hi - is this hello world example out of date now? It seems that the examples in the Internet of Things and Webservers tutorials use different libraries and syntax. For example specify wifi object as:

Wifly wifly(p9, p10, p20, "network", "password", true);

and join with

wifly.join())

I can't get wifly to connect to my network, and it's hard to debug not knowing which syntax to use. Any help most appreciated :)

Hi Rob,

Yes the API is join and not Join. The Hello World has been updated. To debug, you can define the symbol DEBUG in wifly.cpp to see where is the problem: #define DEBUG. I advice you to test your by following the getting started section by using the program to send and receive commands to or from the wifly module. You can try with this program (in the mbed serial port console):

• $$$ (enter in command mode)
• set ip dhcp 1
• set wlan phrase your_password (if WPA)
• set wlan key your_key (if WEP)
• join your_network

If this doesn't work try:

• scan (to see all networks available)

Hope this can help.

Hi i can not detect when the client is connected ad WiFly+mbed, the wifly joined correctly to the wifi network, but when i try to read connection message response "*OPEN*" (or other message) I can not read it. Below the code I use.

#include "mbed.h"
#include "Wifly.h"

DigitalOut led1(LED1);
DigitalOut led2(LED2);
Wifly wifly(p13, p14, p20, "SSID", "pass", true);
char reading[10];
bool connected=false;

int main()
{
    while(!wifly.join())  //we connect to the network
    {
        printf("Join failed!\r\n");
        wifly.reset();
    }

    printf("Network joined!\r\n");

    wait(20);
    led1=1;
    // Check the connection from client device via telnet
    while(!connected)
    {
        while(wifly.readable())
        {
            wait(0.1);
            wifly.read(reading);
            printf("%s\r\n", reading);
        }

        if(!strcmp(reading, "*OPEN*"))
        {
            printf("Connection opened!\r\n");
            connected=true;
        }
        wait(0.5);
        led1=!led1;
    }

    led2=1;
    // SEND DATA CODE ...
}

Hi Roberto,

I think that you have passed the most difficult step: the connection to your network :)

It's normal that you don't see *OPEN* because it only appears when you open a TCP connection. You can open a connection from the mbed like this: wifly.send("open ip_of_your_pc 444\r\n" , "OPEN*"). For instance in the websocket library, I open a TCP connection to a server via:

//open the connection
sprintf(cmd, "open %s %s\r\n", ip_domain.c_str(), port.c_str());
if (!wifi->send(cmd, "OPEN*")) {
    printf("Websocket::connect cannot open\r\n");
    return false;
} 

In fact, the "send" will sends "open ip port" and try to find in the response "OPEN*". If OPEN* is found, it means that a TCP connection is opened. So that you can connect a telnet client to your wifly module by: telnet mbed_ip 444.

If you pass this step, it will mean that you are able to send data over TCP between your mbed and your computer.

Hope that helps.

Samuel

Thanks for the quick response Samuel, but my problem is to estabilish a connection from the PC to mbed. I want wait until a PC (or other device) connecting, via telnet (or TCP socket connection) to the mbed+Wifly, to do this I try to read the "*OPEN*" message that normally generates wifly, when a connection was established. I used the following code, but I have not had the expected result.

    // Check the connection from client device via telnet
    while(!connected)
    {
        while(wifly.readable())
        {
            wait(0.1);
            wifly.read(reading);
            printf("%s\r\n", reading);
        }

        if(!strcmp(reading, "*OPEN*"))
        {
            printf("Connection opened!\r\n");
            connected=true;
        }
        wait(0.5);
        led1=!led1;
    }

Roberto

By default, the wifly module is listening on port 2000. So if you try, telnet mbed-ip 2000, you should be able to receive "*HELLO*" in your telnet terminal and "*OPEN*" in the local UART.

Yes I know, but when I try not receive de "*OPEN*" message in the local UART, I not receive any message from PC to Wifly, but I need to know for stard to send a data.

Hi Samuel,

I am very new to this wifly module as it arrived yesterday. Today, I used your program, "wifly-configure" but I got this error.

[Auto-Assoc roving1 chan=0 mode=NONE FAILED]

My mbed configuration is as shown below:-

By the way, I am using Xubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot.

Thanks.

Hi Chia,

It's normal, the module tries automatically to connect a network called "roving1". Your mbed configuration is good. Even if you see these messages, you can enter in command mode by pressing $$$. After that you can configure your wifly module:

• set wlan ssid your_network
  • You should see in the console AOK.
• set wlan phrase(WPA)/key(WEP) your_password
  • You should see in the console AOK.
• set wlan auth 3
  • You should see in the console AOK.
• save
• reboot

Now your wifi module will automatically try to connect the network called your_network.

Hope that helps.

Sam

It worked! Thanks, Samuel! :)

If you can't connect to your network and the sets of the Wifly modul (SSID + Phrase and authentic. mode) are correct, try to increas the jointmr.

For example:

if(!Send("set opt jointmr 2500\r\n", "AOK")) Timeout for connection, also for Handshake -WPAx-

{

pc.printf("join: cannot set timeout\r\n"); exit(); return false;

}

Hope this will help somebody.

I'm getting the message: Auto-Assoc roving1 chan=0 mode=NONE FAILED

When I type $$$ nothing happens. It continues to give the above message. I do not get the CMD prompt. Any thoughts?

Arhh Help going in circles

In the same boat here have connected up the mbed to the sparkfun.com breakout board. RX TX on pins 9 & 10.

I am using the code below to try and get the wifly into command mode. But every time it just ignores me and trys to connect to its default network. I am can not see what I have done wrong. There is a typical trace from the Tera Term window below also.

Try as I might I can not get Wifly to go into command mode, it seams to ignore $$$.

Do I need to send an end line character? Is there a reason I would not get back CMD?

WiFly Ver 2.23, 04-26-2011 on 131C83

MAC Addr=00:06:66:13:d5:a0

Auto-Assoc roving1 chan=0 mode=NONE FAILED

*READY*

Auto-Assoc roving1 chan=0 mode=NONE FAILED

#include "mbed.h"

Serial pc(USBTX, USBRX);
Serial wifi(p9,p10);

int main() {
    
    pc.printf("Test Wifly!\r\n");

    while (1) 
    {
        if (pc.readable())
        {
            wifi.putc(pc.getc());
        }
        if (wifi.readable())
        {
            pc.putc(wifi.getc());
        }
    }
}

Hi James,

Be sure to connect the wifly module as:

• Vdd-In -> VOUT
• Vdd-Batt -> VOUT
• Gnd -> Gnd
• 3.3V-Rin -> Gnd

You don't need to send an endline character.

Hope this helps

Sam

Thanks Sam,

I have got the unit up and running, I read further in the documentation, and have got into command mode remotely. I am receiving communications from the Wifly its letting me know it is connected to the network using the serial port, but I can not get the mbed to send information to it, the wifly unit just ignores any attempts to enter command mode, its driving me potty!

Using the function 'TCP opt password' the first package that I have to send is the TCP password. when I do a connection with a wrong TCP password, it sended to UART the message *OPEN* *CLOS*, the status of this connection is changed to closed the wifly led flashes to desconected, but it continues receiving data and if I open a new connection there will be two connection opened! I did the socket and I'm using Ubuntu 11.10.

With telnet works normaly.

**Part of the socket**

ret = connect(sockfd, (const struct sockaddr *) &endWifly, sizeof(struct sockaddr_in));
   if (ret < 0){
      fprintf(stderr,"ERRO: nao foi possivel abrir conexao com o servidor\n");
      exit(0);
   }

   //sends a package with the TCP password, the problem occurs when this is not sended, the connection is closed but
   //the 'ret' inside the 'while(1)' continues to sends data
   ret = write(sockfd, "mbed", strlen("mbed"));

   while(1){     
      /*printf("Digite uma string (ate 20 caracteres):\n>>");
      fgets(string, 20, stdin);*/
      
      if(cont == 1000){
         cont = 0;
      } else{
         cont++;
      }
      sprintf(string, "%d+", cont);
   
      ret = write(sockfd, string, strlen(string));
      if (ret < 0){
         fprintf(stderr,"ERRO: envio falhou\n");
         exit(0);
      }
      printf("%s\n", string);

      sleep(4);
   }
   
   //fecha socket
   close(sockfd);
   
   return 0;
}

and this second code was added into the join() function of the wifly library

if (!send("set o p mbed\r\n", "AOK")) {
#ifdef DEBUG
            printf("Wifly::join: cannot set password tcp\r\n");
#endif
            exit();
            return false;
        }

Thanks for help!

Hey Samuel,

I just bought the WiFly RN-131C and I would like to connect it to the mbed. I did not find the datasheet very helpful in specifying exactly which pin goes to which pin, even from Wifly breakout itself doesn't make much sense to me. Would you be able to clarify this to me please?

From the Wifly breakout pin specified are: V3, GD, RX, TX, RT, CT, P4, P5, P6, P7, P8, RS I understand that pins required for connection are 3.3V, GND, VDD BATT, VDD IN, TX, RX, RST

Your help will be grateful

Adilson

Does, this example code work for the LPC11U24?

We bought the RN-XV WiFly from sparkfun and connected everything and the hello world provided above seems to work; however, after some modifications we found some significant problems.

First of all we are having trouble running the code reliably. The code seems to hang sometimes before displaying the "network joined" message; we added an extra printf() right after the buffer declaration to see where the code was failing. Note that the WiFly DID successfully connect to the network, thus the error message did not show, but somehow the code after that didn't execute. This occurs somewhat frequently so its becoming a very serious problem that we're not sure how to solve.

The second problem is that the read() method sometimes returns an incomplete message; in other words, it reads part of a message. We're guessing it's because that the read() method is being called before the WiFly module has finished filling the buffer with the received message; however, we don't know of a way to reliably wait for the WiFly to finish receiving data.

Also, sometimes the WiFly will write IP information to stdout, which is puzzling since it isn't in the code; it also doesn't show up very often. We do need this piece of information so we tried using CMD mode to get it. This approach gave us mixed results. Entering CMD mode was almost always successful, but sending "get ip" doesn't always returns the information as expected; sometimes the response will just be a carriage return character and nothing else. Also, we couldn't exit out of CMD mode by either calling the exit() method or sending "exit"; we confirmed with telnet that the exit command is recognized correctly by the WiFly, but we just couldn't do it with the mbed program.

We're pretty lost on this, so any help with the above is greatly appreciated.

Hi All,

@Hermann: As there is only one serial port on the mbed LPC11U24, the "printfs" in the hello world program are sent to the wifly module. We do not want this so you can delete all "printfs" in this program.

@WASP: I will investigate the problem as soon as possible. Are you using the LPC11U24 or the LPC1768 ?

Sam

We're using the LPC1768. Also, the second problem about read not reading the whole message is probably a fault of TCP; it doesn't guarantee messages are sent and received 1:1. We'll just have to deal with that with protocol design.

I have been able to get a connection to my router and I have even created a VB application using sockets where I can connect to my WiFly and get the *HELLO* response. I can send text from the VB form to the Wifly and see it in the TeraTerm screen. However what I want to do is establish a 2 way communication with the WiFly so I could read sensor inputs from Wifly and also send commands to Wifly to cause pins to go high or low. Its taken quite a while to get this far while I am revising for exams all the time and time for mbed and embedded electronics is hard to come by. I think my understanding of sockets, ( I'm using a VB control called winsock ) is perhaps incomplete. My Wifly is using port 2000 so I can speak to it. I've attached a word doc with screendump. Any thoughts anyone ?

We're actually doing something similar, but we're coding in C# instead ;)

We're not sure what winsock is doing, but we use the .NET class TCPClient to setup a TCP connection to the WiFly, and then call the read() and write() methods of the Stream class to send data over the link. You can't directly command the mbed this way, so you'd have to design a protocol that recognizes certain messages and call functions to do things in the coding of the mbed. For example:

char recv[1024];

wifly.read(recv);   //read some data in from the wifly

//find keywords in the messages and do stuff
if (strstr(recv, "PIN_HIGH")) doPinHigh();
if (strstr(recv, "PIN_LOW")) doPinLow();

Of course, TCP connections doesn't guarantee messages to be sent 1 to 1; that is, a message sent can be received as multiple segments. You'd have to deal with this with protocol design, either by specifying the length of the message at the very beginning, or use delimiters to indicate the end of a single message.

Hope this helps in what you are doing. If you want, we have already written a .NET application that connects to a given IP and port with TCPClient, and is capable of sending and receiving messages.