Group:Hardware/Computers/PDAs/Nanonote

Libre Wifi

For Ben NanoNote use cases: Communications device and other purposes...

• Need FaiF TCP/IP I/O
• Only possible option at moment is expensive AR6001 card + ugly microSD to SD adapter [1]
  • The Eye-Fi Card - Dissected - looks like this may be a mass produced / cheaper alternative; has AR6001G wifi (need to double-check this doesn't load blob from external). But not clear it can be used just for its wifi.
  • Another SDIO ATH6001 card: SX-SDWAG - 40mA, 3.3V, Built-in antenna
• Idea: try to get someone to do a daughtercard that will add this functionality in a way FSF would accept. Perhaps something that would do USB in host mode and allow for internal USB dongles like the always innovating touch book. Or something with an rtl8187b. Or something that would allow any ExpressCard or PCI Express Mini Card to be used.
• Link to thread
• Reply to http://www.mail-archive.com/ath9k-devel@lists.ath9k.org/msg02356.html with 2 card options
• Possible rtl8187b PCI Express Mini card - http://www.promwad.com/technologies/wireless.html - "Wireless IEEE802.11b/g (WiFi) OEM module based on RealTek RTL8187 chipset for mobile application" - info@promwad.com
• ath9k PCI Express Mini card - http://cgi.ebay.com/802-11ABG-N-MiniPci-Express-802-11N-ABG-300Mbps-Atheros_W0QQitemZ110473201878QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPCMCIA_Cards?hash=item19b8b748d6#ht_6604wt_951
• Ethernet over USB with the mifi - although this might require Registration / NDAs with Novatel on the mifi side.
• Make a daughterboard that interfaces with an expansion board that includes wifi via UART or SPI, such as these do:
  • DAB-WLS-C01 [2] [3]
  • WiFly GSX WiFly Shield UART connected "black box"
  • RN 121

AR6001 (ar6k) options

1. SX-SDWAG (preferable as it has built in antenna) http://www.silexamerica.com/products/wireless_modules/sx-sdwag.html (Currently trying to source from a few places; one place had it listed but is currently out of stock; I'll see what they do with my order.)

2. CAW-SDIOG http://www.cardaccess-inc.com/products/index.php?a=wlan_burt

Zigbee

Another idea would be to network with another protocol, such as Zigbee, however zigbee the protocol may have problems:

• Zigbee, Linux, and the GPL
• RFC WIP IEEE 802.15.4 implementation for Linux
• Some people from OSU are close to having linux zigbee networking working. They are using the TI cc2431: """The TI cc2431 is the zigbee wireless solution. This chip contains an 8bit 8051 microcontroller core and the CC2420 radio core. This is a very flexible chip, and as such the current firmware is a UART interface that Linux will take advantage of. The firmware is based on TI's TIMAC software which provides the MAC layer of the networking stack. Programming of the cc2431 is not supported by current RADIX releases but is planned for the future. The firmware can be built using IAR Embedded Workbench (a evaluation version can be found here).""" At first glance it looks like the firmware code may be free, but require a nonfree compiler to build; I've asked on #oswald if this is correct (freenode irc).
• Arduino Xbee Shield uses [4] [5] modules.
• linux-zigbee
• http://www.bugcommunity.com/wiki/index.php/BUGbee