Just a quick summary of some testing I have been doing with the SerialIO.com WiSnap AAA Mobile WiFi RS-232 dongle and the new iOS and Android apps. This dongle creates a WiFi Ad-Hoc network and assigns the serial port a static 169.254.1.1:2000 IP that can be connected to with a handheld device or PC with a wireless card.
PC Connection:
Out of the box this dongle works well connected to a PC via the Ad-Hoc wireless network. I have tested this only on a CR1000 and a Dell Latitude running Loggernet 4. It works as a standard wired IP connection does.
Android Connection:
Setup here was HTC One V running Ice Cream Sandwhich, CR1000 with the WiSnap dongle. Installed the LoggerLink app with no issues. The problem came when trying to connect to the WiSnap Ad-Hoc network. The Android refused to even pick the network the WiSnap was broadcasting. After some time on Google it looks like Android does not support connections to Ad-Hoc networks without rooting the device. So without voiding the warranty on the android device, Android does not seem to work with the WiSnap device.
iOS Connection:
Setup here was an unlocked iPhone 4s running iOS 5.1.1, CR1000 with WiSnap dongle. Installed LoggerLink with no issues. The phone picked up the WiSnap Ad-Hoc network and connected with no issues. Connected to the CR1000 via the IP connection 169.254.1.1:2000. The connection seems to work as a standard wired IP connection does. Uploaded a logger program with no issues.
So it looks like until CS release an updated app with bluetooth the iphone/ipad is going to be the device to use in the filed to connect to loggers unless rooting an android is not an issue for you.
Hope this helps.
A comment regarding the use of the WiSnap with Android. Some phones can be configured as a hotspot. Configure the WiSnap to connect to the phone instead of the phone to the WiSnap.
I bought a WiSnap AAA to try this out. Ive got an android phone so I updated the Wisnap to the latest beta firmware version 245 which creates an normal wifi network. tried it out on the serial port of a CR1000. No joy. I directed Loggerlink to the IP address of the Wisnap assuming it would then forward traffic on to the logger. Anyone got any ideas on how to make this work?? Does it fail because the traffic from Loggerlink start out as IP traffic but is directed to a serial port?
Be great if anyone has any ideas. Having a wireless logger input reader would be very useful for mounting equipment on MET masts
Will
The Android OS does not allow ad hoc (wifi, walk-up and connect) connections. iOS does, but not Android.
Sam provides some advice above to get around this, but I have not tried it (I've only tested the WiSnap with iOS).
Dana W.
@WillSWL - Just FYI, 2.45 is not a valid upgrade for the WiSnap AAA (apparently - I'll contact SerialIO in the next day or so to confirm).
I've been playing around with mine, and have successfully had LoggerLink on my android devices connecting to the TCP port of the WiSnap (2000 by default) - but I don't have a logger at home over the christmas break to test that end of it.
I can see the PakBus comms when monitoring the serial port on my PC, so I don't see why it wouldn't work, but I will report back once I've tried it back at work.
To do this, I had the WiSnap connect to the android's wifi tethering AP.
We were told recently that the WiSnap can be configured to emulate an Access Point and this will work with Android devices.
We have not done any testing of this ourselves, but you could refer to this technical note on the serialio website and seek technical advice from them.
http://serialio.com/support/wifi/WiSnap_AP-Mode_Notes_2.42.pdf
Hi Andrew, and others..
Yes, the WiSnap does now support AP mode, in firmware version 2.45. The WiSnap AAA edition needs a special firmware, which is named "wiflyA-245.img" on the update ftp server. I believe for the other WiSnap modules, "wifly-245.img" should be used.
(details of the update ftp server are present in the product documentation)
I've tested my Samsung Galaxy S3 connected to the WiSnap's AP (which has no security FYI), and LoggerLink was happy to connect to the WiSnap's IP and port.
I have recently purchased a Battery Powered WiFi Serial Adapter - RN370 from GridConnect.com (it's the same thing as the WiSnap) and have managed to configure it to be in AP mode using TerTerm. This has allowed me to use LoggerLink with an android phone or LoggerNet and a laptop to communicate with our CR1000s via the RS232 port and Wifi.
The following commands were used to configure the WiFi Serial Adapter;
set wlan join 7
set wlan channel 1
set wlan ssid WiFly-RN131-??
(where ?? is the last 2 values of the MAC Address.
This can be found in TeraTerm on the line which
starts with MAC Addr =)
set ip dhcp 4
set ip address 1.2.3.4
set ip net 255.255.255.0
set ip gateway 1.2.3.4
set ip localport 1234
set uart baud 115200
save
reboot
With LoggerNet in Setup AddRoot and select IPPort
For the Internet IP address enter 1.2.3.4:1234
Then set everything else up like normal for a Pakbus logger.
This is a shameless plug but I have developed an App for Android called "BlueBridge" that lets you use LoggerLink to connect to data loggers using a Bluetooth to Serial interface. The app works by creating a TCP/IP bridge to a specified Bluetooth device. It works great for me and it's available on the Google Play Store
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.freezinsteve.bluetoothbridge
Cool! I will have to check it out.
Thanks for posting, Dana W.
Hi Dana
Could you contact me on my developer e-mail address on the Google Play BluetoothBridge web page? I can add you to the software testing list which will automatically grant you a license
Regards
Steve
I will. Thanks!