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Serial to Bluetooth Convertor

This is a far better version of this wireless serial port. Why bother? I use them for configuring Cisco equipment for work. If you have ever been standing on a chair, balancing your laptop, trying to program a managed switch, you’ll appreciate being able to sit comfortably at a desk close by, while doing it wirelessly. Just screw the console cable onto the RS-232 and turn it on. New: 2-3 Seconds boot time. Old: 20-30 seconds. New: Battery life lasts around 48hrs when continuously transmitting. If you double tap the charge button on the battery it turns on an excellent flash light. Good for finding your way around the back of network racks. Old: About 3-4hrs. New: Auto turns off when inactive Old: Stays on until dead battery. New: Smaller, and easier to manufacture –… Read More »Serial to Bluetooth Convertor

Wireless Serial Convertor

WR703N Project Box’s

I’ve been inserting the WR703N’s into cases to make them more durable and less ‘touchy-feely’. The Serial to Wireless convertor – used when configuring Cisco switches, you an configure and upgrade the IOS on using it. This has been great for large installs then having to setup 20+ switches. Benefits include being able to sit comfortably at a desk while setting it up, and it runs off a phone backup battery so it doesn’t need to be plugged into a power outlet or USB – general run time is  > 2-3hrs. The case/enclosure allows it to be hanging from a switch without caring a lot for it’s safety. It can take bumps and drops very well. The external connections are RS232, Ethernet, and the hole on the right is for a micro USB power cable.… Read More »WR703N Project Box’s

WR703N – Wireless Serial Port

The following guide is what I’ve used (twice) to turn a WR703N into a wireless serial port for configuring Cisco network switches/routers. I have already installed OpenWRT onto it before this guide starts. Tap the reset button on the side while inserting the power cable and the status light should flash blue fast. Set you PC’s IP address to 192.168.1.* (last octet cant be 1). Telnet to address 192.168.1.1 and type the following: Setup LAN Networking uci set network.lan.ipaddr=<Ip Address> uci set network.lan.gateway=<default gateway> uci set network.lan.dns=<DNS-Server address>  uci commit /etc/init.d/network restart Install Minicom and USB serial driver opkg update opkg install minicom opkg install kmod-usb-serial-pl2303 <- This is a very common driver but you may need a different one, check online or with the manufacturer to see what you should use. If it’s correct… Read More »WR703N – Wireless Serial Port

LinuxMCE/Ubuntu Vlan tagging with Cisco Switches

The server I’m using for my LinuxMCE setup has the 1 NIC so I’ve been using eth0 and eth0:1 (eth0:1 is a virtual interface for eth0) for internal and external. It works fine, although not ideal to have 2 broadcast domains running on the switch ports. By using Vlans  I can designate the devices that have access to which interface. This gives a closer configuration to having 2 cards without the need for an additional NIC. Considerations I read that not all NIC drivers support Vlan tagging. The one I used:  Broadcom Corporation NetXtreme BCM5723 Gigabit Ethernet PCIe (rev 10).To support Vlans you need to be using atleast 1 managed switch, the switches I’m using are Cisco 2960-24-TTL’s. This post was also written using LinuxMCE 10.04 and the Vlans I’m using are 2 and 3.… Read More »LinuxMCE/Ubuntu Vlan tagging with Cisco Switches

Cisco 3500XL PSU Fix

This is just a proof of concept/quick hack; I’ve recently been given a dead Cisco 3500XL. Plug the power cable in and I got no action, no fans, no lights, etc.. Removed the lid and looked inside: The power cables appear to be the same colors as a molex connector, so just like the Dell 2600 Series Sata Mod I decided there’s nothing to lose by giving it a go. As normal, the yellow cable is 12V+, blacks are ground, and red is 5V. Short the ATX PSU’s Pin 14 to 15 (PS_ON and COM), then watch the magic happen. Yes it booted fine the first time, but after “cleaning up” the wiring, one of the cables must have come loose, hence the fault pic below. After properly checking the cables again, it booted fine… Read More »Cisco 3500XL PSU Fix