[ck2]

But you can get almost any wireless ability and keep modern with whatever standard changes by simply using a usb stick.

They are super tiny now and barely stick out of the usb port.

Why hardwire wireless and outdate a board a few years later?

I think in 5 years we got g -> n -> 5ghz -> ac and three bluetooth variants.

Now there is indoor lte and other stuff coming.

[dbcurtis]

So, how much time did it take you to get the WiFi stack working on your RasPi? Oh? You've never actually tried to get WiFi working on a Pi? Thought so. Getting WiFi to work on a Pi has historically been an exercise in very, very careful shopping for a dongle that actually works. Or getting lucky. Things may have changed recently, but many Pi users have stubbed their toe on the finding-a-Wifi-dongle-that-works rock. Have WiFi built-in that "just works" is going to be hugely beneficial.

[kingosticks]

It's now easy to find reviews on amazon for many wifi dongles specifically mentioning rpi compatability. And they just work.

Im sure you could still buy something unsupported if you didn't do your homework, just like nearly anything.

[SmellyGeekBoy]

> So, how much time did it take you to get the WiFi stack working on your RasPi? Oh? You've never actually tried to get WiFi working on a Pi? Thought so.

Wow, attitude much?

Just to counter your anecdotal data with some other anecdotal data, I have 2 different random USB wifi dongles I got from ebay for a couple of £ (different chipsets) and they were both plug-and-play.

[roel_v]

Despite having left Linux as my full time platform before wifi was ubiquitous, it took me 10 minutes or so. That included looking up how the ui was supposed to work. I don't have a dog in this fight, but getting wifi running took me less time than figuring out the volume settings.

[CaptSpify]

You can still add on any wireless-usb you want. And for a $35 computer, upgrading to a newer model probably won't be much of an issue.

I personally like this, as it cuts my initial setup-time/cost.