Connecting the WiFi Coconut

Connecting the WiFi Coconut

The WiFi Coconut has 2 USB-C ports.

WiFi Coconut port diagram

The USB Data Port is used for data and power. Under most circumstances, only this port is required to power the device.

The Aux Power Port is used for additional power. If you find that your laptop or PC can not provide sufficient power for the coconut with a single USB cable, a second USB-C connector can be used in this port.

Using the second port for auxiliary power should not be combined with connecting to a USB-C-PD aware device: If your laptop can charge over USB-C, it is a USB-C-PD aware device!

If a WiFi Coconut with auxiliary power on the second port is connected to a USB-C-PD aware port, it will not appear as a USB device and will be not available to the operating system.

Generally, additional power is not needed when connecting to a USB-C-PD port, however if you find the WiFi Coconut does not have sufficient power, you can use a USB-C to USB-A adapter connected to a USB hub.

Cables

Be sure to use a high-quality USB-C cable! The WiFi Coconut functions as 14 WiFi radios; this can draw more power than some cheaper USB cables can carry, leading to radios not being connected or stability problems.

We recommend using high-quality brand-name USB-C or USB-C to USB-A cables, especially if you encounter problems with the WiFi Coconut connecting to your PC. If your laptop shipped with a USB-C to USB-C cable for power, this is often a good quality cable to test with.

Older Hardware

Some older hardware - often that from the early 2010s - does not have the USB resources to handle the WiFi Coconut. Typically this will present as an error such as the Windows error "Not enough USB3 resources". Unfortunately this hardware is too old to handle the complex USB device tree from the WiFi Coconut, and a newer PC or laptop will be required.

Raspberry Pi

Success has been reported using a Raspberry Pi 4 and external power provided to the WiFi Coconut; unfortunately the USB hardware in the Raspberry Pi 3 generation does not appear to be sufficient to support all the radios in the WiFi Coconut properly.