WiFi232 Wireless Modem: BBS Fun on Retro PCs!
video description
Date: 2022-04-14
Related videos
Comments and reviews: 10
bstar777777
For anyone looking to buy one of these, you can't. Rickards stopped making them. The good news is that he open sourced his work and some other people/organizations are making their own versions. I purchased the Retro Wifi SI from Simulant and it works perfectly. The only thing that confused me at first is that you have to set the baud rate of you terminal app to match the device. in my case the device shipped at 1200bps. Once your terminal software (procomm plus in my case) is matching the correct baud rate, it will respond to Hayes commands. It's there you can set it to any standard baud rate you want, but you'll need to make sure your terminal program is also updated to the new speed. Over all, I was amazed at how easy this thing is to work with. Rickards is awesome for open sourcing the project and Simulant made a great product out of that work.
reply
For anyone looking to buy one of these, you can't. Rickards stopped making them. The good news is that he open sourced his work and some other people/organizations are making their own versions. I purchased the Retro Wifi SI from Simulant and it works perfectly. The only thing that confused me at first is that you have to set the baud rate of you terminal app to match the device. in my case the device shipped at 1200bps. Once your terminal software (procomm plus in my case) is matching the correct baud rate, it will respond to Hayes commands. It's there you can set it to any standard baud rate you want, but you'll need to make sure your terminal program is also updated to the new speed. Over all, I was amazed at how easy this thing is to work with. Rickards is awesome for open sourcing the project and Simulant made a great product out of that work.
reply
Nodoka
My first experience with BBSes was with Digital: A Love Story - which is still a favorite game of mine, even though I don't look favorably nowadays at its' creator, but that aside.
Every now and again, I wished I could go back to '92 or so for a night and chat with people on a BBS, and I even set one up on a LAN once when learning about networking using Mystic and Netrunner.
I have considered, just for the hell of it, buying a USB modem, making a small DOS VM, turn off my other monitors and take a trip back in time, before I was born.
I look forward to your BBS video, Clint - and I wouldn't mind seeing you host a BBS - I'd probably drop in and talk and download games and what not from there: D
reply
My first experience with BBSes was with Digital: A Love Story - which is still a favorite game of mine, even though I don't look favorably nowadays at its' creator, but that aside.
Every now and again, I wished I could go back to '92 or so for a night and chat with people on a BBS, and I even set one up on a LAN once when learning about networking using Mystic and Netrunner.
I have considered, just for the hell of it, buying a USB modem, making a small DOS VM, turn off my other monitors and take a trip back in time, before I was born.
I look forward to your BBS video, Clint - and I wouldn't mind seeing you host a BBS - I'd probably drop in and talk and download games and what not from there: D
reply
xaenon
Spitfire. ProComm Plus. Offline mail readers. Door games. ASCII/ANSI and/or RIP graphics. FidoNet and InfoNet feeds. The screech and buzz and bongs of modems (and the flickering lights of externals. Configuring said modems. The excitement of installing a new CD-ROM drive so you can offer mass warez to your users. Building my very first network so I could throw more resources at the BBS.
The SysOp pages at 3am (boo. The cost of dedicated phone lines for each node (boo. The constant noise generated by those power-hungry AT type machines.
It wasn't a hobby. It was a freaking OBSESSION.
reply
Spitfire. ProComm Plus. Offline mail readers. Door games. ASCII/ANSI and/or RIP graphics. FidoNet and InfoNet feeds. The screech and buzz and bongs of modems (and the flickering lights of externals. Configuring said modems. The excitement of installing a new CD-ROM drive so you can offer mass warez to your users. Building my very first network so I could throw more resources at the BBS.
The SysOp pages at 3am (boo. The cost of dedicated phone lines for each node (boo. The constant noise generated by those power-hungry AT type machines.
It wasn't a hobby. It was a freaking OBSESSION.
reply
Rich
I started The Silicon Sysop on a single line with RBBS on Long Island in 1988. Down the road I had put in DoubleDos, bought PC Board and activated a second line. Eventually I was running 3 lines on a 486. I tried to do it with Windows 386 but there were too many issues. I ended up with Desqview doing the multitasking chores. It's still amazing to me that DV was so fast and stable for the time. A few years in I moved upstate and while I tried to keep the BBS alive, the telephone service upstate was horrendous at that time. Eventually I just shut the whole thing down. :(
reply
I started The Silicon Sysop on a single line with RBBS on Long Island in 1988. Down the road I had put in DoubleDos, bought PC Board and activated a second line. Eventually I was running 3 lines on a 486. I tried to do it with Windows 386 but there were too many issues. I ended up with Desqview doing the multitasking chores. It's still amazing to me that DV was so fast and stable for the time. A few years in I moved upstate and while I tried to keep the BBS alive, the telephone service upstate was horrendous at that time. Eventually I just shut the whole thing down. :(
reply
buttguy
Bananacom FTW. Waaaay more user-friendly than Kermit and for some reason, i could NOT get ANSI graphics to display at all in Kermit. Best things about Bcom is it saves your configuration, offers a simple customizable dialing directory, and easily fits onto a single 360K floppy for use on basically ANY PC. I've been regularly running bcom on my bone-stock 4. 77mhz 5160, as well as my loaded-to-the-gills Zenith Z-158 Turbo XT clone with at V20. Absolutely obsessed and super happy i was able to grab one while they were still available.
reply
Bananacom FTW. Waaaay more user-friendly than Kermit and for some reason, i could NOT get ANSI graphics to display at all in Kermit. Best things about Bcom is it saves your configuration, offers a simple customizable dialing directory, and easily fits onto a single 360K floppy for use on basically ANY PC. I've been regularly running bcom on my bone-stock 4. 77mhz 5160, as well as my loaded-to-the-gills Zenith Z-158 Turbo XT clone with at V20. Absolutely obsessed and super happy i was able to grab one while they were still available.
reply
sinni800
Also one part that I have to say I am against is using BBSs over telnet nowadays. Back then it was no problem, you also dialed in directly. But now, there is so much analysis and man-in-the-middle you should rather use SSH to connect to a BBS. The usability is pretty much the same in the end, but it's encrypted.
Does the wifi232 support SSH by any chance?
reply
Also one part that I have to say I am against is using BBSs over telnet nowadays. Back then it was no problem, you also dialed in directly. But now, there is so much analysis and man-in-the-middle you should rather use SSH to connect to a BBS. The usability is pretty much the same in the end, but it's encrypted.
Does the wifi232 support SSH by any chance?
reply
Orlando
I used to run a bbs called Beavis and buttheads trailer park bbs. Back in the day if you wanted news, software, or fidonet email a good bbs was the way to go. The bbs's run on Atari computers always had the best games like empire. I used to look very forward to playing my turn for the day and sending messages across the country. Loads of fun. Great video!
reply
I used to run a bbs called Beavis and buttheads trailer park bbs. Back in the day if you wanted news, software, or fidonet email a good bbs was the way to go. The bbs's run on Atari computers always had the best games like empire. I used to look very forward to playing my turn for the day and sending messages across the country. Loads of fun. Great video!
reply
Someone
Would I only need a db25 to db9 adapter to connect it to my Apple iic? Asking as I have already purchased the null modem serial cables to use with my raspi, and the Apple iic has serial ports, not slots. Been searching everywhere for an uthernet alternative to no avail, and finally stumbled across this video. Wifi232 would be awesome for the Apple iic!
reply
Would I only need a db25 to db9 adapter to connect it to my Apple iic? Asking as I have already purchased the null modem serial cables to use with my raspi, and the Apple iic has serial ports, not slots. Been searching everywhere for an uthernet alternative to no avail, and finally stumbled across this video. Wifi232 would be awesome for the Apple iic!
reply
Ashley
lol I don't get you. There are a LOT of things I love about retro computers. The noisy disk drives (which I noticed you love in other videos) and the long wait times aren't among them though. If I was going to use this, I'd crank the speed up to as high as I could and let it go. lol
reply
lol I don't get you. There are a LOT of things I love about retro computers. The noisy disk drives (which I noticed you love in other videos) and the long wait times aren't among them though. If I was going to use this, I'd crank the speed up to as high as I could and let it go. lol
reply
Ahmet
That is truly a wonderful piece of technology that will let us relive those days. I truly enjoyed this video and by seeing this wifi board, makes me wanna assemble an old pc from scratch and make it work again. Man, I love to see this at home, amaaazzing. Shut up and take my money.
reply
That is truly a wonderful piece of technology that will let us relive those days. I truly enjoyed this video and by seeing this wifi board, makes me wanna assemble an old pc from scratch and make it work again. Man, I love to see this at home, amaaazzing. Shut up and take my money.
reply
Add a review, comment
Other channel videos
