[SWLUG] WiFi & Linux

[Paul G. Richardson]

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Just to add my 2 cents.

Phillip Evans wrote:
> Hi All,
> 
> I am going wifi in the not too distant future and would appreciate any 
> comments on setting this up with Linux. I am currently using Mandriva 
> 2007 with no immediate intentions to change.

As long as you have a linux friendly chipset as others have mentioned,
Mandriva makes it very easy to set it up inside drakconf.

Are you using laptops or desktops? I find wireless is only really useful
if you have laptops you want to move around the house with or desktops
is different rooms. Even then, I have preferred the ethernet over
powerline option for my desktops as it is 85mbps rather than 54. Of
course, neither of these beats ethernet cabling at 100mbps.

Laptops tend to have built in wifi which means ensuring when you buy the
laptop that it is linux friendly. To find out this sort of thing have a
look at the hardware section on www.linuxquestions.org

> 
> I have set up several wifi networks for friends using windoze which has 
> not been a major problem but how easy is this with Linux ? 

Easy as long as the wifi chipset is a friendly one.

> Do I need to 
> use ndiswrapper and how easy (difficult ?) is this to setup & configure

Tends to be a last resort if the chipset does not cooperate with linux
and you have to use the windows drivers. Plenty of instructions
available on the net if this is the case and websites usually give lists
of wifi cards that have to resort to ndiswrapper.

> ? I am intending to use routers and wireless adaptors from either 
> Netgear or Belkin and would appreciate any comments on what is the best 
> kit to use, any obvious banana skins to avoid etc.

Ensure that the access point config utility is something served over
http, ie. a utility accessible through your browser. My first Belkin
access point used a windows only config utility which would not work
under wine so was useless. Had to keep a virtual machine around just for
tinkering with the access point settings.

As a general rule, I tend to stick with one vendor for a system so in my
case, I have netgear cards and router. Certainly, not hard and fast and
but if kitting out a home network for the first time, it is an extra
safeguard against incompatibilities. This is especially important with
powerline-over-ethernet.


> Thanks
> 
> Phillip
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> SWLUG Discussion List - Discuss at swlug.org
> http://swlug.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

- --
P.G. Richardson

Email: p.g.richardson at phantomjinx.co.uk

- ---

"There is no present or future, only the past
happening over and over again now."
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"History is the nightmare from which I am trying
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