The Arduino hardware platform, one of the paradigms of how open source leads to innovation, has been combined with Linux to launch a series of products with WiFi. It uses the Linino distribution, a modified version of OpenWRT, one of the most used in the sector, on an Arduino Leonardo. The role of Linux in this case is to ensure the authenticity of the software that is installed on the device.
The Arduino limited memory has traditionally made it difficult to interface with complex online platforms, which require considerable RAM usage. The difference with the new version of the board is that it has the ability to delegate all network connections and processing of HTTP transmissions to the Linux machine, whit this arduino will not saturated and is closer to the traditional computer concept that is in everyone’s mind. It has a USB port to connect devices and a slot for micro SD cards, to complement the storage capacity.
The open and inexpensive nature of Arduino has led to multiple applications for the board. In M2M communication it has one of its strengths, since it is very adaptable to connect to sensors and collect information from them, sending a response to another point. But there are also other types of uses, further away from the professional field, although without completely leaving the orbit.
The success of this type of hardware is reflected in the proliferation of new products with similar characteristics. There are already several alternatives to Arduino on the market, although the characteristics of each differ, either in the software they support or in the purpose for which they are built. Despite this, they all share the ambition of serving as a source of experimentation accessible to the general public but of course each one with their tastes and needs.
