GL.iNet GL-AR750S-Ext (Slate) Gigabit Travel AC VPN Router

Why use GL.iNet GL-AR750S-Ext as my router?

AndyMark provides different options for controls depending on your robot controls needs.

For FRC standard Wi-Fi with the Open-Mesh is required for competition, but any Wi-Fi connection to connect the Driver Station with the roboRIO is possible for practice or non-competition environments.

Other peripheral devices such as a Limelight, or network cameras will need to be on the same network and up to 3 ports (2 by default) can be used to connect your devices.

Other control systems that run on a network like the Arduino-Compatible Microcontroller, Raspberry Pi, or if using an Ethernet Shield on any Arduino also need a Wi-Fi connection.

Is this legal to use for official FIRST Robotics Competition Events?

NO! - This is not intended to replace the OpenMesh for official FIRST events and is not expected to be the replacement after the 2021 season.

Wireless made easy with simple setup

There are plenty of wireless communication protocols for numerous applications, but simplicity with current technology is helpful to focus on education of programming your controller, and allow maximum bandwidth for multiple devices to communicate.

The GL.iNet GL-AR750S-Ext Router simplifies the setup to keep you from spending extra time on networking that should be focused on education in programming or development of your robot!

The best part, this router uses OpenWRT (preloaded) which means while it has many simple options, you're able to do any advance configurations with the same router.

3 Gigabit ports | USB | 5V Power

Out of the box, the 3 Gigabit ports on this router are configured as 1 port built for WAN and 2 for LAN. These can be configured to all be used in the LAN network.

The USB port, out of the box, is configured to accept a tether connection to gain internet access or for a USB Modem to be directly connected. With advance configuration it can be setup to share data on a USB stick or USB Hard Drive!

This router requires 5V and can use up to 2 Amps. When used on robots this is achieved with a Voltage Regulator Module (VRM). For other uses the included wall plug and USB cable work great. This is the first thing we would want to change. Be careful with this connection as microUSB is not built to be the most durable connection.

Drop in replacement for OpenMesh for non-competition

Wireless setup is super simple here. By default is the SSID is found on bottom of router with default password: goodlife

To use in place of the OpenMesh router, head to "More Settings", find the "LAN IP" section and set the IP address of the router to 10.TE.AM.1 as described in the WPI documentation for the OpenMesh radio.

Everything else should work the same, you'll just need to get your driver station laptop connected to the SSID of the router.

If you want to change the SSID of the router, head to the wireless setup and click "Modify", make your changes and go.

Advance features with guides for setup:

Need Internet as well?

The wonderful thing about this router, is how easy it can even get internet access within your robot network.

In this video you can see how to set it up as a repeater where it connects to a Wi-Fi connection and then shares that with it's local LAN and broadcasts it's own Wi-Fi network.

If you don't have a Wi-Fi connection for the router to connect to, you can use your phone as a tethered device through USB.

Or if you have a USB modem device it can quickly be added as well. With this feature, maybe your team develops a telepresence robot for the public?