No Network Available while using Etherslip

[giobbino]

hi,
I'm trying to use a wifi modem on serial port, this one: https://github.com/Bluelavasystems/RetroWiFiModem.

The modem itself appears to work fine, I can download a web page (i.e. http://frogfind.com page) using any terminal software like Telix etc.

So, I:

• connect the modem to my router and check it can connect to a web page
• run EtherSlip with the parameters (I also tried with and without the -n option)

Etherslip returns the following parameters (they seem all ok to me, however I'm sure what interface class is):
packet interrupt = 0X7E
Interface class = 1
Interrupt = 4
I/O port = 0x3F8
Baud rate = 4800 (the modem is also set as 4800)
Receive buffer = 3000
Ethernet address = [mac code in 6 groups of 2 digits]

• run microweb
• type an address: http://frogfind.com

It returns:
Error loading page
No network interface available

I supposed the EtherSlip should be a network emulator, making the microweb to believe it's connected to a LAN...

Where I'm going wrong?

[jhhoward]

There a couple of things here that you need to address. Firstly, the RetroWifiModem that you linked is emulating a Hayes AT style, not a SLIP network. This means that the EtherSLIP driver isn't going to work properly as they are different protocols. You can either use a different DOS packet driver (maybe dosppp if the modem firmware properly supports PPP? I've never done this myself), or alternatively see if there is a way to enable SLIP communication on your device. I've used a similar device from TheOldNet which has an alternative SLIP firmware that can be flashed. See here:
https://github.com/TheOldNet/theoldnet-wifi-firmware-binaries

Secondly, if you are getting the 'no network interface available' error message, this is most likely because mTCP hasn't been configured. You will need to first create a mTCP configuration file and set the MTCPCFG environment variable to point to it. For example:
set MTCPCFG=C:\MTCP\MTCP.CFG

Once you have got a working network and can PING a server then you should be able to use MicroWeb without any issues. Here is the mTCP documentation for reference on how to set everything up:
https://www.brutman.com/mTCP/download/mTCP_2023-03-31.pdf

[giobbino]

Thanks for your answer! I've seen it right now, since I was doing some tests. Unfortunately microweb hangs very often in any video config I tested (cga, vga, ega...) --> I opened another issue about it, some weeks ago. I have to reboot many and many times, and only sometimes it works, so any little changes in parameters etc. requires a lot of patience....

I'm going to carefully look at your instructions. For what I've read, it seems my chances to make it to work are few (or none) :-(

However, below, there's an explanation about what I did until now:

---

I did a little (maybe useless) step ahead: I've seen the TCP.CFG file requires your IP address, so I got it during the modem connection step and wrote it into the TCP.CFG.

Now I'm stuck with a DNS issue; the browser doesn't resolve the address name.

Currently this i my TCP.CFG:

PACKETINT 0x7e
IPADDR 192.168.10.101
NETMASK 255.255.255.0
GATEWAY 192.168.10.1

NAMESERVER 208.67.222.222
I don't understand what the nameserver stands for; I put the Opendns address, it doesn't work

NAMESERVER 192.168.10.1
I tried to put the same address of the router, that should resolve the dns queries. However I don't know if it works, because microweb hangs repeatedly

[mbbrutman]

I realize this is an older bug report, but you really should make sure that the mTCP programs work first. If you can get Telnet and Ping to work over the SLIP connection then MicroWeb will work.

If you do not have the SLIP firmware on the device then there is no hope of using it. If you don't want to flash the device to put the SLIP firmware on it you can use a Linux machine, which is described in the mTCP documentation.

[A-Small-Mice]

I am someone who has experience surfing the web on MicroWeb using a combination of DreamPi and DOSPPP. If the RetroWiFiModem has the same functionality as DreamPi, then DOSPPP should work just fine.

[giobbino]

I'm not sure the RetroWiFiModem works for this purpose.
However actually I abandoned the project (for now) because for some reason the RetroWiFiModem suddenly stopped to work and I don't know why. I already tried with different computers and cards and modems, but I can't get the rid of it and I've run out of idea. I need to find another wi-fi modem project to build...