CNXSoft – Embedded Software Development

Massimo Banzi announced the Arduino Yún, the first of a  family of Wi-Fi products combining Arduino with Linux, at the Maker Faire Bay Area. The company used the name Yún (云), meaning “cloud” in Chinese, as the purpose of this board to allow connection to web services directly from Arduino.

Arduino Yun Specifications:

• MCU – Atmel ATMega32u4 @ 16 MHz (same as the one used in Leonardo board) with 2.5KB SRAM and 32KB flash
• SoC – Atheros AR9331 MIPS-based Wi-Fi SoC running Linino, Arduino’s own Linux distribution based on OpenWRT. It’s the same chipset as in TP-Link WR703N router.
• Storage – microSD card slot
• USB – micro USB connector + full USB host port
• Connectivity – Ethernet + Wi-Fi
• 14 digital input/output pins (of which 7 can be used as PWM outputs and 12 as analog inputs)

Arduino Yún ATMega32u4 can be programmed as a standard Arduino board by plugging it to your computer with the micro USB connector, or via Wi-Fi.

The company explains that during Yún first boot, it acts as an Access Point, and creates “Arduino”  Wi-Fi network. So you can simply open its configuration page into your browser, and set-up the Wi-Fi network name, security type, and password.

Arduino created a Bridge library which delegates all network connections and processing of HTTP transactions to the Atheros chip running Linux, so you can link the Atmel MCU to Linux, launching programs and scripts, passing them parameters (sensor readings for example) and reading their output with your own sketches. Since Linino is a customized version of  OpenWRT, shell and Python scripts are supported out-of-the-box, and you can install open source software and tools that are already working in OpenWRT.

Over one hundred APIs will be available thanks to Temboo, and developers will have access to  multiple platforms such as  Twitter, Facebook, FedEx or PayPal, from a single point of contact.

Arduino Yún should be available at the end of June for 69$.

Via Greg Kroah-Hartman

One of my readers (Onebir) brought Poray M3 mini Router to my attention a few days ago, as it just cost $17 at the time (now over $20) and OpenWRT developer Squonk seems very interested about it since it features microSD and SD card slots missing in TL-WR703N. However, the device only has 16 MB memory which makes it somewhat difficult to run OpenWRT, or at least some of its features.

But today, I’m not going to talk about this. Mentions of Poray M3 router came in HAME MPR-A1 OpenWRT forum thread, and I discovered a new (to me) type of low cost, small form factor device: portable Wi-Fi/3G routers. Those devices are about the size of android mini-PC and contain the chips to handle Wi-Fi, USB host (for external 3G dongle), and comes with a built-in battery so that you can use them anywhere (beach, mountain, car…), as long as there is 3G coverage. You can also use them as a battery bank for your mobile phone. HAME MPR-A1 is built around Ralink RT5350 (like Poray M3), comes with a 1,800 mAh battery, has some limited support for OpenWRT (Wi-Fi experimental support just hit github a few hours ago), and costs about $24 on DealExtreme. You can also get it for around $19 on Aliexpress.

If you haven’t come across this type of device before, you may want to have a look at HAME MPR-A1 video review  below (~10 minutes) to find out what it’s capable of, and have a look at the user interface.

I’ve been searching for the cheapest Wi-Fi/3G router with built-in battery, and Marstek MPR-N9 router is the cheapest I could find at $13.90 on Aliexpress from a seller that has decent feedback.

I could not find the processor used in the device, but the key features are as follows:

• Wi-Fi – 802.11b/g/n (150Mbps)
• Ethernet – 10/100 Mbit port used as WAN or LAN
• 3G – Supports HSPA/HSPA+,EVDO A/B, TD-SCDMA dongles
• USB – Micro USB plug for charging + standard USB port for 3G dongles
• Battery – 2,400 mAh (Working time: 4-6 hours; Standby time:10 hours)
• Dimensions – 6.1×2.3×1.5cm
• Weight – 71g

The package includes the router, a USB cable and a user manual. The router is said to support up to 20 users simultaneously, and can be used as an external battery for devices that can be charged via an USB OTG port. Please note that the seller indicates a 2,400 mAh battery in the title and picture, but 1,800 mAh in the description. Other sites all indicate 2,400 mAh for MPR-A9. One user has reported that many 3G dongles appear to work with this router, but Huawei E173 Evo 3G dongle does not work, although it works fine when connected with MPR-A1.

TP-Link WR703N is a tiny 802.11N 150 Mbps Wi-Fi router smaller than a credit card (5.7 x 5.7 cm) and 1.8 cm thick based on Atheros AR7240 processor with 4 MB flash and 32 MB RAM. It costs just above $20 US and can be hacked with openWRT. It features one USB host connector that allows you to connect USB devices (USB flash drive, printer…) to it.

TP-Link TL-WR703N

TL-WR703N Specifications:

• Atheros AR7240 CPU @ 400Mhz (MIPS24k core)
• Atheros AR9331 Chipset (integrated wireless)
• 10/100 Mbit Ethernet port
• 802.11 b/g/n 150Mbps
• 3G support via external USB dongle
• 4 MB flash memory
• 32 MB RAM
• USB 2.0 port
• micro-USB port for power
• Dimension – 5.7 x 5.7 x 1.8 cm

All you need is a USB to TLL board to access the serial console, open the box to access the serial pins (TP_IN and TP_OUT) and follow the instructions on openWRT website to convert it into a Linux router.

You can do all sort of things with this board such as an home automation system, a printer server (there may be limits to the document size due to the lack of memory), a sensors gateway and more. It is powered via USB and only consumes 0.5W on average.

The router is available for $23 including shipping on Dealextreme, Aliexpress and eBay, and comes with a power supply and a micro USB to USB cable. You can get further information on the device on TP-Link website (in Chinese).

Via DangerousPrototypes