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 Subject :serial port access.. 2013-03-31- 12:48:16 
WA2RJP
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Joined: 2013-03-17- 09:07:03
Posts: 2
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I know there are 2 serial ports in the WRT54G router. If I do the mod to bring one out of the router how do I access it? Does the mesh firmware have a way to do it already or do I need to add something to it? My idea is to use the mesh to access a repeater controller and possibly a port on a packet node. I am a linux noob but willing to learn.

 

tnx,

 

Jim

 

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 Subject :Re:serial port access.. 2013-05-21- 20:10:39 
ae5ae
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Joined: 2010-10-27- 00:47:17
Posts: 144
Location: Van Alstyne, TX

Jim, There are two serial ports but they are 3.3v levels, not RS-232, so depending on what you want to hook up you may need a TTL-to-RS232 converter. Keep in mind that one of the serial ports is the console and is pretty much useless for attaching anything to it because all the boot messages will be output to your attached device when the '54G boots up. This will probably confuse the heck out of that device

If you want to access both of your devices, repeater controller and a packet node, with the same mesh node, you can tie one of them to serial port 1 (port 0 is the console). If you need RS-232 for either of these devices then you will NEED the TTL-to-RS232 converter such as https://www.sparkfun.com/products/133. Sparkfun has a variety of these so look around their website.

Another possibility, although it tends to be a bit more pricey, is an Ethernet-to-RS232 adapter. A few of those around. I've used the one from Netmedia (http://netmedia.com/siteplayer/telnet/index.html) with great success. The neat thing about these units is that anything can come in through the net and connect to the attached RS-232 device with a simple telnet program! Still, these aren't very cheap so another WRT54G and its serial port might fit your budget better for a second device.

If your '54G model can handle the USB hardware mod that Jim/K5KTF likes to "go off" about... :) you can use USB-to-RS232 converters as well. This will require you to download a package or two from our repository but you'll hafta ask "The Other Jim" (K5KTF) how those work out.

Just some possibilities!

    -Rusty-

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Last Edited On: 2013-05-21- 20:12:09 By ae5ae for the Reason
 Subject :Re:serial port access.. 2013-08-12- 01:28:50 
KD4IYI
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Joined: 2013-08-08- 05:43:27
Posts: 11
Location: Austin, Texas
  

If you need access to the serial ports on the router, AE5AE is absolutely correct, but, there are other ways to access the router, you should be able to access it via command line. If in Linux, use SSH from the terminal... if in Windows, you can use a terminal emulator like PuTTY and access it via SSH as well... (PuTTY can also be gotten for Linux and I believe OSX as well)


Seannon KD4IYI

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Last Edited On: 2013-08-12- 01:29:56 By KD4IYI for the Reason
 Subject :Re:serial port access.. 2013-08-17- 06:41:08 
kf7ywp
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Joined: 2012-10-15- 09:08:03
Posts: 6
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FYI, on the openwrt site it talks about how to disable the console so that you can have two usable serial ports. Yes you can disable that port but just because you can does not mean you should ;-)
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 Subject :Re:serial port access.. 2014-03-03- 03:38:43 
K5LXP
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Joined: 2014-01-01- 13:06:12
Posts: 41
Location: Albuquerque NM

Wanting to give my HSMM node something to do, I thought about interfacing a packet TNC to ttyS1 and offering a 2M packet gateway via HSMM.

How would you access the serial port through the advertised services from remote nodes?

I understand TTL to 232 hardware is required. 

Thanks.

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Mark K5LXP
 Subject :Re:serial port access.. 2014-03-03- 03:45:58 
K5KTF
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Joined: 2010-01-18- 23:04:04
Posts: 266
Location: 5' from this webserver
  

See http://www.broadband-hamnet.org/applications-for-the-mesh/149-aprs-rx-only-igate.html for a taste of attaching a TNC.

I dont think there is a way to use the Adv Svcs page to work this. At least not yet.

This would probably have to be done via the command line.

KTF

EDITING: My bad, I forgot I did this with a USB-Serial adapter. But yes, if you get a level shifter, you can tie it directly to the serial port (recommend the second COM port, as the first defaults to console mode). We have a guy working on some code that may allow a WRT to act AS a TNC, but at 119200 instead of the butt-slow 1200 baud WL2K speed, so that he can use Airmail/etc at something faster than 1950's speeds.

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Last Edited On: 2014-03-03- 03:49:55 By K5KTF for the Reason
B-) Jim K5KTF EM10bm Cedar Park, TX :star:
 Subject :Re:serial port access.. 2014-03-03- 04:31:37 
K5LXP
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Joined: 2014-01-01- 13:06:12
Posts: 41
Location: Albuquerque NM
Hi Jim; Neither one of these is what I had in mind. I'm talking basically a remote serial terminal to talk directly to a TNC in command or maybe KISS mode. Yes, at butt-slow 1200 bps. I would bet that with enough HSMM nodes in between, that might be all you get through anyway. Adding an http interface to it would be really slick but probably unrealistic on a stock linksys. The idea would be to tie a TNC to a router, and have it be available from anywhere on the mesh. Something like my KAM could be used for VHF or some HF digital modes. Not sure APRS is a fit here but having the ability to pass APRS data through the network probably has some useful application. I figured a direct connect would be a simple way to interface available hardware without the need for an intermediate PC or ethernet interface. I didn't consider the winlink aspect of packet but now that you mention it, the idea of an HSMM to winlink gateway would probably get the emcomm/radio rambo types all whipped up. Seems a slam-dunk application for HSMM. HSMM from my perspective is a solution waiting for the right problem to come along. It needs a few "killer apps" to get folks excited enough to want to bother setting up a critical mass of nodes to create a functioning network. Even just a basic serial gateway could be another tool in the toolbox just as VOIP and video chat are. Might seem dumb to tie a 300 or 1200 baud terminal to HSMM and barf DX spots or whatever, but it's better than what I'm seeing now on HSMM, which is even less than what's on 145.01 around here.
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Mark K5LXP
 Subject :Re:serial port access.. 2014-03-03- 06:33:17 
K5KTF
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Joined: 2010-01-18- 23:04:04
Posts: 266
Location: 5' from this webserver
  

Oh, Mark, so you want more like :

http://www.broadband-hamnet.org/applications-for-the-mesh/158-remote-control-hf-rig-over-mesh.html

but with a TNC instead of the FT-897 CAT-control..Quite doable. Load ser2net on the node, and the serial->IP driver for Windoze and you should be good to go.

And I DO have an WL2K to Mesh connection working, using Paclink and AGW Pro. You tell Pacllink to call a remote AGW at the mesh node name(in this case the mesh name is K5KTF-10, same as the WL2K station), port 8000, with user/pass, and paclink then controls my WL2K station radio. From anywhere on the mesh. I was at the 2011 HamComm in Plano, and we had a mesh tunnel back to Austin. I then did this to my K5KTF-10 station radio to check email at the one local hospital WL2K station down here, but controlling it all from ~300 miles north.

73


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B-) Jim K5KTF EM10bm Cedar Park, TX :star:
 Subject :Re:serial port access.. 2014-03-03- 07:32:45 
K5LXP
Member
Joined: 2014-01-01- 13:06:12
Posts: 41
Location: Albuquerque NM

That does indeed sound like what I'm looking for.

I'll set about coming up with a TTL-232 hardware interface (the sparkfun units seem as good as anything to start with) and I'll poke around with this now that it appears that it's likely to work.

Your instructions are a bit sparse for my level of linux experience but I will see how far I can get on my own.  Will turn it into a step by step application article if I can get it to work.

I chuckled at your use of a phone patch as an audio interface.  Quite a marriage of the old and new.

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Mark K5LXP
 Subject :Re:serial port access.. 2014-03-03- 09:21:36 
K5KTF
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Joined: 2010-01-18- 23:04:04
Posts: 266
Location: 5' from this webserver
  
Chuckle away ! :-) It works! What baffled me until I found that diode was how to get it to auto-answer and hang up properly. But that got solved, and yes, it does work as intended...
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B-) Jim K5KTF EM10bm Cedar Park, TX :star:
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