Page 250 - Hacking Roomba

Going Wireless chapter

with Wi-Fi

n a few short years wireless Internet connectivity has gone from research
project to required computer feature. All new laptops have wireless capa-
Ibility built in and many desktops do, too. USB adapters to add wireless
to existing computers can be had for under $20. It seems we hardly know
how we ever lived without wireless Internet. And that’s the interesting
thing. Being free from a physical cable has changed how we interact with in this chapter
our computers. Laptops are outselling desktops. The dedicated computer
nook is giving way to computer use any time, anywhere. You can surf the Understand and
Net (often for free) in public places like coffee shops, airports, and hotels debug Wi-Fi
around the world. Cities are rolling out metro-wide Wi-Fi access for all,
partly as a way to seem progressive, but also as a valid and inexpensive Use Lantronix
way of providing a critical resource to its citizens.The computer is becoming
less of a destination and more of a companion. The Net is now the destina- WiMicro with
tion, and it must be available for use wherever people want it. Both new Roomba
cell phones and Skype phones have Wi-Fi built-in, and they are both able
to forgo the standard cellular network for an Internet connection. Everything Try SitePlayer with
that can is going Wi-Fi. a wireless bridge
In the previous chapter, you saw how to add an embedded Internet device
server to an existing system. Adding Internet connectivity to stationary Build a Wi-Fi
domestic objects with Ethernet is relatively cheap and simple. Everyone Roomba
should experiment with putting his or her coffee maker on the Net. The
tools and techniques learned for a wired network adapter carry over to a Control Roomba
wireless one. with a Web page
For a mobile device like Roomba, it makes less sense because the cable gets in
the way. It’s more of a test device and a stepping-stone to Wi-Fi. Like the Control Roomba
RS-232 serial tether as a debugging tool for the Bluetooth adapter, a wired with PHP
version of a network adapter complements a wireless one. This chapter
shows how to build the Wi-Fi version of a network adapter. It’s currently
much more expensive to add Wi-Fi in a manner similar to the Siteplayer,
but having a Wi-Fi Roomba is really cool.