[rescue] code for orinoco cards

[Ron Wickersham]

hi Brian,

the reason you can flash more capable software into an AP is that the
hardware is almost always just the reference design from the chip-set
mfg.  

the reason you don't see any open source implementations of "proper base
station mode" is that the orinoco and many other cards use the Intersil
chip set (they have perhaps 90% of the 802.11b market) and they sell the
source for the base station code for $20,000 and a license restriction
against sharing it.

but since the market for 802.11 is so hot others are introducing competing
silicon and are likely to have more open attitudes. 

-ron

---snip---

> > - Access points are under $200 new, and can be had on ebay cheaper.  I am 
> > not aware of any free access point software (other than the project to blow 
> > linux-based firmware into SMC/Addtran APs).  You can do a small network in 
> > ad-hoc mode, but it does not scale, will almost always dictate putting te 
> > wireless on its own subnet, etc.
> 
> someone explain ad hoc to me.  why can't i use "proper base station mode" in a
> machine since all these access points are is firmware with an antenna and a
> wireless PCMCIA card in them.  i don't see what's holding me back.
> 
> i could get an access point, but that has less geek points than having my
> access point as my Solaris based Ultra1 firewall. :)
> 
> -brian