[eugenebrooks]

At CalGames 2009, we used the FRC radio config program by James Kiefer to set up the WGAs with a single encryption key used by all participating teams (one they did not know). We then set the WGA to a single ssid by hand after using the setup program, the ssid would otherwise be set to the team number by the setup program. It would have been nice if the setup program had the capability to set a single ssid for all game adapters.

A single team router was then configured with the encryption key, and appropriate other settings, and we were in business using the one router for the field. We didn't use the dongles, distributing 12 volt power and global control of the disable/enable line that also wired in e-stop switches at each driver station via the competition port. Robots were "enabled" if a master switch was thrown on the scoring table and the e-stop was not latched down, but the match was controlled with FMSLight. Sadly, it appears that this customized portion of the system will not be useful next year with the new drivers station. Such is life...

The one thing that we had a problem with was the 3600 second time out for the key rotation. Once, during a match, all the robots stalled for a second while the key was apparently being rotated. We should have set the timeout so that it would not happen during the day of matches. The other key rotations must have occurred during times that matches were not in play.

Eugene