# Recommended Wireless 54g routers and pci/pcmcia cards

## Rylan

I'm looking to get a wireless router and wireless network cards.  I want something that works with stable, fully functioning drivers in linux ( no ndiswrapper stuff ).  I also want 54Mbs speed at least, so that I can stream mutliple shows from my mythtv backend.  I've searched the forums, as well as linuxquestions.org without much success for answers to my following questions.

1.  Is there any support for 108Mbs wireless products in linux?  I've seen products' specs that say Linux is supported, but given the state of 802.11g drivers in linux I was assuming that maybe they meant it worked in 802.11b or g mode, but not at full 108Mbs.  This is the only question to which I've found no  answer for anywhere.

2.  I know a lot of people seem to like the WRT54G router, and it's what I'm leaning towards myself, but I wanted to know if anyone had any other router recommendations based on personal experience.  

	I'd like to have spi (stateful packet inspection) on my router, but I had one in the past that was so horribly slow that the web admin page for the router was horribly mangled because it was timing out while fetching certain parts of the page (and that was over 100Mb cat 5, straight from my computer to the router!).  Has spi gotten better since then, or is anyone use a router that has spi and doesn't have problems?

3.  Which 802.11g cards ( both pci and pcmcia ) *just work* in linux.  I don't mind grabbing my own source or patching the kernel, but I really want to stay away from the ndiswrapper cards, or any that have such alpha drivers that it's problematic to even get the driver to compile consistently.

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## tomek32

My friend got his dlink 802.11g router and pcmcia card working in gentoo. I'll get him to post here his setup info.

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## Rylan

At 54Mbs?  I'd like to know the exact model numbers and revision if possible.  Does the card or router have any 'quirks'?

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## neuron

excelent, I was looking for this kind of information too.

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## Rylan

bump to give it some daytime exposure (in the US).

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## py-ro

www.prism54.org

I'm using Netgear  WG511 54Mbps PCMCIA

Works like a charm.  :Razz: 

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## Zyne

I'm currently using my Linksys WMP54G in linux..

My router is a WRT54G, so they're both at 54 mbitps

here's a little output when I do iwconfig:

```

wlan0     IEEE 802.11g  ESSID:"***********"  

          Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.462GHz  Access Point: 00:06:25:EA:34:11  

          Bit Rate:54Mb/s   Tx-Power:13 dBm   

          RTS thr:2347 B   Fragment thr:2346 B   

          Encryption key:***

          Power Management:off

          Link Quality:100/100  Signal level:-43 dBm  Noise level:-256 dBm

          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0

          Tx excessive retries:863  Invalid misc:4464   Missed beacon:0

```

one problem though... The linksys has a broadcom chipset, and they absolutely refuse to create drivers for linux. luckily enough, there are several projects that make sure you can use the windows drivers in linux  :Wink: 

there's a program called ndiswrapper (in portage) that will allow you to load the windows driver, and use your wireless network.

The beauty of the router is that is has a mini linux kernel built inside, so you can adjust what you want... There are several "hacked" firmwares, that will allow you to boost the power up to 300%. I left mine at default though, cause I'm easily getting a great connection.

My router is at the first floor, inside a "technical room", and I'm on the 2nd floor atm. The laptop has a great network connection on the 3rd floor.

I never regretted buying this router, as it was a realy bargain for me.

I also have 4 wired connections plugged into the router, and the possibility to add up 16 wireless clients.

need more info? lemme know  :Smile: 

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## Rylan

Thanks py-ro.  I browsed through that site, but I wasn't sure exactly how mature the drivers were for some of them.  I saw some supported by madwifi drivers for example, but the madwifi faq and mailing lists left me doubting how "easily" those drivers worked with various kernel versions.  As an example of what I mean, I have a haupagge pvr250 card, and the ivtv driver works, but I've had issues with it working fully (lirc specifically) with various 2.6 kernels.  I can get my tv card to work perfectly under 2.4.26 vanilla though.  

I asked on this forum because I wanted to know people's personal experiences.  Such as whether or not your Netgear WG511 card needed the kernel patched?   If so, have you had problems compiling the driver on newer kernels, or does it not matter at all?  How's the reception with that card compared to others you might have used?  Are there other versions of the card that use a different chipset, and if so how would I know from looking at the box (as in the Dlink 650 series and their 3 different chipsets with varying degrees of support)?

Zyne: Thank you for your response, it's what I was looking for when I asked.  I didn't realize exactly why everyone cared that the WRT54G was hackable, but I like it more now that I know what I could make it do.

Thanks for telling me what card you use too, but I specifically stated that I wanted to stay away from cards that use the ndiswrapper.

Anyone have any idea about 108Mbs in Linux?

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## Zyne

 *Rylan wrote:*   

> 
> 
> Zyne: Thank you for your response, it's what I was looking for when I asked.  I didn't realize exactly why everyone cared that the WRT54G was hackable, but I like it more now that I know what I could make it do.
> 
> Thanks for telling me what card you use too, but I specifically stated that I wanted to stay away from cards that use the ndiswrapper.
> ...

 

sorry m8... I have absolutely no idea about the 108mbps, but I don't think that would be a problem.

btw, I'm just curious, why don't you want to use ndiswrapper? I was a bit sceptic about it too, but I got this wireless nic very cheap, and ndiswrapper is REALLY easy to install...

you compile the source code, point the program to the windows .inf driver, add the module so that it autoloads on startup, and you're done  :Smile: 

I get good transfer speeds too... Transferring at 2-3 MB/sec, which is the same speed in windows. afaik this will be about the best speed you will ever get...

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## -PeterW-

D-Link DWL-650 Rev B. Gentoo Setup Guide For Novice Users

After spending endless hours to get my wireless card to work it turns out that the task was much simpler than first anticipated.  During this learning curve I gather tremendous amount of knowledge, and yes, you will have to learn to re-compile your own kernel.  But no worries; this document should solve your problems.

Compatibility:

Testing has been done with kernel version 2.6.6 from development-sources on a Gentoo distribution.  You may encounter differences dealing with other distributions.

Hardware Specifications:

Toshiba Laptop  Satellite 1900 Series (00FS) [PS190C-OOFS]

Notes:

If you are a novice user you may have to learn how to compile the kernel.  Do not be discouraged by this, there are many resources on the world wide web; forums and chats.  Everyone has their favorites but my favorite HOWTO regarding building a kernel is written by Digital Hermit.  You can find his article at: http://www.digitalhermit.com/linux/Kernel-Build-HOWTO.html

Step 1: Acquire the latest MADWIFI code.

To see the latest information about the project go to: http://sourceforge.net/projects/madwifi/

Open up a konsole window and login with a root account.  (For this operation it is not required; however we will be re-building the kernel soon enough)

```
cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/madwifi co madwifi

peter@bluebird peter $ su

Password:

root@bluebird peter # cd $HOME

root@bluebird root # cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.sourceforge.net:/cvsroot/madwifi co madwifi
```

This will get you the latest source code from the repository and it will insert it into the home folder (/root) under the madwifi directory.

Step 2: Let's build the MADWIFI project.

At this stage refer to the README file located in /root/madwifi directory.  There will be very comprehensives instruction set on how to build the driver.   However it should be as simple as typing:

```
root@bluebird root # make

root@bluebird root # make install
```

If everything was successful, the drivers have been compiled and also installed.  The second command 'make install' simply loads the files.  You can do it yourself using 'modprobe' or 'insmod'.  I presonally had better luck with modprobe.

Well stage one and stage two are now complete, in other words we have the latest code from the repository as well as me have it compiled and loaded.

Step 3: Let's setup and build the kernel

Rather then me having explain how to compile the kernel us the following link http://www.digitalhermit.com/linux/Kernel-Build-HOWTO.html to learn how to compile the kernel.  However, before you rebuild your kernel make sure the following items have been enabled.

```
<*> PCMCIA/CardBus support                                     

        [ ]   Enable PCMCIA debugging                                  

       <*>   CardBus yenta-compatible bridge support                      

       <*>   i82365 compatible bridge support                         

  

[*] Wireless LAN drivers (non-hamradio) & Wireless Extensions

```

Step 4: Setup on necessary wireless options

Well, almost there; simply edit /etc/pcmcia/wireless.opts 

```
# Generic example (decribe all possible settings)

*,*,*,*)

    INFO=Dlink DWL-G650"

    # ESSID (extended network name) : My Network, any

    ESSID="GENTOO_ROCKS"

    # NWID/Domain (cell identifier) : 89AB, 100, off

    #NWID=""

    # Operation mode : Ad-Hoc, Managed, Master, Repeater, Secondary, auto

    MODE="Master"

    # Frequency or channel : 1, 2, 3 (channel) ; 2.422G, 2.46G (frequency)

    #FREQ=""

    CHANNEL="6"

    # Sensitivity (cell size + roaming speed) : 1, 2, 3 ; -70 (dBm)

    #SENS=""

    # Bit rate : auto, 1M, 11M

    RATE="54M"

    # Encryption key : 4567-89AB-CD, s:password

    KEY="secret" 

    # RTS threshold : off, 500

    #RTS=""

    # Fragmentation threshold : off, 1000

    #FRAG=""

    # Other iwconfig parameters : power off, ap 01:23:45:67:89:AB

    #IWCONFIG=""

    # iwspy parameters : + 01:23:45:67:89:AB

    #IWSPY=""

    # iwpriv parameters : set_port 2, set_histo 50 60

    #IWPRIV=""`

```

Step 5: Enable and reboot

Now simply you must make sure that pcmcia loads and reboot.  After a reboot you will notice that you will have a new ath0 device.  Simply configure it the same way you configured your eth0 device.

```
rc-update add pcmcia default
```

Acknowledgments:

This guide could have not be done without the support of MADWIFI project.  Special thanks to all people involved in this project, thank you for your tremendous contributions to the community.  A special thanks go for to Tom H. [tomek32] for helping me with this.

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## neuron

[quote="Zyne"] *Rylan wrote:*   

> Transferring at 2-3 MB/sec, which is the same speed in windows. afaik this will be about the best speed you will ever get...

 

54/8 = 6.75, on 100mbit (/8 = 12.5) I get a stable 11.5.

Should be able to push a little more than 2-3mb/sec out of it.

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## Rylan

Thanks for the guide PeterW.

neuron:  I didn't write that, Zyne did.  I do know that due to protocol overhead, interference, and distance that 54g speeds really only perform at about 3-4MB/s under optimal conditions.

Here's some benchmarks run under linux http://prism54.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=226&sid=c924732d376510520d231c3427446158

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## neuron

 *Rylan wrote:*   

> Thanks for the guide PeterW.
> 
> neuron:  I didn't write that, Zyne did.

 

yeah, as you can see the quote post thing screwed up a bit, it does say the right name first  :Wink: 

if anyone knows anyone who's had success setting up 108mbps with WAP not WEP I'd love to hear about it.

I've tried to look around, but I haven't found much info on people getting either to work, some seem to get WAP to work with a few cvs tree's around.

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## serendipity

According to the D-Link website, their DWL-G520 108Mbps PCI card (and others) work  under Linux. Be sure to check what revision, because they do not all appear to use the same chipset.

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## Skraut

I've got a rev c D-Link DWL-G650.  Works fine, no real complaints, except madwifi was a bit grouchy in the beginning.  Once I got the right set of options turned on/off in the kernel everything's been fine.

I have to use it despite this laptop having a built in broadcom chip.  The southbridge on this laptop didn't like ndiswrapper, and when I would play a sound, the wireless would disconnect.

I've heard of people getting the double speed on the G650 under linux, but understand, you have to have a D-Link router to take advantage of it.

I haven't tried the feature because I have a Linksys WRT54G and a WAP54G both with hacked linux bioses with boosted gain to cover my large acre yard.  For me range is more important than speed.

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## sphakka

Netgear is your solution, man, except for the cost;) 

I surf with a WG511 pcmcia card and a DG834G ADSL router at half speed (24-36MBps) within 2-3 rooms in my house, and full speed in the same room with the access point. All fine with 2.4.x-gentoo and 2.6.x-gentoo kernelz,*BUT* beware of 2.6.7-win4lin (system reboot/freeze troubles, don't know exactly what's the reason). Support in 2.6.x is ok and fully functional at boot, while in 2.4.x I need some manual interventions...

Only observed some unexpected disconnessions probably due to overheating of my damned notebook:(

I heard a lot good about 3Com products too: both 3Com and Netgear have the highest success percent rate at www.prism54.org.

c-u

^s

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## neryo

Hi,

thanks to all for the informations about madwife... i have installed this driver, version 0.1_pre20050224 ~x86 from the portage and i have tested using my DWL-G650 AirPlus 108Mbit!!!

And it works fine.. only one problem.. it works only on 54Mbit/s not 108Mbit/s... i have tried to set the rate with iwconfig but not change!

```

bash-2.05b# iwconfig ath0

ath0      IEEE 802.11g  ESSID:"network"

          Mode:Managed  Frequency:2.437 GHz  Access Point: ********************

          Bit Rate=54 Mb/s   Tx-Power:50 dBm   Sensitivity=0/3

          Retry:off   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off

          Encryption key:**************   Security mode:restricted

          Power Management:off

          Link Quality=55/94  Signal level=-40 dBm  Noise level=-95 dBm

          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0

          Tx excessive retries:0  Invalid misc:0   Missed beacon:0

```

The steps for configuration of madwife from portage...

```

echo net-wireless/madwifi-driver ~x86 >> /etc/portage/package.keywords

echo net-wireless/madwifi-tools ~x86 >> /etc/portage/package.keywords

emerge net-wireless/madwifi-driver net-wireless/madwifi-tools

echo "ath_hal" >> /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6

echo "wlan" >> /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6

echo "wlan_acl" >> /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6

echo "wlan_ccmp" >> /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6

echo "wlan_tkip" >> /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6

echo "wlan_wep" >> /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6

echo "wlan_xauth" >> /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6

echo "ath_rate_amrr" >> /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6

echo "ath_rate_onoe" >> /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6

echo "ath_pci" >> /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6
```

and then i have used iwconfig and ifconfig for set it up!

thanks in advantage..

bye  :Very Happy: 

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