Networking
FRC robots have their own "Wi-Fi" network that is used to communicate with local devices on the robot, your driver station laptop, and the FMS.
You can view the official FRC docs here.
Power Over Ethernet (POE)
Ethernet cables are able to provide power to a device if a POE Injector is used. This reduces the number of cables you have to run all the way to a device. However, if using a VH-109, view POE Passthrough to ensure proper use.
IP Addresses
DHCP and Static IPs
Typical Device IPs
Scanning
VH-109
Pretty much everything you need can be found at the official docs, but some of it isn't super clear, so I'll highlight important stuff.
Power
You can power the VH-109 with redundancy! You can both connect it to the dedicated power ports, and do normal POE injection. Look here to see how. Every team that wants a reliable working robot should do this.
Also, you cannot power the VH-109 legally with a VRM or REV Radio Power Module (as of 2026 rules), it needs to be directly connected to the PDH/PDP. However, if needed, the VRM is preferred, as it does not provide 18 Volts like the RPM, and the VH-109 has built-in capacitors, so no need to worry about it rebooting due to high powers spikes.
POE Passthrough
Bands
- 6 GHz (6E) Wi-Fi is a newer thing, so not every laptop supports it.
- You can enable 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi by flipping switch #3 on the back of the radio to the ON position. However, you should almost always use an access point radio instead. 2.4 GHz can make the radio overheat, and cannot be enabled during competition.
Light Translations
These can be found here in more detail, but I will also explain the important ones here.
| SYS Light | Meaning |
|---|---|
| OFF | Booting |
| 1 Hz Blink | Cant ping field (10.xx.yy.4) |
| 20 Hz Blink | Firmware being flashed |
| 50 Hz Blink | Flashing successful, performing "flash boot" |
| Solid | Good - Radio is on and can ping field |
| 20 Hz Blink, but 2.4G and 6G also blink at 20 Hz | Radio configured as AP but is powered by battery (not going to work) |
And of course, if the PWR light is not on, the radio isn't on.