I'm looking for some help on finding a device to add to my project.
Right now, I have a project where I am using an Android phone that is connected to a small Linux computer over USB. Essentially Android tethering. The Linux computer is hosting a DHCP server and a web server for the Android to interact with. Everything is working great, no problems. BUT, the Linux system I am using only has a USB connector on it, no wifi or copper jack.
What I would like is to add WiFi to the project. I'm looking for a small microcontroller that can connect to the Linux system over USB (to be powered and get data), and then host a WiFi bridge for the Android phone to connect to. I would like it to bridge between the Linux system and Android device so I can just use the DHCP server on the Linux system to shell out IPs. Like a layer 2 bridge between WiFi to USB. Does adafruit have a device like that or one that can be programmed to do that?
Thanks,
Jeff
WiFi to USB Ether L2 Bridge
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Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.
- adafruit_support_mike
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- jlaw55
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Re: WiFi to USB Ether L2 Bridge
Thanks for responding. The easiest answer is that I would like to support both configurations without having to reconfigure the Linux system (it is essentially a very stripped down kernel). So I would like to be able to plug the OTG directly to the Android and it work, or plug this "device" in and then connect the Android to it over WiFi for it to work.
- adafruit_support_mike
- Posts: 67485
- Joined: Thu Feb 11, 2010 2:51 pm
Re: WiFi to USB Ether L2 Bridge
There are a couple of ways to approach that.
The first, and easiest from a networking standpoint, is to use software on the RasPi that connection-agnostic.. it doesn't know or care how the network traffic arrived, it just talks to the TCP/IP layer and lets that code worry about the interfaces. Assuming the physical connections were available, it could make connections through USB-IP or the Wifi interface at the same time. A Wifi dongle would work in that case.
The second, and more difficult option, would be to add a man-in-the-middle board that communicates with the RasPi through the existing USB-IP connection on one side, and talks to the Android device via Wifi on the other side.
No microcontroller I know provideas a USB-IP connection on its own, and I don't know any software libraries that support USB-IP off the top of my head. They might exist, and someone from the community might have suggestions, but I can't point to anything. If you can find something, you'd have to write the additional code to make the board act as a bridge between the USB-IP and Wifi interfaces.
The first, and easiest from a networking standpoint, is to use software on the RasPi that connection-agnostic.. it doesn't know or care how the network traffic arrived, it just talks to the TCP/IP layer and lets that code worry about the interfaces. Assuming the physical connections were available, it could make connections through USB-IP or the Wifi interface at the same time. A Wifi dongle would work in that case.
The second, and more difficult option, would be to add a man-in-the-middle board that communicates with the RasPi through the existing USB-IP connection on one side, and talks to the Android device via Wifi on the other side.
No microcontroller I know provideas a USB-IP connection on its own, and I don't know any software libraries that support USB-IP off the top of my head. They might exist, and someone from the community might have suggestions, but I can't point to anything. If you can find something, you'd have to write the additional code to make the board act as a bridge between the USB-IP and Wifi interfaces.
Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.