WaRTBOT!

[bdt]

Got a WaRT and (with apologies to the fine (if somewhat rabid) members of JAWUG) looking for something new and different to do with it?

Well grasshopper, salvation is at hand: turn it into a wi-fi robot!

Introduction

Wifi Robot: A remote control car that can be driven over the internet or with a laptop wirelessly from up to 500m away. It has a live-feed network camera so that it can be driven without line of sight and a horn so that you can honk at people.

A while ago I discovered the Linksys WRT54GL router. It's very hacker-friendly in that it runs Linux and some of the hardware has been reverse engineered. A bunch of alternative firmware versions have been written for this router. The version that this project uses is the customizable Linux firmware Open-WRT. Along with great software for this router, a bunch of hardware hacks are possible. With a cheap, hackable, embedded Linux system at my disposal -- I knew I had to do something cool with it. So the Wifi Robot idea was born.

The goal of this article is to give a high-level overview of the project and provide some implementation details of the software and electronics. It is not meant to be a step-by-step how-to guide, but there should be enough information for someone with motivation and some background knowledge in electronics and software to be able to make their own Wifi Robot. All of the source code is being released under the terms of the GNU GPL v2, so by all means, use the code, and improve it!

The resources section is great, notably for revealing the Ultimate WRT54G Hacking site, the companion to the book, that you can (mostly) read online here.

 

[Ryder_JHB]

Discovered this one a while back, and am keen to try one day! I was counting WaRT's at Casa-Del-Ryder last night, and it seems there are possibly six in various states of readyness! Plus a non-responsive WAP somewhere in the ceiling!

Regards, Rabid Ryder!

 

[bdt]

Well, I've got my Gv5 (bambam ..you DO name your devices, don't you?) doing 'net duty, which freed up the GS (was fred -yes, for the obvious acronym) for being able to take on site to test things and recently acquired a pristine condition Gv2.2 which, for now, sits in its box.

...I'm warring with myself as to whether I should acquire any more or leave it be.

 

[Ryder_JHB]

Yup, all named, but not as creative as yours however.. WRT1 and WRT2 currently in operation for distant Wuggers, "Rusty" (named after an early attempt at trying to make my own waterproof enclosure) is currently ready for installation at a new Wugger, and the others are somewhere on / under the rest of the junk on my workbench at home....