[apalrd]

Well, Vexnet can connect fast, just saying. And the Vexnet dongle is actually just a USB WiFi dongle repackaged, if you plug it into a computer it might find it as a generic-brand Wifi adapter. I don't have hard numbers, but the user manual suggests 'It usually takes 5 to 10 seconds to successfully establish a link'. I can measure one later if necessary, but this seems about right.

Also, we do a lot of initial development on tether (when we're doing hardcore logic work, not the later stages which are almost all calibration), and booting fast without the radio should be considered too.

I don't believe at all that you can't boot a controller capable of all of FRC's needs roughly as fast as the Vex system, with comparable times for tether and radio operation. You might have to better define what FRC's needs actually are.