At 08:21 AM 2/3/2005 -0600, James Miller wrote:
On Wed, 2 Feb 2005, James Miller wrote:
> So, let me just ask: is this really some sort of solution to the wireless > support problem under Linux? People objected to that poster's suggestion > on the basis that it was too bulky (extra pieces of hardware like the > bridge and its power adaptor). Maybe it's a bit more expensive, too.
Looking around at prices, wired/wireless bridges do seem a bit more expensive than traditional wireless cards. I see prices starting at around $35 for these, while wireless NIC's can be had on sale for as low as $10 (after rebates!). But what good is an unsupported $10 wirless NIC going to be, anyway? I note in advertisements that these bridges are expressly described as allowing computers to connect to wireless LANs (along with set-top boxes, gaming consoles etc etc), and many even claim Linux support. This looks to me like a good alternative to suggest to Linux newbies interested in using wireless networks--i.e., for those who haven't bought an already-wireless-enabled machine and are simply trying to get the built-in wireless hardware to work under Linux.
James -- You are right that a $35 bridge that works is a better buy than a $10 card that does not work. And I've even seen these bridges as low as $20 (after rebates) from time to time (this due to my proximity to Fry's Electronics; I never see deals that good online.
One thing people haven't mentioned here, though, is the NDIS-wrapper approach. This uses some wrapper code to let the kernel operate a WLAN card using its Windows driver software. I forget the URL, but if you Google, "NDIS Linux", you'll probably find it. And my son, who (unlike me) has a WLAN running at his home, says his recent experience is that the technique works well, except for dual-CPU systems, where (I think this is what he said) it can lead to a race condition.
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