[geeks] Wireless AP

[Eric Dittman]

> My current firewall/NAT/Wireless AP appears to be failing, so it's time
> to find a new one.  I just wanted to get some opinions on good models
> and the models to stay far far away from.  I currently have a netgear
> MR314 that I have had for a while now.  It's been pretty good unit,
> except I wish I would have just bought an access point instead.  Any
> words of wisdom before I begin my search?

I bought a USR 802.11g unit that supports 108Mbps and I'm getting a really
strong signal throughout the house.  The farthest distance still gets me
at least 54M and usually higher.  The AP is available from under $100 from
Fry's and other places (after rebate).  I did buy the USR PCCARD adapter
for my laptop as well.  The USR supports both 802.11b and 802.11g at the
same time without having to fallback.  Some units that support both use
a limited 802.11b that some people have problems using.  My wife's 802.11b
card has no problem with the AP and it doesn't cause my 802.11g card to
fall back.  I'm using the unit in AP-only mode so I don't know how well
the firewall works.

The $250 USR AP adds a telnet and serial interface, but I couldn't justify
spending extra just for that.
-- 
Eric Dittman
dittman at dittman.net