How to use Cisco Packet Tracer with micro:bit

What is Cisco Packet Tracer?

Cisco Networking Academy (https://www.netacad.com) is an innovative education initiative that delivers information and communication technology skills to improve career and economic opportunities around the world. There are quite a few of online courses that anyone could enrol, free of charge. All courses are well organized and informative. For the sake of learning IOT, one should learn at least the two courses of Introduction to Packet Tracer (10 hours course) and Introduction to IoT (10 hours).

Cisco Packet Tracer is a free networks simulation software providing visualization for networking. It runs on the Windows/IOS/Android platform. It is developed by the Cisco team for students to practice skills in switching, networking, and the Internet of Things. Packet Tracer has always been used to learn networking skill and simulate IOT projects.

Below are 7 easy steps on how you can connect your physical world sensors and actuators form the Microbit Wifi IOT shield to the virtual world of Packet Tracer and start doing a mixed real world and virtual networks simulation with it.

What is Cisco Packet Tracer?

Cisco Networking Academy (https://www.netacad.com) is an innovative education initiative that delivers information and communication technology skills to improve career and economic opportunities around the world. There are quite a few of online courses that anyone could enrol, free of charge. All courses are well organized and informative. For the sake of learning IOT, one should learn at least the two courses of Introduction to Packet Tracer (10 hours course) and Introduction to IoT (10 hours).

Cisco Packet Tracer is a free networks simulation software providing visualization for networking. It runs on the Windows/IOS/Android platform. It is developed by the Cisco team for students to practice skills in switching, networking, and the Internet of Things. Packet Tracer has always been used to learn networking skill and simulate IOT projects.

Below are 7 easy steps on how you can connect your physical world sensors and actuators form the Microbit Wifi IOT shield to the virtual world of Packet Tracer and start doing a mixed real world and virtual networks simulation with it.

Step 1. Download Cisco Packet Tracer.

You have to create an account, log into the Net Academy and enrol in the Packet Tracer Course in order to get the download link for Packet Tracer. Download Packet Tracer 7.0 or later.

https://www.netacad.com

INSTALL

Step 2. Start Packet Tracer and start a new project.

Step 3. Turn on the MuseLab Wifi IOT Shield. Initialize and connect the WiFi network and start the “remote-controlled”-listening function as below.

Step 4. After the download has completed, start Excel and open the downloaded excel file. Just amend and verify the IP address and the number of times you want to take records.

Step 5. If you are all set and ready, click the start button. After you have clicked it, “Let’s go” window will be prompted. Confirm that message and a graph will be shown and updated in real-time, while values are read from your WiFi IoT Shield. Every new entry will automatically be given a timestamp, so it is easier to analyse your data later on.

Reminder:

If you have problems receiving the data and Excel throws an error message at you, please make sure that your computer and the WiFi IoT Shield are connected to the same network! For example, if the pc is now connected to the “muselab”, your shield should also connect to “muselab”.

 

If you do not have a WiFi Router or Access Point available, you can perhaps set up your own WiFi Hotspot. Under Windows 10 it is fairly easy, just click on the WiFi symbol and enable the hotspot function.

Repeat steps 3 to 5 if necessary and having fun logging your data!