I need to set up a laptop to act as a wireless access point. The laptop's specs are negligible, as I've got a number to choose from(don't ask, its weird), but I've only got two cards: a Linksys WP311 (I think), regardless its the new one that runs off of the PrismII chipset, and a Cabletron Roamabout DS (Stripped down OEM Lucent/ orinoco-alike). I know that I can't get the Roamabout to support AP mode with the wvlan_cs.o module, nor does the card work with either of the proprietary, binary-only wavelan.o and wavelan2.o modules. I have had NO luck getting any of the orinoco_cs.o modules to compile in or out of pcmcia-cs for kernels from 2.2.16 through 2.4.5.

I know this source is included in the kernels after a certain point in the 2.4.x series, so I tried compiling 2.4.10, but had issues with the pcmcia-cs package. Regardless, I'm kinda tired of trying to get pcmcia and the kernel not to fight and these compiles are on p133, 40Meg laptops so they take a while.

Basically I'm asking if anyone has had success with the Roamabout card and the orinoco_cs driver in access point mode with an out-of-the-box install of either Mandrake 8.1, Redhat 7.2, or possibly even Suse 7.3, which all ship with kernels compiled for Wireless extensions, all have orinoco source in the kernel source, and usually have Jean Tournouilles (I spelled that terribly) wireless tools running too.

OR,

Has anyone ever gotten the Host AP module from:

http://www.epitest.fi/Prism2/

to work correctly? If so, what distro and tricks?

OR,

Has anyone ever gotten the Prism2 card to work with the orinoco_cs module in Host AP mode (It says kinda supported)?

I know the solution could easily be a $150 Linksys access point or one of those $120-ish Aironet or Lucent Gold cards, but I'm kinda rolling quarters for Ramen right now, so I have to make due.

Oh, and if I've missed some open source driver project out there that covers one of these cards, that would be cool too.

-Cheers,

Finegan