Wiznet makers

The ever-evolving digital landscape continues to push the boundaries of Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The versatility of such devices lies in their ability to interact with the web - an application that the W5100S-EVB-Pico board excels in. In this guide, we will explore how to leverage this Ethernet board and the Arduino IDE to create a straightforward web client. This web client will be capable of establishing a connection with a web server, sending an HTTP GET request, and displaying the server's response.

What You Will Need

Before starting, ensure you have the following:

1. W5100S-EVB-Pico board: A compact, high-performance network module that includes a W5100S, a 32Kbytes inner buffer, and a 10/100 Ethernet PHY. It's an excellent choice for internet connectivity.
2. Arduino IDE: The open-source Arduino Software (IDE) makes it easy to write code and upload it to the board.
3. WIZnet Ethernet library for W5100S-EVB-Pico: This can be downloaded from GitHub.
4. A live web server: The IP address of your server will be required, along with a valid webpage to request.

Setting Up Your Web Client

Here's a step-by-step guide on setting up your web client:

1. Using a USB cable, connect your W5100S-EVB-Pico board to your computer.
2. Install the necessary libraries and configure the Arduino IDE as described in the main repository's README.
3. Open the web client example code in the Arduino IDE.
4. Locate the serverIP variable in the code and adjust it to match your web server's IP address.
5. Identify the line client.println("GET /example_page.html HTTP/1.1"); and modify the webpage name to match the webpage you intend to request from the server.

Code

#include <SPI.h>
#include <Ethernet.h>

// Enter a MAC address for your controller below.
byte mac[] = {
  0xDE, 0xAD, 0xBE, 0xEF, 0xFE, 0xED
};

const int csPin = 17; // Chip Select (CS) pin for W5100S on W5100S-EVB-Pico

// Enter the IP address of the server you want to connect to
IPAddress serverIP(192, 168, 0, 2); 

// Initialize the Ethernet client library
EthernetClient client;

void setup() {
  // Open the serial communications and wait for port to open:
  Serial.begin(9600);
  while (!Serial) {
    ; // wait for serial port to connect. Needed for native USB port only
  }

  // Initialize Ethernet with the CS pin:
  Ethernet.init(csPin);

  // Start the Ethernet connection using DHCP:
  Serial.println("Attempting to obtain IP address using DHCP...");
  if (Ethernet.begin(mac) == 0) {
    Serial.println("Failed to obtain IP address using DHCP");
  } else {
    // Print the obtained IP address:
    Serial.print("Successfully obtained IP address: ");
    Serial.println(Ethernet.localIP());
  }

  // Connect to the server
  Serial.println("Connecting to the web server...");
  if (client.connect(serverIP, 80)) {
    Serial.println("Connected to the web server.");

    // Send the HTTP GET request
    client.println("GET /example_page.html HTTP/1.1");
    client.print("Host: ");
    client.println(serverIP);
    client.println("Connection: close");
    client.println();
  } else {
    Serial.println("Connection to the web server failed.");
  }
}

void loop() {
  // If there are incoming bytes available from the server, read and print them:
  if (client.available()) {
    char c = client.read();
    Serial.print(c);
  }

  // If the server is disconnected, stop the client:
  if (!client.connected()) {
    Serial.println();
    Serial.println("Disconnected from the server.");
    client.stop();

    // Do nothing forever after the client is disconnected:
    while (true);
  }
}

Getting Your Web Client Online

After you've completed your setup, it's time to put your web client to work:

1. Upload your sketch to the W5100S-EVB-Pico board.
2. Open the Serial Monitor in your Arduino IDE.
3. Watch as your web client establishes a connection to the server, sends the HTTP GET request, and receives the server's response.

If everything goes well, you should see output similar to:

Successfully obtained IP address: 192.168.1.110
Connected to the web server.
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Content: <html><head><title>Example Page</title></head><body><h1>Hello, Web Client!</h1></body></html>
Disconnected from the server.

In this output, the client successfully connects to the web server and receives a HTTP/1.1 200 OK response, indicating that the request was successful.

Notes for Smooth Operation

Here are some final pointers to ensure a seamless experience:

• Ensure your web server is operational and accessible from the network where the W5100S-EVB-Pico board is connected.
• The example assumes the web server is utilizing port 80. Adjust the port number in the client.connect(serverIP, 80) line if your web server operates on a different port.
• The example also assumes the requested webpage is "example_page.html". Update the name in the client.println("GET /example_page.html HTTP/1.1"); line for different webpages.

Harnessing the power of the W5100S-EVB-Pico board to create a web client can be an exciting addition to your IoT projects