to use,” said Larry Kraft, senior vice president of global sales and marketing, Digi International.  “By adding a low-power Wi-Fi module to the XBee product family we give customers the fastest and most flexible way to get Wi-Fi up and running on their systems.”

Ideal for energy management, wireless sensor networks and intelligent asset management, the XBee Wi-Fi offers 802.11 b/g/n networking and flexible SPI and UART serial interfaces. Because the module includes the 802.11 b/g/n physical layer, baseband MAC and TCP/IP stack, developers can add Wi-Fi to their products simply by connecting to the XBee Wi-Fi’s serial port.  The XBee Wi-Fi is fully tested at manufacture and comes with modular certification for the U.S., E.U., Canada and a number of other countries, further reducing the time to market, development expense and design complexity.

XBee Wi-Fi development kits are available now for $149.

More information about the XBee Wi-Fi here.

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DIY Wi-Fi Open Source Web Server

The success of FlyPort WiFi module is due to the intuitive and easy programming essential software development environment thanks to the availability of APIs and functions already written and ready to be referenced in your code . The only bad thing is that you need to update the Framework to the 4th version.

From the OpenPicus site you can, among other things, download a sample project that includes the use of Flyport as a web server through which you can monitor the status of analog and digital inputs, plus you can interact with the board enabling or disabling the 5 digital outputs. Looking at the html code, what we see now is that it is a stylish remake of a web server made available by the Microchip as example of what it can be implemented by adopting their TCP/IP stack, so nothing new to this point of view.

More in the article: FlyPort: web server exemple

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Roving Networks Announces the RN-XVee

Roving Networks, a leading provider of wireless solutions announced the RN-XVee, its new ultra-low power, through hole 802.11 b/g module that is drop in compatible with existing 802.15.4 modules. The RN-XVee is designed for customers looking to migrate their existing systems to standard Wi-Fi based Internet protocol (IP) without modifying hardware.

The RN-XVee has a TTL UART pin-out that is compatible with common 802.15.4 footprints. The module provides ultra-low power and full speed 802.11 b/g rates. The RN-XVee is perfect for both legacy and existing designs such as sensor networks, utility meters, remote control, and M2M applications.

Like Roving’s other wireless products, the RN-XVee offers industry leading ultra-low power consumption characteristics (4µA sleep, 40mA RX and 180mA TX at 10dBm). It is built upon Roving’s RN-171 module which includes a complete onboard TCP/IP stack so no external microprocessor or drivers are required. The RN-XVee offers built-in network services including IPv4 addressing with full WEP/WPA/WPA2 security, HTTP, FTP, UDP, TCP, DNS, ICMP, ARP, DHCP, and Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS).

The XVee is competitively priced at $34.95 for a single unit. General release throughout Roving Networks’ extensive worldwide distribution network begins end of June, 2011.

More info here.

 

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New WiFi-IT! Modules

NPE expands the WiFi-IT! family of 802.11 Wi-Fi embedded modules with the introduction of the WL11. This module provides 11 Mbps data transmission while keeping the ultra low-power characteristics that make it ideal for battery and low-power applications.

More info available here

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Feature Comparison

An interesting comparison: Dash7 vs Zigbee vs Bluetooth vs WiFi vs Low Power UWB.

More info here.

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