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[on:]

Anyone tried adding a $5 wifi dongle to a USB host shield to get a low cost wifi solution?

[Reply #1 on:]

Part of the reason the WiFi shields are costly is that they implement the TCP/IP stack internally.  Cheap USB dongles rely on the operating system for that.

So you want to run a USB Host Stack, drivers (that probably wouldn't be universal) for a WiFi Dongle, and a TCP/IP stack in 2K of RAM.  Hopefully  there wasn't anything else you wanted the microcontroller to be able to do once the dongle was connected.

[Reply #2 on:]

Anyone tried adding a $5 wifi dongle to a USB host shield

Lots of people have tried to do this.

I haven't heard of one single success.

[Reply #3 on:]

Part of the reason the WiFi shields are costly is that they implement the TCP/IP stack internally.  Cheap USB dongles rely on the operating system for that.

So you want to run a USB Host Stack, drivers (that probably wouldn't be universal) for a WiFi Dongle, and a TCP/IP stack in 2K of RAM.  Hopefully  there wasn't anything else you wanted the microcontroller to be able to do once the dongle was connected.

George Carlin said "I think it's the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately."
eh, i just found a shield that can provide some external RAM, so is the RAM's problem solved?
MEGARAM Shield:
http://hackaday.com/2011/09/05/upgrading-ram-in-an-arduino-mega/
http://ruggedcircuits.com/html/megaram.html

I think it's also fit for us.
I also focus on drive USB WiFi dongle on USB HOST Shield.
I found a low cost usb wifi dongle, it use realtek RTL8188CUS chip

this's some spec of the chip:http://www.realtek.com.tw/products/productsView.aspx?Langid=1&PNid=21&PFid=48&Level=5&Conn=4&ProdID=274

[Reply #4 on:]

eh, i just found a shield that can provide some external RAM, so is the RAM's problem solved?

That only works with the Mega boards based on the ATmega1280/2560.  Not the Uno which is based on the ATmega328.  So no, the RAM issue hasn't been solved.

Plus you still have to write the drivers for the Arduino to support the USB Dongle device.  Without documentation from the manufacturer, that might be difficult.

[Reply #5 on:]

eh, i just found a shield that can provide some external RAM, so is the RAM's problem solved?

That only works with the Mega boards based on the ATmega1280/2560.  Not the Uno which is based on the ATmega328.  So no, the RAM issue hasn't been solved.

Plus you still have to write the drivers for the Arduino to support the USB Dongle device.  Without documentation from the manufacturer, that might be difficult.

so, what we're trying to do is to repeat create the wheel.
if we want to cost down, the best idea is use other wireless solutions.
the cost seems cheaper than wifi, i think the restrict maybe bigger than wifi.
think about the Smart homes, thousands of sensors and switch, use wifi maybe a better choice.

anyway, i found a datasheet of the RTL8188CUS http://wenku.baidu.com/view/6eadaf215901020207409c77.html
i always looking forward to low price wifi module.