This guide is marked as DISCONTINUED — the CC3000 breakout boards are no longer produced by Adafruit, and the project is of questionable utility today. Code will not be updated and guide feedback will not be reviewed. The information remains online because:
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Parts of the code might be insightful for anyone who still has this hardware.
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As a “time capsule” of the way things once were. When the guide was published, smartphones and multi-gigabyte data plans were not ubiquitous. It’s an interesting look back at the lengths we used to go to for internet access.
Traveling or on the road, sometimes finding an open network to get online and finish a job is more important than lunch or a nap. MASLOW (Mini Adafruit System Locates Open Wireless) is a tiny battery-powered WiFi detector with a 3D-printed enclosure…assemble one yourself and clip it to your laptop bag.
How does it work?
In this project, we’re making a portableWiFi hotspot finder using the Adafruit CC3000 and Pro Trinket micro-controller. The CC3000 is a WiFi breakout board that adds connectivity to your micro-controller projects.
5 total modes indicate the status. When the LED starts flickering fast, it’s scanning for WiFi networks. A slow blink indicates an open network is in range. 1 second blips mean closed networks only, and 4 second blips means no WiFi networks.
Prerequisite Guides
We recommend walking-through the following tutorials below before starting this project. These guides will help you get familiar with the components and get setup and configured with the Arduino IDE and libraries.
Parts
We have all the lovely components and tools to build this project. Be sure to check out the featured products on the right sidebar.
- Pro Trinket
- Trinket LiIon/LiPoly Backpack Add-On
- CC3000 Breakout with external Antenna (2 - 5dBi) or Internal antenna (~2dBi)
- uFL Adapter Cable (you can also use the version of the CC3000 w/out external antenna and skip this part)
- Breadboard-friendly SPDT Slide Switch
- SMA Antenna (you can also use the version of the CC3000 w/out external antenna and skip this part)
- LiPoly battery. The standard case fits a 100 mAh battery, or with minor editing this can hold a larger 500 mAh battery, making a single charge last all day.
Tools & Supplies
You'll need a couple of hand tools and accessories to assist you in the build.
Page last edited March 08, 2024
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