From owner-freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Sun Oct 12 09:37:13 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id CC18E16A4B3 for ; Sun, 12 Oct 2003 09:37:13 -0700 (PDT) Received: from katrine.aae.uiuc.edu (katrine.aae.uiuc.edu [128.174.132.87]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id CD6DB43FCB for ; Sun, 12 Oct 2003 09:37:12 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from dmmcf@uiuc.edu) Received: by katrine.aae.uiuc.edu (Postfix, from userid 1000) id 6301EC3A21; Sun, 12 Oct 2003 11:37:08 -0500 (CDT) To: Greg Pavelcak References: <20031011212201.GA67228@bishop.my.domain> From: dmmcf@uiuc.edu (D. Michael McFarland) Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 11:37:08 -0500 In-Reply-To: <20031011212201.GA67228@bishop.my.domain> (Greg Pavelcak's message of "Sat, 11 Oct 2003 17:22:01 -0400") Message-ID: <878ynqtnt7.fsf@katrine.aae.uiuc.edu> User-Agent: Gnus/5.1003 (Gnus v5.10.3) Emacs/21.2 (gnu/linux) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii cc: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Subject: Re: General Wireless Network Question X-BeenThere: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: Non technical items related to the community List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 12 Oct 2003 16:37:13 -0000 Greg Pavelcak writes: > In the wireless world, I don't understand an access point. Right > now, we have Comcast cable internet, a 4 port router, and a few > computers all wired, and all with access to the internet. Am I right > in thinking that I can just replace the current router with a > wireless router, get some wireless network cards, and get the same > results? An easy way to start might be to add an access point to your existing LAN. You can take your time to get it working with one client, then decide if it's worth the expense and effort to go entirely wireless. I've just set up a WAP in my office and got my notebook talking to it. It wasn't a very gratifying experience, but maybe I'll feel better if it continues to work for a while. > (I'm thinking D-Link because I read in FreeBSD mail > archives that they use supported chips.) My WAP is a D-Link DWL-2000AP, an 11g device which I picked up for US$74 after a $20 rebate. I'm very disappointed with it because: 1. Configuration is done through a web interface, and the _only_ browser I've been able to make work with this is MS's Internet Explorer (and believe me, I tried a bunch of 'em). The interface seems to use JavaScript in a way only IE will tolerate, with the result that configuration changes can't be saved from other browsers. (A friend with an older D-Link WAP (different model, too) reports no such troubles.) 2. This WAP will run a DHCP server for wireless clients, but (as far as I can tell) it won't distribute addresses from any range except a range including its own IP number. This might not matter on a home network where every box is on an unrouted IP, but here my desktop machines and the WAP itself have fixed, routed addresses. This effectively renders the WAP's DHCP server useless for me. (In contrast, the Apple AirPort hub I used to have would happily sit on the net at a fixed, routed IP number and distribute addresses from, for example, 10.0.1.x.) The Cisco PCM352 (11b) card I bought for the notebook, on the other hand, is a class act. It cost more than the D-Link WAP, but it was worth it. If I had it to do over again, I'd look to Cisco for the WAP, also. If you _do_ decide to go with the D-Link WAP, though, make me an offer. :-) Michael -- D. Michael McFarland, Visiting Senior Research Scientist Department of Aerospace Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign dmmcf@uiuc.edu, www.uiuc.edu/ph/www/dmmcf