I've come up with an idea for a device that will enable the TI-84+ CE to have internet capabilities using a Raspberry Pi Pico W. The device will consist of a male USB Type B breakout board, four wires, and a Raspberry Pi Pico W. The module will connect to the calculator via the Mini B USB "Link Cable" port. Communication between the calculator and the module will be handled using the srldrvce library. I also plan to create a C/C++ library that apps can use to interface with the device.

Some apps I plan to make include:
- A basic IRC client
- An FTP server for wireless file transfer
- A marketplace to download apps and games (similar to the 3DS homebrew app "Universal-Updater")

However, the possibilities are endless, as I intend to keep the project and library entirely open source!

I won't be able to make much progress on this project for a while since I don't have a TI-84+ CE yet, and the TI-84+ CE emulator “CEmu” does not support serial I/O. But, I'd love to know what you all think about this!

I think this could also work with a zero w. There is a python library (and a c I believe) for handling web requests on pico, but you would need to setup a wifi/network config app. This would require queries on the pico for available networks, and sending data back and forth. Every startup for the pico would require running said app on calc.

Yes, my plan is to make a basic config app that will allow you to sign into networks on the calculator, which will probably just write to a config.txt file on the Pico's flash. Also, a reason why I think the zero won't work is because of power consumption. I think I read somewhere that the TI-84+ CE can't output more than 100 mA through its mini B data link port.

The day I can cheat on a test by using Wikipedia on my a calculator is the day my quality of life skyrockets

what hardware would be required for this as I want wifi on my ti 84 plus ce at all costs.

Welcome to Cemetech, synthium! Are you familiar with globalCALCnet (which has an IRC client, web browser, and file transfer utility for ticalc.org and Cemetech, matching the apps you mentioned), or especially the WiFi version using the Spark Core? It sounds like that's along the lines that you're thinking. To avoid needing to reinvent the wheel, you should also take a look at ACagliano's lwIP library for the TI-84 Plus CE, which allows use of USB network adapters without needing to faff about with an external SoC.

The WiFi spark core is definitely really similar to what I have in mind, just in a more compact form that looks something like a USB flash drive. I think i'll definitely use the lwIP library when I get into more complex stuff like a browser. One thing I noticed about the spark core is that it requires a battery? I assume this is due to the power limitations from the link cable with the TI-84 Plus, because my plan is to just use the TI-84 Plus CE's link cable as a power source. Anyway, thanks for the links!

The goal is to keep it as simple as possible, so the plan is that you'll just need a Raspberry Pi Pico W, Mini B USB Male Breakout board, some wires, solder, and maybe a 3d printed case. A Mini B USB board won't necessarily be required, I plan to also make it possible to just use the Pico W's micro usb port to connect it to the TI-84+ CE as well, which requires zero soldering.