3.6GHz 802.11y for Competitions

[techhelpbb]

Originally Posted by EricWilliams

As for going back to some type of custom hardware/radio: that completely undermines the biggest benefit of going aay from the 900MHz radios - that teams can use standard COTS equipment for development/demo/practice/off-season events. I'm suggesting simply swapping out the bridge before you bring the robot out onto the field.

When I helped propose a 2015 control system I got around this by making a module that accepted radio modules of various frequencies. FIRST could send teams ISM band modules (often unlicensed) with valid frequencies for the team's nation of origin. If you really wanted that module could do TCP/IP for home use of an AP or base band serial. After all that module had an Ethernet for field side. It could work with existing fields and FMS. The module was called the Turtle. Slow and steady wins the race and it is hardened.

If the teams wanted WiFi FIRST could let them provide hardware or restrict the hardware to choices they prefer.

Turtle did not advocate a specific frequency it would have allowed FIRST to move around.

This proposal was not accepted.

I think Asus is providing a WiFi USB radio for RoboRIO.
Upside - less involved than the D-Link AP and hopefully cheaper.
Downsides - still wraps baseband serial in TCP/IP giving up control and risks RoboRIO busy state holding up radio.