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I would like a microcontroller already interfaced to a WiFi module, with the WiFi interface taken care of. Also, I want to be able to program the MCU to interface sensors or whatever...possibly with the outputs broken out for ease of connecting. Almost like a development board, but small and cheap enough to interface a few sensors or such and send over wifi.

These guys are close Roving Networks, but the interface to the MCU is very limited. I know wifi is overkill for sensor data, but it is also ubiquitous.

I guess what I am saying is that I hate laying out boards. I have done some serious google searching and haven't found anything. Anybody using anything like this?

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... so your idea of cheap is $30? – vicatcu Jan 17 '12 at 18:30
In this application...yes – Matt Anderson Jan 17 '12 at 18:40

4 Answers

up vote 1 down vote accepted

It could be cheaper to sacrifice the ubiquity of the WLAN protocol (that maybe it's not so necessary) and switch to other 2.4 GHz protocol, such as 802.15.4 (Physical and MAC protocol, low level) or things such as Bluetooth or (better) ZigBee.

You could still easily interface the network with your computer using a USB dongle, and you gain in range, power consumed and you find also readymade modules, such as Jennic, that has also a built-in PCB antenna.

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I suppose you are right that it isn't necessary. I guess there is just something inside me that says it should be cheaper since the network is already in place. It seems redundant to make another, lower protocol network when a higher one is already running. Although I think this is probably the best option I have seen so far. – Matt Anderson Jan 17 '12 at 19:24
I looked at and do like the JN5148 stuff from Jennic. It looks like they got bought out and development has stagnated though. However, a wifi modular system with a free sdk like that is exactly what I set out to find. – Matt Anderson Jan 17 '12 at 21:11
Yeah, actually i'm working on that stuff so i can help you if you decide to use that :) – clabacchio♦ Jan 17 '12 at 23:03
@MattAnderson they've been bought but they remain an autonomous company; and the developement, while slow (probably because they have a few lines) is active, and new families are coming in the next years – clabacchio♦ Feb 29 '12 at 14:10
@Matt - Lower-power networks are exactly what you need when you want direct access to the controller (Coding for 802.11 is really complex, and manufacturers are unlikely to make it easy to add your own code to their carefully constructed controller) and you want cheap products (higher-speed, higher-level, more complex protocols require more expensive silicon). – Kevin Vermeer Mar 8 '12 at 20:44
up vote 0 down vote

Try this http://ruggedcircuits.com/html/yellowjacket.html

Features

  • 41mm x 31mm
  • Microchip MRF24WB0MA WiFi module:
  • 2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n transceiver with built-in PCB antenna, range up to 400m (1300ft)
  • FCC certified and WFA certified
  • 1 Mbps operation
  • infrastructure and ad-hoc network modes
  • ATmega328P microcontroller with 16 MHz 0.005% quartz crystal. The microcontroller includes:
    • 32Kbytes FLASH (512 bytes used for bootloader)
    • 2Kbytes SRAM
    • 1Kbyte EEPROM
    • 6 10-bit analog inputs, 3 timers, serial, I2C, and other peripherals
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up vote 1 down vote

If you can wait a couple of months, a Raspberry Pi for $25 plus a WiFi USB dongle for $10 can do it. (Make sure to get a brand of dongle that's actually Linux supported)

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up vote 2 down vote

If you use an Arduino, the solution to this is a WiFly Shield, I believe. It actually uses one of those Roving Networks products you linked to. There's lots of links from the SparkFun page on how to use it too... it's about $90 from SparkFun, so it depends on your idea of "cheap" but it will satisfy your technical need at any rate and you can use the SparkFun EAGLE CAD files as a basis for your own PCB design - so at least you won't have to start from scratch to do your.

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I saw that, and agree it is neat. However, with the arduino board plus that your up to $120. I guess I was hoping to trade some of that cost for having to write low level code on some other mcu – Matt Anderson Jan 17 '12 at 18:49
@MattAnderson if you roll your own Arduino and integrate the shield design into it you should be able to cut that about in half. The module itself is the expensive part at about $45 from what I can tell. – vicatcu Jan 17 '12 at 20:17
I think if I had to build it myself (which I was trying to avoid), I would do microchip and use their module. Mostly because I have used PICs in the past, but partly because it is cheaper. – Matt Anderson Jan 17 '12 at 21:08
@MattAnderson cool thanks for the pointer to the microchip part! – vicatcu Jan 17 '12 at 21:12
I had to go answer questions so I could vote this up...just wanted to let you know it was helpful – Matt Anderson Jan 18 '12 at 2:20
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