Prusa CORE One as WLAN Accesspoint for Buddy3D Camera for Prusa CORE One  

RE: Prusa CORE One as WLAN Accesspoint for Buddy3D Camera for Prusa CORE One

To do so would require at least a firmware hack. It would be simpler to add an inexpensive access point to your network near your printer. Unless there are local IT rules against adding WiFi to your environment...

RE:

Printers are often in a cellar, garage, ... really not good places for small wifi antennas poorly placed behind metal enclosures...

I'm also using ethernet connection for the core one, and I was searching for a solution for the camera. The core one has an ethernet connection, and its not for no reason, therefore an external wifi shouldn't be mandatory for its camera.

I see two approaches to build a solution without relying on external wifi :

1. Core one connected using ethernet, and acting as an access point with its wifi antenna which could then be used by the camera.
   Needs firmware improvement on the core one, but should be feasible.
2. Core one connected using ethernet, and acting as a usb-c modem for the camera using its usb-c connection.
   Likely needs firmware improvements in both core one and camera, an possibly impossible due to usb-c hardware choices made on either core one or camera PCB.

In the end whatever solution is preferred, we need one solution to get the camera working without relying on an existing wifi, because as said many printers are positionned in areas with poor/no wifi connection.

RE: Prusa CORE One as WLAN Accesspoint for Buddy3D Camera for Prusa CORE One

Posted by: @meetsch

I see two approaches to build a solution without relying on external wifi :

1. Core one connected using ethernet, and acting as an access point with its wifi antenna which could then be used by the camera.
   Needs firmware improvement on the core one, but should be feasible.
2. Core one connected using ethernet, and acting as a usb-c modem for the camera using its usb-c connection.
   Likely needs firmware improvements in both core one and camera, an possibly impossible due to usb-c hardware choices made on either core one or camera PCB.

I would really wish for one of those solutions as well. #2 in particular is what a clean camera integration should have looked like from the start.

But unfortunately the STM32 processor on the xBuddy board is probably not powerful enough for either of these setups. Which is, I assume, why Prusa opted for the kludge of a camera with its own, separate WiFi connection in the first place. Yes, it sucks... 

RE: Prusa CORE One as WLAN Accesspoint for Buddy3D Camera for Prusa CORE One

as @jürgen mentioned, since the current processor used in the core one is rather busy doing its things, I guess that a rather simple and cheap solution like this one (google GL-iNet-GL-SFT1200-Secure-Travel-Router) could probably help. I my case I got lucky and the printer sits just 2m from the main wifi router but using something like the travel router is probably what I would do had I had no wifi available.

RE: Prusa CORE One as WLAN Accesspoint for Buddy3D Camera for Prusa CORE One

For rooms with really poor wifi signal and no possibility to put a repeater close enough to improve it, there's something called "powerline ethernet" and devices that will use that to extend your wifi into that poor signal room, like e.g. the https://www.tp-link.com/en/home-networking/powerline/tl-wpa4220-kit/ (just as a reference, not as a recommendation,  I don't own that device and I didn't personally test it).

RE: Prusa CORE One as WLAN Accesspoint for Buddy3D Camera for Prusa CORE One

If there is ethernet already, as the Printer is hooked up, the most obvious thing would be one of those tiny access points with minmal range and with at least two ethernet ports.
You hook it between the Core One and the LAN and it will provide an AP to the cam. Either power it via PoE or from the Core One 5V rail.

To be clear, this is a practical suggestion on how to deal with the current state of things gracefully if all you have is Ethernet.

There are other dimensions like the printer could have been designed differently or the camera or… these however won't help anyone in their current situation.
Also rewriting the firmware of the Core One wifi module and the main STM in some way is out of scope at this point as it's not something that's understood if it's even possible and how complex it might be. It might be understood in the future.

RE:

I would suggest using a cheap AP/Extender/WiFi-to-LAN etc. device. 

I've just installed one at my mom's from TP Link for 18€. Plugs into the wall (has another wall socket on its rear), two antennas and 1 LAN port. Grabs the WiFi out of the air, creates its own WiFi and connects via a LAN cable to the old PC (no mesh integration, since I never experienced it working well).

My Laptop gets about 20 mbps via the existing WiFi, with the extended WiFi about 70 mbps and when using the cable about 110 mbps. Very happy with the results and a lot cheaper than buying another Fritz Powerline Mesh repeater for 120€, that would do the same, just with better speeds for the PC and/but the smartphone always using the wrong mesh point, lol. 

RE: Prusa CORE One as WLAN Accesspoint for Buddy3D Camera for Prusa CORE One

Yeah in the 15-25 $/€ price range you can get also devices with 2 LAN ports.
Those make it possible to configure in any way you want. Connect to an 'upstream' AP over WiFi, and provide local WiFi + 2 LAN ports, or connect to the LAN and offer a local AP and 1 LAN port for a device.

Going cheap is just fine here as neither the Core One nor the Buddy Cam have high network throughput needs and the typical 802.11n speeds will be more than enough.