RN-131/171-PICTAIL-UM RN-131-PICTAIL & RN-171-PICTAIL Evaluation Boards 2012 Roving Networks. All rights reserved. USER MANUAL RN-131/171-PICTAIL-UM Version 1.0 9/7/2012 RN-131/171-PICTAIL-UM OVERVIEW The RN-131 and RN-171 WiFly radio modules are complete, standalone wireless LAN access devices. Each module contains a TCIP/IP stack and related applications. After the module is configured, the radio can access the Wi-Fi network automatically, and transmit and receive data over a UART. General Description The RN-131-PICTAIL and RN-171-PICTAIL evaluation boards work seamlessly with the Microchip Technology PIC18 Explorer Development Board. The evaluation boards plug into the PICtail modular connector on the PIC18 Explorer Board, and add wireless functionality to PIC18-based microcontroller designs. The evaluation boards are preloaded with firmware to simplify integration and minimize application development. In the simplest configuration, the hardware only requires four connections (PWR, TX, RX, and GND) to create a wireless data connection. The microcontroller can communicate with the boards via the UART and SPI interfaces, and can drive LEDs, wake the boards, and reset them. The evaluation boards are updated and controlled with a simple ASCII command language. Once the boards are set up, they can scan to find an access point, associate, authenticate, and connect over any Wi-Fi network. The PIC18 Explorer Board (DM183032) is a development platform equipped with a 28-pin PICtail connector and PIM that can accommodate various versions of the 8-bit PIC16 and PIC18 microcontroller families. The PIC18 Explorer Boards 8-bit microcontroller communicates with the RN-131-PICTAIL/RN-171-PICTAIL evaluation board via the PICtail connector. This document describes how to use the RN-131-PICTAIL/RN-171-PICTAIL evaluation board connected to a PIC18 Explorer Board to associate with a Wi-Fi network and communicate with other devices within a LAN. Communication with other LAN devices is performed using telnet. RN-131-PICTAIL/RN-171-PICTAIL Module Features FCC/CE/IC certified 2.4-GHz IEEE 802.11b/g transceiver Plugs into the PICtail Plus connector on the PIC18 Explorer and Explorer 16 Development Boards Adds wireless capability to designs targeting the PIC18 Explorer and Explorer 16 boards Configurable transmit power: 0 to 10 dBm (RN-171-PICTAIL) PCB trace antenna (RN-171-PICTAIL) and on-board ceramic chip antenna (RN-131-PICTAIL) Ultra-low power o 4-uA sleep, 38-mA Rx, 120-mA Tx at 0 dBm (RN-171-PICTAIL) o 4 uA sleep, 40 mA Rx, 210 mA Tx (RN-131-PICTAIL) High throughput: 921 Kbps TX, 500 Kbps RX data rate with TCP/IP and WPA2 over UART, up to 2 Mbps over SPI slave UART interface with hardware flow control SPI interface with slave interrupt Real-time clock for wakeup and time stamping 3 status LEDs (2 configurable) Powered by PIC18 Explorer and Explorer 16 boards Supports ad hoc and infrastructure networks Wi-Fi Alliance certified for WPA2-PSK Complete on-board TCP/IP networking stack Environmentally friendly: RoHS compliant www.rovingnetworks.com Version 1.0 9/7/2012 2