Web Server Packed into RJ45 Connector 448
VinceTronics writes "Electronic Design magazine has a review (.pdf) of the XPort by Lantronix, a product that packs an entire web server into the volume of an RJ45 connector! This includes an 80186 controller, an OS, the TCP/IP stack, a 10/100 Ethernet transceiver, and the LAN interface magnetics. Downside is that the serial interface to the controller tops out at 300 kbps, but for $33 (in 10K quantities) it's a cool, easy way to net-enable just about anything."
Re:Great! (Score:2, Insightful)
These seem cool (Score:5, Insightful)
I'd still love to have one to play around with, though!
Not that big of a downside... (Score:5, Insightful)
This seems doesn't seem like that big of a deal, for the kind of appications this is targeted for (security system modules, refrigerators, answering machines, etc...) I'd think 300 kbps is more than adaquate, you can even do some streaming video, with a reasonable bit-rate.
Re:No big deal... (Score:3, Insightful)
Point is consumer electronics manufacturers can use it to internet enable their devices at very low R&D cost.
Assuming, that is, they're willing to bump the retail price by $30 - $50.
Which they won't be. Until there's *serious* demand for this stuff.
Forget about stealth Dreamcasts! (Score:5, Insightful)
If somehow someone puts one of those in your network closet (or heck, anywhere on the network), good luck finding it -- it's a connector for godsakes!
Re:I'm wondering (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:I am not a cynic... I am not a cynic... I am no (Score:2, Insightful)
I don't think the actual chips/integration-scale is news at all, people are just finding applications (read: places to put) them.
Re:I'm wondering (Score:5, Insightful)
Anything embeddable sells in tens of thousands. Stationary computers are the least produced computer type. Just imagine all microcontrollers in VCRs for example. I'd say that there are far more than 10000 VCRs sold each year. Now embedd a webserver into each VCR, so that you can program the timer over your private LAN. Thats a possible 10000 units. Now put the same protocol in your digital TV reciever/decoder to change channels, update codes, subscribe to PPV shows etc. and let the VCR change the channel of the decoder and you've got another 10k units.
10k is a small number in the embedded world.
Now, for the real price:. html
"The list price of the XPort is $49.00. Discount pricing on the XPort is also available in volumes of ten thousand."
according to http://www.lantronix.com/news/pr/2003/02-24-xport
Re:I'm wondering (Score:5, Insightful)
As far as embedded systems goes, this is an order of magnitude or so too expensive. Manufacturers pinch pennies on even larger items like TV's, as each dollar increase in cost translates into something like $5 to the consumer, and potentially millions to the bottom line.
Frankly, this technology isn't even appropriate anyway. For something more in line with the applications you are thinking about, look here [echelon.com] where the technology is already imbedded in millions of consumer devices.
Re:Great! (Score:3, Insightful)
Pulls over 200 mills! (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:A House of Cables... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I know I'm gonna get flamed for this... (Score:3, Insightful)
Then don't think of fridges think of ovens. DL a new recipe and the oven will take care of all the temperature adjustments and timing you just put your food in and press 'GO'.
The applications are only limited by your imagination.
HTTP - Nice and Simple (Score:3, Insightful)
Tell Me Something (Score:3, Insightful)
Sure, you can plug a webserver into anything that happens to have an existing RJ45 port, but what use would that be? (Just what I've always wanted... a web server that I can plug into my laptop so I can browse the web at a blazing 300k/sec.)
I want to net-enable my car. Someone tell me how this RJ45 device will allow that. My car doesn't even have an RJ45 port...
Question (Score:4, Insightful)
I don't get it?
Everyone keeps talking about how you can hook up your toaster, coffee maker, etc. Do these devices have a serial port?
How would one interface with any of these kind of devices unless they had some sort of output interface?
I can see where these might work well with older legacy devices(printers, etc), and you want to be able put them on a network, but I fail to see how they would help in your home.
Enlightment anyone?
Automated home (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:No big deal... (Score:3, Insightful)
I think they mean $33 each for quantities of 10k or more, not $33 for 10k!!
Good point. (Score:4, Insightful)
Wake me up when they're selling them at $1 a piece in quantities of 10k, then we'll see a revolution
-1 Misinformed: $100 to use that $30 module (Score:5, Insightful)
$130 vs $50. SitePlayer is far more expensive and far less attractive as far as the packaging.
Ben
Comment removed (Score:3, Insightful)
I can see these being used in cars for diagnostics (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:HTTP - Nice and Simple (Score:1, Insightful)
I'm not proposing that HTTP should have been a binary protocol...ASCII is great, but not because it makes it easy to implement. It's easy to understand, to debug, to monitor, to describe, and to share. But not necessarily to write.
Re:Good point. (Score:5, Insightful)
And more to the point - it allows you to sell $399 fridge without an energy usage graph, or the exact same fridge, but with a CD-ROM and an Ethernet jack, so that you can view the energy graph from your PC, for $699, you've just made $300 on $33 worth of parts. That's a great way for fridgemakers to boost margins too :)