A quick shout out to Netduino community member Valkyrie-MT for his work on CC3100.

Thank you so much for all your contributions.

You were a big inspiration behind the new Netduino 3 Wi-Fi hardware.

Chris

Hi EagleSparrow,

My device is dead trying to move to 4.3.1, i may need to reflash the bootstrap and i am having lots of problems.
Can someone post links to everything to set this up from bare metal?

Let's get you back up and running first... [Then take a look at the NETMF SocketClient and HTTP Client samples to start working with HTTP, etc.]

On reflashing: put your board in bootloader mode (by pressing the pushbutton while powering your board up via your computer's USB port). Then run NetduinoUpdate.exe (which comes with the firmware you're targeting) and reflash your board. This will automatically reflash the bootloader and firmware and erase the code deployment area simultaneously. After doing this, run MFDeploy and go to "target > configuration > network config" menu option and re-enter your board's MAC address. That should get you back to factory conditions.

Does that help get you pointed in the right direction?

Welcome to the Netduino community,

Chris

Netduino Go is still in production.

When you are building a pure-modular project, it will continue to be the best choice with 8 GoBus ports.

Once we get the eight new STM8S-based modules shipped, we will be working on firmware for the Ethernet module (bringing networking to Netduino Go) and 4-port hub module (bringing expansion to both Netduino Go and Netduino 3).

Speaking of STM8S-based modules, we'll have more news on those shortly

Chris

Hi Anthony,
 

Will the new networking stack support multicast?

Ask and ye shall receive We have added experimental support for multicast to the new Netduino 3 Wi-Fi 4.3.2.1 firwmare.
http://forums.netdui...-v432-update-1/

We have also created a new MulticastOption class and SetSocketOption method overload in NetduinoExtensions.dll (in the new Netduino 4.3.2 SDK).

Chris

P.S. Experimental features have not received the same amount of testing as core features and are not (at least yet) officially supported. But we wanted to wire this up for you to help enable your projects; enjoy

Hi guido,

Is there any news regarding a watchdog, and is it possibler to connect an external antenna?

There is no external antenna connector, although if there was really strong demand we could make a special version with an external antenna connector. There are some FCC/CE regulations around that so it would need to be studied further.

Watchdog is definitely something that we could add to the firmware. Are you looking for something that you could kick frequently--and have the board reboot if your code stopped kicking the watchdog? What kind of time resolution are you looking for (milliseconds? seconds? minutes?) Also--would other be interested in watchdog support?

Chris

Hi Nick,
 

Just got my first Netduino (Netduino 3 wifi) and I am having a problem when trying to use the GoBus ports. Can you use these ports on .NET Micro Framework 4.3.1 yet? I've tried a number of different things such as pointing to the v4.2 assemblies but no joy (I get an a3000000 error).

Grab a copy of the latest Netduino SDK (currently v4.3.2) from the following download link:
http://cdn.netduino....netduinosdk.exe

Then just create a Netduino Application (Universal)...and code away The new universal template works with all gen2 and gen3 boards and is based on NETMF 4.3.

Chris

Hi Anthony,

So thats what I was asking about RE multicast.

CC3100 does have some support for UDP multicast built in. We'd need to spend a half day or so mapping the socket options and testing--but basic UDP multicast should be very doable.

Would more community members like to see this feature as a top priority?
 

What's the reason for only 8 sockets? Is it a memory limitation on the CC3100?

It is a hardware limit of the CC3100 module's built-in socket handler. If we can map the full Netduino.IP stack on top of CC3100, this limitation would go away.
[ For most folks 8 sockets is a ton--but I understand and appreciate applications which stretch this limit ]

Chris

Hi Robert,

+1 to UDP Multicast support! (And brilliant, on the Universal side, thanks for the info!!)

Just FYI...we added UDP multicast support (experimental) in the Netduino 3 Wi-Fi v4.3.2.1 firmware Just add the NetduinoExtensions.dll assembly to your project and you should be good to go.

Chris

What is happening to the Ethernet version?

 

You have PM

Chris

Hi Zombiecoder,

Just ordered a Netduino3 Wi-Fi. As a .net programmer, I am very excited.

Awesome! Welcome to the community, and please share your projects with us so we can see your creations as well!

Chris

Hi Phil,

What is the status of the Shield base via the Go bus and the Netduino 3?

Netduino 3 supports all the production-firmware GoBus modules (everything but Shield Base, which is in beta). As we bring Shield Base out of beta, we will be adding support for it to the Netduino 3 core (which core will be shared with Netduino Go mainboard as well).

Welcome to the Netduino community,

Chris

Hi neslekkim,

Got it: https://instagram.com/p/2_cUQJjOgg/
No blue box, no cable
 
Well, it probably made it easyer/cheaper to ship, and unless the cable is magic something, I have heaps of them..  

Woot: it made it!

Yeah, pretty much everyone should have a drawerful of MicroUSB cables by now: probably best not to add unnecessarily to landfills... [Plus the USB cables can add quite a bit of shipping cost to international shipments...they're about as heavy as the boards themselves.]

I found no reason to try to register for the "thank you gift" yet, since there will problably newer be an way for international customers to use that.. ?

If you can cover the cost of international shipping (perhaps cheaper USPS first class mail?), we'll do our best to get you goodies

Chris

Hi Anthony,

Will the new networking stack support multicast?  Will we have control over the max. number of open sockets?  Is the networking performance improved over that of the Plus 2?

Networking on NETMF-class devices is designed for lower-bandwidth end nodes (i.e. not video streaming, etc.) The CC3100 can natively transmit more than 10mbps in theory--but there are some practical bottlenecks that can get in the way of that.

On sockets: the hybrid stack supports up to 8 simultaneous non-secure sockets and up to 2 simultaneously SSL/TLS sockets. If you are running a TCP server on the board, that needs 1 socket for the listener and 1 socket per client.

On multicast: are you wanting to subscribe to multicast groups?

BTW, there's a possibility that we can run the full upcoming Netduino.IP stack on CC3100 (using CC3100 as a MAC-layer-only chip). In that scenario you'd be able to open up even more sockets. If that is of interest to many community members, we can put that on the investigation/feature list.

Chris

Hi Robert,

How "Universal" (in respect to Windows 10/Windows IoT) are these applications?

The new template is a universal template: it is designed to work with all mainboards designed in the last three years (Netduino 2, Netduino Plus 2, Netduino Go and Netduino 3).

Soon, the new universal template will also support the new Universal Windows Platform-derived APIs (previewed on Netduino 3 at //build/ 2015, coming in NETMF 4.4).

So today the new template is a "Universal Template" and soon it will be a "Universal Template with UWP-derived APIs." The new template also supports older APIs, for maximum backwards compatibility.

This is a big year for updates to Netduino and NETMF. We will continue innovating with Microsoft: stay tuned.

Chris

Hi tridy.net,

Got my Netduino 3 WiFi today (actually my first one). Kids are asleep and I have managed to get the example with blinking led running by using Netduino 2 template in VS2013. For the next step I would like to test the WiFi connectivity. I think I have configured it correctly vai "Network Configuration" of ".Net Micro Framework Deployment Tool," so now, what is the easiest way of testing if wifi works/configured correctly? Is it by create a web request? Pinging the router?

That's it! If you've set your SSID and password in MFDeploy Network Configuration, you should be up and running.

If the LED is yellow then the Netduino 3 Wi-Fi is searching for your access point. If the LED is green then it has connected to your access point.

To test your Wi-Fi connectivity, you can also create a new app and add the following code:

while (IPAddress.GetDefaultLocalAddress() == IPAddress.Any) ; // wait for DHCP

Debug.Print("ip address: " + IPAddress.GetDefaultLocalAddress());

Thread.Sleep(Timeout.Infinite);

This will wait for your Netduino to connect to your Wi-Fi network (i.e. until it gets a DHCP-allocated address), print out the IP address, and then go to sleep forever (without terminating the app).

Once you know your board's IP address, ping away

Does that get you up and running?

Welcome to the Netduino community!

Chris

Hi Joshk,
 

...will this work with SDHC cards?

The open source NETMF drivers work with standard MicroSD cards (up to 2GB).

Here's a link to the MicroSD card we use over at Amazon.com.

Chris

Great feedback, Sukasa.

But the killer feature of that would be the ability to roll back if something went wrong.

Dual-bank flash (and a good bootloader) are awesome that way

Chris

Definitely the SSL and AMQP.  The Wi-Fi is nice, but I prefer hardwired ethernet.  The GoBus is a plus that'll only get bigger over time, too.
 
The extra code space feels kind of meaningless, however.  Even on my N+1 I never came close to running out of room for binaries; it was always the RAM that was constricting.

Good news: you now have 64 KB more RAM too. And with Netduino.IP, even more...since it's very resourceful on memory itself

By default we actually allocate the flash as two 1MB sections (with 384KB available for code, as before). It's a special kind of flash called dual-bank flash which would, in theory, let us receive a complete firmware update (NETMF, app, etc.) over the air...and flash the second 1MB with it...and then reboot into the second half of flash. Would that be interesting to enable?

Or you know...extra storage for web page assets, etc. Although MicroSD already works great for that.

Chris

Dear Friends,

The future is wireless.

Over the last four and a half years together, tens of thousands of you have built amazing projects with Netduino. But we have been holding you back, literally, with a network cable.

Today we introduce a new flagship Netduino. Minus the wires. And with built-in SSL.

Introducing Netduino 3 Wi-Fi, the next-generation wireless Netduino.
Netduino 3 Wi-Fi Specs
Where to Buy (resellers)

[And yes, we know that sometimes you want to use a network cable. Netduino 3 Wi-Fi has an Ethernet-based next-generation cousin. We'll talk about that separately.]

Netduino 3 Wi-Fi builds upon the best features of previous Netduinos. And then adds a lot of great new features.
 
Here are a few highlights of what is new and improved with Netduino 3 Wi-Fi:

• Micro: STM32F427VI Rev 3
  2MB dual-bank flash (twice as much as NP2)
  256KB RAM including 64KB core-coupled RAM (33% more than NP2)
• Wi-Fi: TI CC3100, 802.11b/g/n (2.4GHz)
  Supports open networks, WEP and WPA2
• Built-in support for the latest SSL security (including TLS 1.2)
• Three GoBus 2.0 ports (for plug and play components)
• Support for even more Arduino shields (with ICSP header pads)
• New miniature shield-friendly pushbutton
• Brand new power subsystem and power management
• Over half of all components are new.  Too much to cover here.

On the software side, Netduino 3 Wi-Fi uses a special Netduino.IP hybrid networking stack (fully integrated into the CLR).  Just write regular NETMF code using System.Net.Socket, HttpWebRequest, SslStream, etc.
 
And of course Netduino 3 Wi-Fi is awesome for projects using Microsoft Azure.  AMQP support?  You're covered.
 
This board is engineered with the future in mind, and also great for today's Internet-connected projects.
 
Netduino 3 Wi-Fi is also firmware upgradable (including built-in firmware upgrade functionality for CC3100) and will gain even more rich functionality over time.
 
I am super excited about this new generation of Netduino hardware.  And even more excited to see the projects you build with the new functionality. 
 
Let's build the future together,
 
Chris

P.S. Even the MicroUSB jack is new.  We obsessed over finding a jack which gave users a satisfying "click".  And then obsessed over a lot of other seemingly-insignificant-but-important things.  This board is over-engineered, as usual; we admit it.

Hi Joshk,

For my 70 Netduino Plus 2 I have spend $700 in cards.

I've put "simple storage" on the feature request list. This is something community members can attack and we can incorporate into the firmware. Or it's something we can attack, once we get a few other items out of the way... I do understand where this would be valuable.

Chris

Hi danutm,

Is Netduino 3 Wifi supported in Visual Studio 2013 or in a previous version? I don't see a project template Visual C#/Micro Framework/Netduino 3 Wifi Application, as the R2 beta plug-in was released all the way in November 2014.

Yes, absolutely. We'll actually be shipping a new Netduino SDK next week (4.3.2) and Visual Studio 2013 will be the recommended IDE to use (until VS2015 ships and is fully supported soon).

For templates...you can use the Netduino Plus 2 application for now. The new SDK includes a simplified template scheme which I think you'll really like--and the new template is a superset of the Netduino Plus 2 template.

To configure your Wi-Fi settings, just open up MFDeploy's Network Config and set your SSID and passphrase. WPA2/PSK is automatically selected for you (and covers WPA2 as well).

Chris

Hi energywave,

It's possible to add an external EEPROM (for a dollar or so) to store data via I2C/SPI on Netduino 2s today, but no internal storage mechanism (outside of deploying data with your code).

I'll add a +1 to the "simple storage" feature request.

Chris

P.S. Glad you like the improvements on Netduino 3. There are a lot of improvements we haven't covered yet too ; more to come

P.P.S. Any photos you can share on your project with the N2s? We always love seeing the cool stuff that community members are building with Netduinos!

EddieGarmon,

Thanks for the photos! I have a feeling that you're going to have some wirelessly-controlled, self-propelled device running around very soon

Chris

Hey Frode,

Nice! I'm on holiday in the US for the first time, and have ordered it from Amazon to the hotel. Amazon doesn't ship to Norway, so I'm in luck I'm in Florida now.

Very convenient Welcome to Florida!

Can't wait to try the new Wifi-board.

We'd love photos, first impressions, etc. when you unbox your new baby!

Chris

Hey phantomtypist, welcome!
 

I have NETMF SDK 4.3 QFE2 installed and Netduino SDK 4.3.1 (February 2014) installed.  When I plug the Netduino 3 Wi-Fi into the computer via USB, it is not detected by MFDeploy nor Visual Studio 2012.
 
I'm guessing I'm missing some new version of the Netduino SDK, correct?

Netduino 3 works with the Netduino 4.3.1 SDK or newer.

When you plug in the Netduino 3, what shows up in Device Manager?

If the driver is not loading, try repairing the Netduino SDK really quickly.

As long as the driver is loading, it should just show up in MFDeploy USB devices.

Chris