Alien ALR-F800 User manual

ALR-F800 Wi-Fi Setup APN-1046
Alien ALR-F800 readers support network connections using an optional Wi-Fi USB adapter.
The following application note contains detailed instructions on how to configure the reader
in order to establish a Wi-Fi connection.
Minimum Reader Firmware Requirements
reader firmware version (ReaderVersion) 17.07.17
The Wi-Fi interface control and configuration is implemented using the Alien Reader
Protocol (ARP) service command interface: service wifi OPTIONS
In most cases a minimum set of commands is required to configure the reader and establish
a Wi-Fi connection. For more advanced configuration options refer to the output of the Alien
service wifi help conf command.
NOTES
once the reader Wi-Fi settings are properly configured and the Alien wifi service is
enabled, the reader will automatically try to connect to a Wi-Fi network on boot
both Ethernet and Wi-Fi connections can be active simultaneously but only one ARP
network connection to the reader can be established at a time (using either interface)
if DHCP mode is enabled for the Wi-Fi interface but the reader fails to obtain an IP
address from the wireless router, the Wi-Fi interface will be initialized using a failover
IP address 192.168.2.100

ALR-F800 Wi-Fi Setup APN-1046
General Setup Procedure
The general procedure to enable Wi-Fi functionality consists of the following steps:
1. install the ALR-F800 firmware v17.07.17 or later
2. plug in the compatible Wi-Fi USB adapter (from the list of supported devices below)
3. add a new Wi-Fi network configuration that includes at least the network SSID and
the password parameters
service wifi add "SSID"
service wifi set net 0 psk "PASSWORD"
NOTES
in most cases make sure to use DOUBLE QUOTES around the SSID and the
PASSWORD values (use no quotes only when using hexadecimal values)
several networks could be added to the reader Wi-Fi configuration, each with
its own set of parameters. Use a 0-based network ID/index when configuring
the specific network
4. start wifi service to connect to the WiFi network added above:
service wifi start
5. enable wifi service to automatically start WiFi interface on boot:
service wifi enable

ALR-F800 Wi-Fi Setup APN-1046
Example
ARP command sequence to make the reader connect to a Wi-Fi network with SSID
Area 51 using a password Welcome.
add/register a new network with the SSID Area 51
service wifi add "Area 51"
set Wi-Fi access password for the network that has ID of 0 to Welcome
service wifi set net 0 psk ”Welcome”
start WiFi service (prints ‘R’, for Running, on success)
service wifi start
print the last error (use it to determine the reason if Wi-Fi failed to start)
service wifi err
print link status
service wifi link
print WiFi IP address
service wifi ip

ALR-F800 Wi-Fi Setup APN-1046
Examples of Commands
service wifi scan # scan for and print available Wi-Fi networks
service wifi err # print the last error message
service wifi add "Area 51" # add/register a new network with the SSID Area 51
service wifi list # print configured Wi-Fi networks and their zero-based IDs
service wifi set net 0 psk "Welcome" # set Wi-Fi access password for the
# network that has ID of 0 to Welcome
service wifi get net 0 # print settings for the registered network with ID of 0
service wifi conf # print the entire Wi-Fi service configuration
service wifi start # start Wi-Fi service, prints ‘R’ (Running) on success
service wifi link # print Wi-Fi link status
service wifi ip # print Wi-Fi IP address
service wifi enable # set Wi-Fi service to start automatically on boot
service wifi disable # disable starting Wi-Fi service automatically on boot
service wifi stop # stop Wi-Fi service
service wifi help # display help
service wifi help conf # display help for advanced Wi-Fi configuration options
service wifi Command Parameter Groups
The Wi-Fi service configuration parameters are organized in groups as follows:
general configuration parameters
add | del | get | set
parameters related to each of the registered network (referenced by its numerical
0-based ID/index)
get net ID [PARAM] | set net ID PARAM [VALUE]
IP address related parameters
mac | ip | netmask | gateway | dhcp

ALR-F800 Wi-Fi Setup APN-1046
service wifi Command Options
start|stop|status # Wi-Fi service control commands
scan # scan for and list available wireless networks
dev|link|err # print status info (device capabilities, link status, last error)
conf # print entire Wi-Fi configuration
reload # apply configuration changes to a running Wi-Fi service
add {"SSID"|HEXSSDI} # add/register a new network,
# SSID is a DOUBLE-QUOTED ASCII string or hex string
del {"SSID"|HEXSSDI} # delete network
list # list registered networks
get [PARAM] # print general WiFi configuration [PARAM]
set PARAM [VALUE] # set general WiFi configuration PARAM; or
# delete PARAM if VALUE is omitted
get net ID [PARAM] # print network-ID configuration [PARAM]
set net ID PARAM [VALUE] # set network-ID configuration PARAM; or
# delete PARAM if VALUE is omitted
mac|ip|netmask|gateway|dhcp # get|set network interface related parameters
help [conf] # display help
Supported Wi-Fi Devices
The following Wi-Fi USB adapters have been verified to work with the ALR-F800:
Buffalo AirStation N150 Wireless USB Adapter (WLI-UC-GNM)
Panda PAU05
Panda PAU06
Alfa AWUS036NEH 1000mW 1W 802.11g/n High Gain USB Wireless G / N Long-
Range WiFi Network Adapter

ALR-F800 Wi-Fi Setup APN-1046
For more information and technical support email us at [e-mail]
Alien Technology LLC
845 Embedded Way
San Jose, CA 95138
[phone]
www.Alientechnology.com
Copyright© 2016 Alien Technology LLC. All rights reserved.
DISCLAIMER Application recommendations are guidelines only - actual results may vary and should be confirmed. This is a general purpose product not designed or intended for any specific application.