We are developing a product that requires:

a) an OS to run our software on (probably some flavor of linux)

b) at least 32GB of solid state storage, not including the OS

c) 802.11b/g and/or EDGE/3G

d) audio recording/microphone

e) needs to be waterproof (won't be submerged, so I guess water resistant)

It's main purpose will be to run our software - the software will record audio automatically and then email that audio file.

That is very vague but hopefully that is enough info.

My questions:

a) Would this be a practical use of a RouterBOARD - if nothing else for a prototype? Is there any access to the "underlying OS"?

b) Would this be in violation of the RouterOS license?

c) Now that I think of it, a water resistant microphone could be tricky. Is there such a thing as a mini-PCI water resistant microphone?

I suppose we could use the hardware and then just flash it with some flavor of linux (since we don't need the routing functions of RouterOS).

Any thoughts/recommendations are appreciated. My RouterBOARD/RouterOS knowledge is next to nothing, just what I've read about it, I don't own a MikroTik device - I do run a WISP using other gear, but I always have heard great things about MikroTik, and thought a RouterBOARD device might be applicable in this situation.

Thanks,

Ben

Ben,

a) you can run Linux on the RouterBOARD, but it is not easy and in depth knowledge is required to do this.

b) MikroTik RouterOS is coming for free together with board, if you will install Linux it will not be violation.
Probably you can use virtual machine on the RouterBOARD, where Linux is installed as virtual OS.

OpenWRT is what you want to look at.

Almost all of these boards are based on it, and you can get exactly what you want.

Yeah, after thinking about it, that is the way to go. Unfortunately regardless I need an audio input. Might have to look at something customized.

ALIX then

Hint: give more of an idea, then people might be able to give more suggestions.

So far it sounds like a device to listen to a microphone and record stuff (if any) and then send it off to a server somewhere.

I.E. A KGB Model 237K or an MI5 Mark 17.

Hmmmm.

Above water.
Audio (not video)
Email, so not massively time dependant.
Water-resistant, so in Air.

Is it Suspension Bridge cable monitoring ?

PM me. Sounds interesting.

email even. adrian@adrianatkins.com

Thanks for all the helpful info everyone, especially the note about Alix boards, that will probably work great for the prototype.

That's all the detail I can give for now. As soon as I can provide more info I will.

Thanks again,

Ben

Well, you can Google !

Flapping around on your own in then dark isn't much fun - even with a few wing-beats helped by others.

In the long run it is much much easier, and eventually more profitable, to pay the experts some cash, and avoid hitting the rock-face.

I pay a mechanic to fix my car, 'cos he does that every day.

I *could* do most (if not all) of it myself, but i do not fix cars every day, and know nothing much about them.

I would have to learn, which takes time.

He knows already.

Best of luck with it.