[Sussex] Wireless AP

[Richie Jarvis]

Steve Dobson wrote:
> Colin
> 
> On Fri, Jan 28, 2005 at 08:02:42AM +0000, Colin Tuckley wrote:
> 
>>Richie Jarvis wrote:
>>
>>
>>>SnS (part of the feeed.net network) uses the following charging system:
>>>
>>>£6.95 per user on each node, of which £5 goes to the node owner, and 
>>>£1.95 goes to SnS (minus paypal charges.)
>>
>>This sounds like it's aimed at people who want to use the WiFi portal as 
>>their primary net connection, i.e. people who live nearby but don't have 
>>their own broadband access.
>>
>>What the Holbrook Club want is more akin to the way a hotel provides WiFi 
>>to it's residents. I suspect that the Holbrook only want coverage on their 
>>site, so no massive antennas would be needed.
> 
> 
> I don't like the sound of there being a charge for using the WiFi.  I
> agree with Colin, use at the Holbrook should be free (as in beer) for all.
> Holbrook get a WiFi network their business clients can use.  We get a free
> (as in beer) room to meet in with free WiFi.
> 
> Jon:  Can you confirm that please.
> 
> Nik: Can you look into getting the Sussex Business Grant (or whatever it
> was you were talking about last night) that we could use to purchase
> the hardware?
> 
> If we can't get a grant then we are back to the thorny issue of how 
> do we fun the thing!
Fair enough - I have another idea though.....
>  
> 
>>I think that we should aim more at the sort of node that pier-to-pier in 
>>Brighton are using. On that subject, I read some stuff recently about a 
>>LinkSys router that can be flashed to run Linux and Mesh software - this 
>>would do what we want and if I remember correctly it was someone from SLUG 
>>talking about it.
>>
>>If a PC :is: needed then I have a PII 266MHz box that I'd be willing to 
>>donate to the project, it probably ought to have a new processor fan (it 
>>sounds a bit rough) and it's not got much memory but is otherwise ok.
> 
> 
> Colin: Thanks for the offer of the PC, but the problem with this is adding
> in a Wireless card that Linux can support as an WiFi Access Point (AP).
> The only card/software I know that works is HostAP with a Prism-II/III
> card.  I use a Prism-II in my own AP and it works very well.  However,
> the later model of the PCI card that I have is no longer based on the
> Prism chip set (so it doesn't work anymore with the HostAP kernel driver),
> and I don't know of which WiFi cards currently available are based on the
> chip set we need.  The MeshAP system that I bought from www.linitx.com
> no longer appears to be there - all I see when I put in "MeshAP" into their
> search engine is the MeshAP 32MB Compact Flash.  I know it has been a
> problem for others to find suitable hardware to build a x86/Linux/AP
> system.
> 
> Also do we want to build the AP station on old, maybe soon to die, PC
> hardware?  I just have this feeling that an off the shelf WiFi AP system,
> while more expensive to begin with, will be cheaper long term.
> 
> Known Facts:
>   Holbrook will be providing the ADSL line, so we do not need to cover
>   the running costs of a Internet link.  All we need to provide is the
>   AP hardware, configure it, install and maintain it.
Good - easier :)

> Questions:
>   What hardware does Brighton's Peer2Peer system use (and can we still
>   get the appropriate hardware)?
> 
>   How are we going to fund any purchases we need to buy?
> 
> Steve
Peer2Pier use MeshAP with NoCatSplash to drive all users to their 
disclaimer
screen prior to login - it is run of old, dieing machines, and they are 
replaced
as and when.

I do have another option (as mentioned above) - I have a spare (!) 
Linksys 802.11b WAP-11 that I am happy to donate (it isn't one of the 
linux flashed ones)

It is currently sitting in my bits bin doing nothing, and has been 
flashed with the D-Link firmware (which is better than the Linksys one.)

Richie