Our axis camera JUST came in the mail yesterday, so I’m setting it up. However I’m having to choose between “Robot Radio” (wifi if I understand correctly) or “8-slot CompactRIO ethernet”.
Which do yall use or is better?
I feel like ethernet would give less lag but if the ethernet port in the cRIO is already used up by the router, do I HAVE to use Robot Radio? Or can I plug it in wired to the router ports?
Also, what if we plan on using a 4slot cRIO instead of 8slot? Again, does that limit us to one plan or the other?
EDIT: oh, and is it possible to go back and reset it to the other option later?
The Robot Radio option just means that the camera will be plugged in with an ethernet cable to the DLink router on your robot. The 8-slot compactRIO ethernet option means that you are using that cRIO, so the camera will be plugged into ethernet port 2 on that.
If you are using a 4 slot cRIO, then use the Robot Radio option, and then plug the camera into ethernet port 2 on the router.
You can reset these settings at any time and choose a different option. When you open the axis camera tool that is provided by FIRST, there are instructions in the text box if you scroll down that will show you how to reset the camera so that you can then choose a different option.
The original “radio” on the robot was a wifi bridge without an integrated switch. This meant that there was no way to connect the camera except to route it through the cRIO and have the cRIO forward the data from one port to the other.
Even if using an 8-slot, I’d recommend plugging everything into the DLink. This makes it easier to calibrate and debug even if you aren’t viewing the image on the dashboard during a match.
By the way, if nothing is plugged into the ethernet port, you may consider a bit of tape over it to keep the metal debris from collecting there. NI actually recommends mounting the cRIO vertically, like a picture on a wall, but teams seem to prefer the horizontal, like a plate on a table. This tends to make it collect all sorts of glitter and debris, and the 8-slots were not conformal coated and most teams didn’t install the gaskets. Electronics don’t like glitter.