Building iPhone and iPad Electronic Projects

Chapter 11. WiFi

About This Chapter

Prerequisites

Read Chapter 1 and the end of Chapter 2 (the section on the techBASIC help system) if you need some help with techBASIC.

Equipment

You will need an iPhone, iPod, or iPad running iOS 5 or later. You will also need a WiFly device, an Arduino Uno, and various common electronics parts like a small regulated power supply, jumper wires, and a breadboard. See Table 11-1 for a complete parts list.

Software

You will need a copy of techBASIC or techBASIC Sampler and a copy of the Arduino software for programming the Arduino. The Arduino software is a free download.

What You Will Learn

This project shows how to use a WiFi to serial bridge to set up communication with practically any device that uses serial input.

Worldwide Sensors

Bluetooth low energy is a great way to communicate over short distances, but it does have a couple of limitations. The first is bandwidth, or the amount of information it can move in a given amount of time. Bluetooth low energy typically delivers 100 Kbps (kilobits per second) or less. The second is range. Depending on the antenna and what the radio waves need to pass through, Bluetooth low energy is limited to a range of about 20 to 100 meters.

Our next technology is a bit better in both areas. WiFi connects your device to the Internet, where, with the proper passwords, you can communicate with the International Space Station. Just a tad further than 100 meters, right? As for bandwidth, it depends a lot on what you are connected ...