WiFly newbie WiFi question

Wireless & IoT
1

I just got my RN-XV modules today. I have been successful talking to one of them (presumably both, if I tried) by USB-serial port (Parallax 32400), and adhoc WiFi. I am using a MacBook Pro. Question is: is it possible for WiFi to be connected to more than one thing at a time? More to the point, I want my computer to be connected to the internet, via WiFi hotspot, AND to a WiFly, at the same time, using the same WiFi adapter? I may not have framed the question properly, but I hope the substance of my question is clear. Regards…

2

Hi Cernek,

You can first connect your computer to internet and the Wifly to the internet. then your computer will able to connect to the Wifly as well.

3

Thanks for the reply.

Let’s see if I have this right:

  1. I connect my computer to the internet using a WiFi hotspot. Now my computer has a DHCP-assigned IP address.

  2. Then I have the WiFlys (yes, plural) connect to the internet using the same WiFi hotspot. Not sure how this is done but for the moment I will assume it is possible. Now the WiFlys will have different, DHCP-assigned, IP addresses, and they will be on the same sub-net as the computer.

  3. Somehow, from the computer, I figure out the IP addresses that were assigned to the WiFlys and use them to connect the computer to the WiFlys.

Questions:

Q1) How do I programmatically discover the IP addresses of the WiFlys, which, presumably, will vary? I know the MacBook can show me other computers on the same sub-net, but how do I do this programmatically? I would be using C, C++ or Objective-C.

Q2) I travel around a lot (retired, full time motorhome), so the quality of the WiFi connection will vary a lot. I suppose I could use my own (e.g.) Linksys WiFi hub for this, thus having control of the DHCP-assigned 192.168.x.y IP addresses. (Aha! In this scenario, maybe I could use static IP addresses for these AND the computer) But how do I, in turn, get the Linksys, itself, connected to the internet using WiFi - it has an RJ-45 ethernet jack for connection to the WAN (internet)?

Q3) Further to Q2, Does anyone know of a cheap, standalone box that can connect to a WiFi hotspot and deliver the output to an RJ-45 ethernet jack?

Regards…

4

I’ve made some progress on this. I set up my LinkSys DIR-601 as a Wifi/ethernet router with a LAN-side IP address of 192.168.10.1; set up the ethernet port on the Mac with a static IP address of 192.168.10.99; and set up the WiFly with a static IP address of 192.168.10.50. I connect to the WiFly on the WiFi side using the Mac Terminal utility, in telnet mode, to port 2000. I connect to the WiFly on the serial port side using a Parallax 32400 USB-serial port and CoolTerm. I can send data from either side and see it on the other side. I can control the WiFly from either side. I am not using the WAN side of the LinkSys at all. The MacBook can talk to the WiFly and conduct activities to the internet via WiFi (built-it AirPort) at the same time.

Outstanding issues:

  1. I have not been able to get the WiFly to “see” the internet. Apparently the OS X “internet sharing” (bridging) functionality is very limited; I haven’t figured out how to bridge the ethernet port to the AirPort - wish I knew more about Routing Tables, etc.

  2. I have tried to connect the WAN side of the LinkSys to the ethernet port on the Mac. After all, I can ethernet-connect another computer to the Mac and, with “internet sharing” enabled, and it picks up, presumably via DHCP, an IP address (192.168.2.2), and can see the internet just fine. But when I connect the WAN side of the LinkSys (DHCP enabled, etc.) to the same port nothing happens. The LinkSys WAN-side configuration is the same I use when connecting to the internet via satellite (HughesNet) modem, and I have tried variations of configuration.

Any constructive input GREATLY appreciated, even references to good books. :lol: