[lug] cheap 802.11b for linux...

[rise]

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On Fri, 22 Mar 2002, Rob Nagler wrote:

> I haven't seen a purely wireless access point.  There are a number of
> problems with interference, I guess, which prevents manufacturers from
> offering this option.

http://www.soekris.com/ currently produces some tiny, low-power, dirt
cheap boxes popular with the BAWUG guys and the next release[0] is planned
to have two PCMCIA slots (and perhaps PoE) expressly for wireless router
use.  I'm probably going to pick up a couple of the net4501-30s [1] for a
cheap test network and attempting to build a wireless bridge unit.  If
anyone else is interested in doing an order with me the quantity discount
breakpoints go 1/2/5/25/100.

http://pics.punk.as/album47 has pictures of one hacked to take a DWL-520.

Soren Kristensen is very active and responsive on the mailing list and
the general level of technical knowledge seems pretty high.

> I have thought of building a dual access point gizmo which would allow
> me to keep the cables and shortest possible.  Running power is the
> problem.  Could go solar/battery, but this is more technology than it
> is worth imo.  In the environments I'm working in, I have ready access
> to power and hardware on the roof is the bigger problem.  Punching a
> hole to run ethernet with power is easy.

PoE seems to be the way to go if you can do it easily, but I think we're
some ways out from it being really common and well supported (heck,
802.3af is still a draft).

[0] http://www.soekris.com/net4521.htm
[1] http://www.soekris.com/net4501.htm

    100/133 MHz AMD ElanSC520, 64 Mbyte SDRAM, CompactFLASH Type I/II,
    3 10/100 Ethernet interfaces, 1 DB9 serial, MiniPCI Type III, 3.3V
    PCI (right angle only), 8 bit GPIO, hardware watchdog, comBIOS
    (full headless), PXE boot ROM for net boot

- -- 
Jonathan Conway						      rise at knavery.net
history is paling & my surge protection failed, & so I FRIED
						- Concrete Blonde, "Fried"




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