Post : Arduino WiFi shield available, costs $85 USD
URL : http://hackaday.com/2012/08/21/arduino-wifi-shield-available-costs-85-usd/
Posted : August 21, 2012 at 12:30 pm
Author : Brian Benchoff
Tags : arduino, shield, wifi
Categories : arduino hacks, wireless hacks

http://hackadaycom.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/wifi.jpg

Over on the Arduino blog, the release of the official Arduino WiFi shield was just announced (http://arduino.cc/blog/2012/08/16/the-arduino-wifi-shield-is-now-available/) . On the spec page (http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoWiFiShield) for this WiFi shield. we can see this new board isn't a slouch; it's powered by a 32-bit ATMega 32UC3 microcontroller, has provisions for WEP and WPA2 encryption, and supports both TCP and UDP with the Arduino WiFi library (http://arduino.cc/en/Reference/WiFi) . It also costs (euro)69/$85/£55 from the Arduino store (http://store.arduino.cc/ww/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=11_5&products_id=237) .

Now that the announcement of the Arduino WiFi shield is over with, we'll take this opportunity to go through a few other WiFi adapters for the Arduino that don't cost an arm and a leg.

The WiFly shield - available from Sparkfun (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10822) - is a WiFi adapter with the same form factor as the ever popular XBee modules. Of course, it's possible to make your own breakout board; the WiFly only needs a TX, RX, power and ground connection to connect your Arduino project to the Internet.

We've seen a few projects use the WiShield from async labs (http://asynclabs.com/store?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=26&category_id=6) . It's a WiFi module packaged in the familiar Arduino shield form factor, and costs $55 USD.

For the hardcore hackers out there, you could always get a bare Microchip WiFi module (http://www.newark.com/microchip/mrf24wb0ma-rm/wi-fi-802-11-module-w-pcb-ant/dp/76R6666) and get it to work with an AVR as [Quinn Dunki] attempted to. In all fairness, [Quinn] was trying to de-Arduinofy the WiFi library; if you're cool with Arduino code swimming around in your project, this method will probably work.

There's also the very, very cool Electric Imp (http://hackaday.com/2012/05/17/electric-imp-connects-projects-to-the-internet/) . Basically, it's an SD card with a built-in WiFi module. After configuring the Imp by holding it up to patterns flashing on your smartphone screen, this device serves as a transparent bridge to the magical 'cloud' we've been hearing about. The Electric Imp was supposed to have been released in late July/early August, and we'll put a post up when this cool device actually launches.

Of course we're neglecting the simplest solution to getting WiFi running on an Arduino project: just use a wireless router (http://hackaday.com/2012/06/12/nah-you-dont-need-an-ethernet-module-for-your-arduino/) . Really, all you need is a pair of TX and RX pins and a copy of OpenWRT. Easy, and you probably have the necessary hardware lying around.

We're missing a few methods of Arduinofying a WiFi connection (or WiFying an Arduino...), but we'll let our readers finish what we started in the comments.

Add a comment to this post: http://hackaday.com/2012/08/21/arduino-wifi-shield-available-costs-85-usd/#respond

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some comments from the Hackaday page:

--- lee says:
August 21, 2012 at 1:08 pm

I like this new module at sparkfun for $30 bucks

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11049,

seems to be the newer but slightly less powerful version of the wifly module found on the gsx breakout board (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10050 which is 85 bucks and the arduino shield version which is $90 (has an spi driven uart which isn’t bad for $5 more than just the breakout board)). But you can run softserial and the whole chip at 3.3V. The Uart is slow on these anyway, they need to get the darn spi firmware working!

--- Frank Cohen says:
August 21, 2012 at 1:36 pm

Wow that’s a pretty steep price. I bought an Arduino with a WIFI module already installed (Asynclab’s Yellowjacket) for around $40.

--- Mengineer says:
August 21, 2012 at 2:27 pm

It stinks that AsyncLabs shutdown about a year ago, bought their wifi shield v2 with flash when it came out and it worked good. Not to mention the great community/forum they had too. I’ve moved on to using the RN-XV since tho, mainly due to external atenna and all functions are built in unlike with the microchip module that takes up a nice chunk of code. CuteDigi has stated reproducing the AsyncShields under a different name, they are however exactly the same down to pcb color and price if your interested.

--- cgimark says:
August 21, 2012 at 2:40 pm

WAY overpriced.
wifi module with bluetooth support is only $17.00
Model is TAIYO YUDEN WYSBCVGXA
mouser part # is 963-WYSBCVGXA

--- Farbro says:
August 21, 2012 at 6:00 pm

The shield costs a lot because all the TCP/IP stuff is abstracted away in hardware on the shield itself.

It does lower the barrier to entry in getting wifi to ‘just work’ with an Arduino, so there is that. I don’t think people who are comfortable buying a wifi module from e.g. Mouser and rolling their own are the target market. I wonder if it will take off.

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