[Coco] RS232 to WiFi/Ethernet

[Allen Huffman]

Well, heck. Sometimes it costs more to build than to buy.

AliExpress.com has many resellers offering a gadget that has an RS232 connector on one side, and Ethernet ports on the other, and built in WiFi. For about $13 you get the board, WiFi module and power supply. No case.

The software is controlled by serial or via a web interface. It does TCP and UDP as a client or server. No high level protocols, so implementing true telnet and such would require code. It is unclear if it can support multiplexing to use multiple connections at a time, which FTP would require.

Just search for "rs232 to WiFi" and you will find tons of them.

The advantage of the stuff I and Roger Taylor and others are playing with (ESp8266) is the easy to use alternate firmware that makes those devices act like a Hayes smartmodem. They are instantly compatible with BBS programs, Ultimaterm, etc.

I’m going to snag one of these $13 devices to play with and see how it goes.