[Wolves] Wireless network access

[leo sandhu]

Am I correct in thinking that you want this for use in a school?  Any chance
of photos demonstrating style and materials of the construction?

1. Different wireless chipsets have variable levels of performance and *nix
compatibility.   In this country, good ones are extortionately expensive but
I know a few EU/Chinese suppliers who can help for bulk.   Stay away from
Belkin, Intel.....

2. Yes, but much caution should be taken.  There are 11 channels licensed
for use in the UK.  If AP1 and AP2 are alongside (potentially overlapping),
AP1 should be (i.e.) channel 1, AP2 must be at least channel 3 or they will
conflict.

3.  Consumer APs have no user friendly parts.  You cannot modify the OS,
replace faulty wireless cards or easily diagnose the root cause of a
fault.   That said, Linksys make a router (sorry, not got model number to
hand) which a lot of the guys in Holland thought a real beaut.  If you pack
a few dozen, hundred, thousand.... into a room they will lock themselves
into a network without need for much effort at all.

Either using a redundant desktop (evaluate how easy that could be hidden) or
splashing out 100+ quid for a Soekris would enable a much more flexible
(theoretically reliable) network

4.  Most of the websites I have read up on this are in Dutch or German.   If
people are up for a laugh, I could organise a rough  demonstration on
antennae building.

hope this helps a little....

On 10/4/06, Mark Ellse <me at chaseacademy.com> wrote:
>
> Leo,
> This thread is in process, because I am slow at doing anything. Your
> comments are interesting.
>
> > My suggestion would be that you place one AP in each room, something
> > like a Soekris machine with a mini-pci wireless card and loaded with
> > something like M0n0wall on a read-only cf card will do the trick very
> > nicely.
> This is a useful idea, which I think I understand. Let me check.
> 1.  Are you saying that really any wireless card has the same wireless
> bits as a conventional access point, and that if you use it
> appropriately it it can be an access point?
> 2.  If you set up a number of access points, you can set them all on
> different channels. That way, the receivers using the access points
> simply pick up the strongest channel they can find.
> 3.   If this is the case, what is the advantage of using a number of PCs
> rather than a number of different standard consumer AP's?
> 4.  Home-built antennae can help. Do you have any further info?
>
> Thanks for you help.
> Mark
>
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