How to setup the UCW232/WA-232B Serial WiFi adapter

Transcription

1 How to setup the Serial WiFi adapter (based on Windows 7, 32/64-bit) This step-by-step guide explains how to get started using the Serial RS232 WiFi Adapter part and Serial RS485 / RS422 WiFi adapter part WA These products has many more advanced features and functions than described in this guide so you should consider this guide only as a quick-start guide to help you get started with the basic functions. This guide is based on part WA232 but the procedures explained also applies to part WA U.S. Converters LLC. All rights reserved. 1

2 Configuring the parameters... 3 Configuration of the parameters using a Web browser.. 4 Configuration of the parameters using the software utility.. 15 Configuring the parameters using Telnet Configuring the parameters over the RS232 serial port Creating a virtual COM port with the software utility Verifying communication with a loop-back test Creating a virtual COM/TCP port - example using PortShare Creating a virtual COM/TCP port - example using Fabulatech Point-to-point setup.. 45 Troubleshooting 47 Connecting with Android. 48 Connecting with ios 50 2

3 Configuring the parameters The parameters of the can be configured several ways: Web browser over WiFi Configuration utility software (included) over WiFi Telnet over WiFi Serial RS232 port We will here describe each one of these methods. The default network settings are: Adhoc mode (Simple AP), DHCP disabled SSID: R2WiFi No Security IP: Socket port: 5000 Channel: 11 Log in ID: admin Log in password: admin The default COM port settings are: Baud rate: bps Data bit: 8 Parity: none Stop bit: 1 Flow control: none 3

4 Configuration of the parameters using a Web browser Use your WiFi adapter s connection manager to connect to the R2WiFi. In this example we use a TP-Link WiFi adapter: 4

5 If you have built-in WiFi you may be able to use Windows connection manager instead of a third party manager: 5

6 Make sure the wireless network IP address is in the same subnet as the. The default IP address of the is

7 Open Internet Explorer and enter the IP address You should now see the login screen. The default username is: admin The default password is: admin 7

8 Below is a screenshot of the configuration pages: 8

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15 Configuration of the parameters using the software utility After executing the AXR2W_RS232-to-WiFi_Toolkit.exe file (either the 32-bit version or the 64-bit version) you can start the utility. If your computer has more than one network connection you need to select the wireless network which is in the same subnet as the : Use the up/down arrows to scroll through the IPs if there are more than two IPs. Click the Search button once the software is open and enter the IP address of the as shown below: 15

16 The software should now find the and list it as shown below: 16

17 Select the from the device list and click Device Setup and the settings window will open: 17

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21 Configuring the parameters using Telnet Create a Telnet connection to the by using terminal software such as Putty or Tera Term. Use the settings as shown below: 21

22 Username and password are both admin. Use the commands help or sethelp to get an overview of the parameters. Please refer to the full command list for all available commands. 22

23 Configuring the parameters over the RS232 serial port Connect the to your computer s serial port. Create a connection to the by using a terminal software such as Putty or Tera Term. Use the settings as shown below: 23

24 When the connection is established, enter +++ and press the Enter key on your keyboard to access the WA232B. (The +++ will not show up in the Tera Term s window). NOTICE THAT ON SOME KEYBOARDS YOU NEED TO ENTER THE +++ AND PRESS ENTER BY USING THE MAIN KEYBOARD, NOT THE SMALL NUMBER PAD. The default username and password is: admin. You are now ready to enter commands. Enter help to get the help menu: 24

25 Example for changing the IP address: First use the set ip command to set the desired IP address then use the saveconfig and reboot commands to save and reboot the adapter. After this you will need to login to the adapter again using the +++ command. Once you are logged in you can check the new settings using the ipconfig command. Please refer to the datasheet for command references. 25

26 Creating a virtual COM port with the software utility A virtual COM port can be created by using the AXR2W Configuration Utility or it can be created by using alternative VCOM software such as PortShare, Fabulatech or USC-VCOM as described later in this setup guide. First we show how to create a virtual COM port with the included configuration utility. Go to the Virtual Serial Port menu and click the Add button: 26

27 Select a COM port number: The COM port should now be listed in the Virtual Serial Ports List: 27

28 Check in Windows Device Manager to see if the COM port has been successfully created: 28

29 Click the Setting button and enter the IP address of the adapter ( ), and click OK. Click the Connect button and the software will open the COM port, ready to send and receive data. 29

30 Verifying communication with a loop-back test To check if the can send and receive data successfully you can make a loop-back test using AccessPort (can be downloaded from ). First loop-back the TX pin (pin 2) to the RX pin (pin 3) on the DB9 connector of the by placing a jumper (for example a paperclip) between the TX and RX pins: 30

31 Open AccessPort and set the parameters as shown below: 31

32 Enter a text string in the lower (send) window. Click the ON button to open the COM port. Click AutoSend. The text string should now be sent to the, out on the TX pin and back through the jumper on the RX pin and appear in the upper (receive) window: 32

33 Alternatively a similar test, using two COM ports, can be made with the built-in COM terminal: 33

34 Creating a virtual COM/TCP port - example using PortShare When creating a virtual COM port, an alternative to using the software utility for the UCW232/WA- 232Bis using a COM port redirector called PortShare. PortShare can be downloaded for free at. First make sure that the has joined the network. Start PortShare and enter the settings of the as shown below: 34

35 Default settings can usually be used without problems. PortShare will in this example create COM 25: 35

36 COM port 25 is now available in Device Manager: This COM port can now be used as if it was a built-in COM port. Alternative compatible Virtual COM/TCP software is: Fabulatech Serial Port Redirector: and Eltima Serial over Ethernet: These alternative solutions are good products and offers a 30 day trial period. 36

37 To verify that the created virtual COM port can communicate properly with the s COM port you can make a loopback test. Carefully use a paper clip to jump TX (pin 2) and RX (pin 3) on the s DB9 connector. Open AccessPort which can be downloaded from Configure AccessPort s parameters to match the created COM port: And click OK. 37

38 Enter some characters in the lower (send) windows in AccessPort and click the AutoSend button. The characters should now be sent via virtual COM 25, over WiFi to the, out on the TX pin, back into the RX pin, back over WiFi, back into virtual COM port 25 and should appear in AccessPorts upper (receive) window. AccessPort send -> COM 25 -> WiFi -> TX pin -- AccessPort receive <- COM 25 <-WiFi <- RX pin < If you remove the jumper at the the data flow should stop. The obviously should be joining a network when performing this test. 38

39 Creating a virtual COM/TCP port - example using Fabulatech Fabulatech COM port redirector is compatible with the and an excellent alternative to creating a virtual COM port. A 15-day trial software can be downloaded from or Here is a quick overview of what the Fabulatech COM port redirector software looks like: Enter the COM port number and the IP address of the 39

40 The COM port in now available in Windows Device Manager: 40

41 Check the COM port with AccessPort: 41

42 The small green dot next to the COM port indicates that the port is open: Check that you can send and receive data with a loop-back test: 42

43 The following shows Fabulatech s COM port redirector s available settings: 43

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46 Point-to-point setup The can be configured to communicate in pairs between two serial ports, also called point-topoint communication. Simple AP (Default) Client (Infrastructure mode) One adapter (the Access Point adapter) is using default settings; the other must be configured as shown below. Please see the section called Configuring the parameters over the RS232 serial port earlier in this guide for how to establish a connection over the serial port to the WA232B. Set the following commands: set nt 0 set dhcpclient 0 set dhcpsrvenable 0 set mode 1 set dsthn saveconfig Now turn off the power and turn it back on; the client will connect with the Simple AP automatically. 46

47 When the link is established the blue LED light on the Access Point unit (the WA232B with default settings) will go off and the red LED steady on. The blue light on the client adapter will be flashing and the red light steady on. When data is sent to the serial port and transmitted by the WA232B the red LED light will flash; this applies to any of the units. Notice, this setup will only work with two units (point-to-point), not with multiple units (point-to-multipoint). 47

48 Troubleshooting Using the serial WiFi adapter in high traffic network locations. Using a serial WiFi adapter in a location with many WiFi and/or Bluetooth connections may sometimes be a challenge since all WiFi and Bluetooth devices share the same 2.4Ghz frequency. Sometimes this can cause noisy environment may cause problems connecting the or dropped connections, so here are a few things you can try to improve the situation: 1. Try changing the wireless channel. 2. Try changing the wireless data rate. Lowering the data rate may help improve time-out issues. 3. If possible try and scan the 2.4Ghz spectrum. This can for example be done by using a 3rd party software such as: inssid: WiFi Stumbler: For Android: WiFi Analyzer APP Analyze the network and use the channel with the least number of other wireless devices. 48

49 Connecting with Android The can connect to an Android based device; the adapter will become the client and connect with the Access Point. NOTICE: Not all Android devices supports Ad Hoc mode, in which case the Android cannot find and connect to the. Check the specifications of your Android device to find out if it supports Ad Hoc mode. How to establish a connection to the depends on the model of your tablet or phone and the Android version, the following is only an example for how some devices are connected. Press and hold the reset button on the for at least 5 seconds to reset the adapter and load the default factory settings; then follow these steps to connect: Enter the Settings menu. Select Wireless & networks. Select :Wi-Fi Settings. 49

50 Enter the app name and password as following: AppName is the SSID of the WiFi App. The 0 represents no security. 0 = Open (no security) 1 = WEP 64 2 = TKIP 3 = AES 4 = AUTO Enter Add Wi-Fi network. NOTICE: on some Android devices the connection can be setup simply by searching the network and select Connect. Step 6: Open a web-browser and enter the IP address of the ( ). Make sure that the subnet is in the XX range; otherwise you will not be able to connect to the adapter. Step 7: Login to the admin screen, the default username and password is admin. 50

51 Connecting with ios The can connect to an ios based device; the adapter will become the client and connect with the Access Point. Press and hold the reset button on the for at least 5 seconds to get the adapter into factory mode; then follow these steps to connect: Enter Settings and then Wi-Fi Networks and select Other. Enter the app name and password as following: wi@appname@0password AppName is the SSID of the WiFi App. The 0 represents no security. 0 = Open (no security) 1 = WEP 64 2 = TKIP 3 = AES 4 = AUTO 51

52 Step 4: Open a web-browser and enter the IP address of the ( ). Make sure that the subnet is in the XX range; otherwise you will not be able to connect to the adapter. Step 5: Login to the admin screen, the default username and password is admin. 52