Using WiModem232 with TCP/IP stack?
#11
(07-05-2026, 10:11 PM)admin Wrote: If someone can point me to info on what is required for PPP I would just add it to the WiModem232 Pro.  I have 85% code space left.  Smile

Oh wow, you mean have the WiModem implement its own PPP server internally? That would be amazing, and (IIUC) a great way to provide TCP/IP access with just a single WiModem. Would the WiModem act as a router in that case?

It might introduce a lot of configuration options (compression flags, IP addresses,etc.) but I don't think it would need to support authentication at least. Reasonable defaults would probably give broad compatibility.

Could these links be helpful?
https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/tre...pos_client
https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-.../lwip.html

Also, I've recently been testing PPP-over-WiModem(s) with Roadshow rather than Miami and have noticed some performance issues in some configurations. It works very well with two WiModems in CABLE null-modem mode, but with two WiModems on the WLAN or one WiModem connecting to a socket-based PPP server, the transfers stutter noticeably (TX/RX lights go out for a second at a time) and achieve only about 5-6 kB/s instead of 9-10 kB/s. I suspect it's due to the higher latency and jitter in those modes. For some reason Miami doesn't seem to suffer as much (if at all). I want to do more testing, but I've posted over at the Roadshow support forums about this:
https://www.amigafuture.de/viewtopic.php?t=51988

UPDATE: The reason for the inconsistent performance was that one of the WiModems was persistently connected to a distant AP with poorer signal quality. CABLE mode wasn't affected because the two WiModems were connecting ad-hoc and were close together. I'm hoping to find out how to make the WiModem use a specific channel/AP.
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#12
Just thinking that a bridged connection would be a whole lot nicer than a routed one, if that's possible. PPP Bridging Control Protocol?

Also found this:
https://github.com/espressif/esp-protoco.../README.md
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#13
I don't use the Espressif environment, so I can't use any of their routines.

I am trying to find a reason to add this support. I have sold literally thousands of these modems and only a handful of people have ever asked about PPP support. What would this actually needed for? You can already access anywhere via an IP address.
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#14
(07-25-2026, 03:18 AM)admin Wrote: I am trying to find a reason to add this support.  I have sold literally thousands of these modems and only a handful of people have ever asked about PPP support.  What would this actually needed for?  You can already access anywhere via an IP address.

It does sound like a substantial undertaking and would be for a specific use case, namely running a full TCP/IP stack over the WiModem connection without the need for a separate PPP server/gateway device. In an Amiga context, it would let you use the whole family of bsdsocket.library programs (FTP, Web browser, IRC, etc.) rather than just a terminal program. But the WiModem as it stands can readily be used with PPP or SLIP to provide TCP/IP access via a suitable gateway, so it would be a convenience rather than an essential feature. And of course there are other (faster) ways to give an Amiga Internet access (PCMCIA Ethernet or Wi-Fi, Clockport Wi-Fi, plipbox, etc.). That's my thinking at least. Smile
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#15
Yeah, the real issue is that trying to use even a 1Mbit baud rate serial device for a browser connection is completely useless. So, when you move that max baud rate to 115,200 for the Amiga you are looking at about 10KB per second max speed when taking into account serial, WiFi, and system overhead. A 300KB image would take 30 seconds to be displayed! So, any webpage that has graphics is going to be unusable, and even basic text and limited graphics is going to be painfully slow. I was going to make a parallel port based modem for the Amiga originally, but the Amiga's parallel port is limited to about 200KB/S, and even that is unusable for web browsing.
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#16
(07-26-2026, 05:37 PM)admin Wrote: So, any webpage that has graphics is going to be unusable[...]

That's very true. Smile But I have found NFS and SMB network filesystems to be usable over such speeds, and very convenient.
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#17
I found this third-party firmware which implements an internal PPP service (with a SOCKS proxy for gatewaying to HTTPS). I haven't tried it yet but it would appear to be a good way to get TCP/IP access with a single WiModem232.
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