Roboscape Provisioning Tool

We need a way of provisioning multiple parallax activity boards equipped with Xbee S6B with initial configuration w/ no pre existing communication medium.

Get roboscape on Google Play

Possible Solutions

1. Viral
2. wifi direct (p2p) [android only], no[?] wifi-direct standard on Xbee S6B module

• prepared a prototype
• plugin: https://github.com/NeoLSN/cordova-plugin-wifi-direct, https://github.com/Uepaa-AG/p2pkit-cordova

3. external hotspot:

• phone into hotspot: iOS out of the picture (no support). localOnlyHotspot from android with random SSID and password.
• laptop into hotspot + OS agnostic SW

4. robots as AP:

• scan, pick, auto connect and configure. can automate the http request
  • how to go to AP mode
  • configuration should be saved after
  • hijack one of the field
• can be an app.

App TODO

• wifi direct (solution #2)
  • prompt for location permission
  • [failed] test connectivity with xbee chip
  • figure out a communication protocol after the p2p group is up If you are the groupOwner => Listen for a connection; Else create a connection to the owner with the ip address.
• robots as ap (solution #4)
  • scope the global helpers methods to avoid collison
  • add xhr post request function to set the desired configurations (axios post a form)
  • add a UI
    • show current status (configuring which robot, status of previous ones) on UI
  • add a self contained way of setting up one robot with status update (and retry?)
  • batch the process for more than one AP
  • check mobile network status;
    • check mobile network status and warn. can't control it programmatically link
  • connect to the same network as before after batch config
  • capture back button on the phone
  • connection detection issues
  • firmware beep feedback
• show wifi aps with good signal quality
• validate wifi config before submitting (maybe confirm with user?)
• Internet or server connectivity check
• test again after mixin refactoring
• initial load screen

Firmware TODO

• physical button (5sec hold) to enter configuration mode
• detect that can't connect to current AP and go to setup mode?
• stricter robot keymatching
• mac@groupID

Installation

• add the wifidirect plugin cordova plugin add https://github.com/NeoLSN/cordova-plugin-wifi-direct

If you are the groupOwner => Listen for a connection

• what determines the group owner in WIFI Direct standard paer
• UI for controlling and connecting to discovered nodes and configuring the settings

Troubleshooting

• remove /plugins and platform/android directories.

References

• Xbee Api Mode: supported frames API frame structure commands table s6b commands p147

• Android hotspot:

  • No public/official api to create such a hotspot [link].
  • there is localOnlyHotspot link. can't preset the configurations
  • The Android API does not expose a way to modify the hotspot configurations. Can't set password or ssid and it changes everytime.