WiFi - Lantronix xPico

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stevech

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I've used LANTRONIX WiFi modules in the past. Well engineered and documented.

I noticed on Circuit Cellar's newsletter that the LANTRONIX xPico WiFi module is out and is $39.
Like their prior modules, you can optionally connect an RJ45 for Ethernet, or config via one of its two serial ports.
In operation, it looks like both serial ports (up to 900Kbps) can connect to your devices. And 8 bits of GPIO.
Has an ARM CPU. There's also mention of an SPI port to access the device's flash storage. In past projects, you could upload web pages to the device.
Some brave souls have learned how to add their own code to their similar older devices; maybe this is the same.

user guide
http://www.lantronix.com/pdf/xPico_UG.pdf
 
I've got 2 Lantronix Wifi modules, never used them because they where too big for my needs.
Just got 5 ESP8266, going to try that out, Apparantly some guy has put a Simple Webserver on it and you can access it as a AP. Cost me $5 a pop. Obviously no FCC.

Bluechip also looks interesting. Again a bit pricy.
 
Thanks for this info stevech.

I just read a post from TI that their replacement for this sub-par CC3000 is supposed to be out at the end of the month (http://e2e.ti.com/support/wireless_connectivity/f/968/t/355090.aspx) but i'm not holding my breath as they've already missed their ship dates twice.

The Lantronix module says it's 24x16.5x5.5 mm and costs $29.56ea at Mouser; prerelease info on the CC3100 says it will be a little smaller at 20.5x17.5x3mm and a little less expensive at ~$15.

If the CC3100 isn't all it's cracked up to be I'll look at this Lantronix module, it looks like it will be less expensive than my current prototype solution (a Raspberry Pi + USB WiFi doing the web stuff, connected to a Teensy 3.1 circuit doing the real-time GPIO stuff).

I too have looked at the ESP8266; at some point I'm going to look into the legalities of selling my design and an ESP8266 module separately and requiring the end user to assemble. It's just so ridiculously cheap.
 
Yeah that's my option as well.
What's really a clincher is I have a load of these CC3000 modules sitting there doing nothing. Luckily I only had to pay $15 for them. If only CC3100 was a direct replacement, then I could just pop them in my existing design and not have to do any circuit changes.
If Lantronix were just that bit smaller then it would be cool.

As for the ESP8266, I'm currently not having much luck with it. So it might be just too good a thing. Maybe you just have to pay that premium because companies like Lantronix actually do testing. I don't know.
 
johnnyfp said:
If only CC3100 was a direct replacement, then I could just pop them in my existing design and not have to do any circuit changes.
Click to expand...

That would have been WAY too convenient. Can't allow that. Hopefully they'll give us the opportunity to start from scratch on the software side as well....
 
The Lantronix isn't really price-comparable to the TI CC3xxx. Much of the functions and code you would write are built-in on the Lantronix.
So it depends on what you want to do and how much time you want to spend on getting functionality.
 
stevech said:
The Lantronix isn't really price-comparable to the TI CC3xxx. Much of the functions and code you would write are built-in on the Lantronix.
So it depends on what you want to do and how much time you want to spend on getting functionality.
Click to expand...

I'm looking at the Lantronix documentation now and it looks like you're right in most respects. I'm still looking, however, but I don't see multicast or DHCP/DNS Server + AP mode support, both of which I want.

My ideal WiFi solution:

* Out of the box the device is its own AP + DHCP/DNS server, so all an end user has to do is connect to its WiFi network and launch a browser to see my config page, where they can enter the credentials for an existing WiFi network etc. if desired
* supports mDNS/Bonjour/Zeroconf/LLMNR so users can go to http://mydevice from their smartphones, tablets, and desktops without having to know 192.168.1.45 etc.

Thanks again for the Lantronix link, more options are always good.
 
The WiFi devices are not routers so they wouldn't have a DHCP/DNS server or proxy.
AP mode... again, they are client devices.

These are all made to be a client of a WiFi network with an access point and router.

Most have or should have per the WiFi certifications, support for ad-hoc mode where nodes can exchange traffic without use of an access point.
A WiFi router is merely a router with a built-in access point.
 
potatotron said:
Unfortunately Android doesn't support Ad-hoc, so in my case lack of AP mode may be a deal breaker (for this project).
Click to expand...

You want to talk from the Andriod (phone) to a WiFi embedded thingie without using an access point in common, and can't use ad-hoc mode?
 
potatotron said:
* Out of the box the device is its own AP + DHCP/DNS server, so all an end user has to do is connect to its WiFi network and launch a browser to see my config page, where they can enter the credentials for an existing WiFi network etc. if desired
Click to expand...

This is what hlk-rm04 is supposed to do. it does not have DNS/DHCP, but you connect to a specific ssid and ip address and can configure the device as a WIFI <> UART bridge. And if the sticker is to be believed it is FCC approved.

Also https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/xwifi-a-fingertip-sized-wifi-module-open-source/x/3389914 seems interesting. I ordered a couple, but I am not sure they have the whole software side under control. They claim open source, but the current development environment suggested in s 90-day trial...
 
stevech said:
You want to talk from the Andriod (phone) to a WiFi embedded thingie without using an access point in common, and can't use ad-hoc mode?
Click to expand...

Potentially, yes. Unfortunately Android doesn't support Ad-hoc mode, and there's a nontrivial number of Android devices out there. There's a couple of workarounds (rooting the device, 3rd party apps like CyanogenMod) but I believe that's beyond the abilities of most end users.

Android does support WiFi Direct for connecting devices without an AP (http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/connectivity/wifip2p.html) but you have to do that inside an application, and I'm trying to do everything in HTTP so I don't have to write custom apps.

CheapB said:
This is what hlk-rm04 is supposed to do. it does not have DNS/DHCP, but you connect to a specific ssid and ip address and can configure the device as a WIFI <> UART bridge. And if the sticker is to be believed it is FCC approved.

Also https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/x...urce/x/3389914 seems interesting. I ordered a couple, but I am not sure they have the whole software side under control. They claim open source, but the current development environment suggested in s 90-day trial…
Click to expand...

Thanks for the ideas. Please let us know how the Indiegogo board works out.

Sorry for threadjacking this discussion. Back to the original point, I've ordered a Lantronix module from Mouser to evaluate. Thanks again stevech.
 
Yeah, I have an HTC One phone. Recently, I've started using USB On The Go with it - I have a new thumb drive that supports both OTG via the microUSB, and also has a standard USB3 connector, all on a keychain-small Thumb drive. It's pretty neat.
 
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