Wireless Card that Works with Linux?
 

Alright... I have slackware 10x and a Netgear MR814 802.11b Wireless 4-Port Cable/DSL Router (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...onics&n=507846)

and got some: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...onics&n=172282

wireless USB things to get internet on our 3 computers. Now I got a linux box with slackware and i am looking for a more compatible card that will still work with the router.

Can anyone reccommend a wireless card that will recognize the router and that a new slackware installation will recognize and work without drivers?

Thanks so much!

http://www.linuxquestions.org/hcl/index.php is a link to our HCL. You could also look at the ndiswrapper pages as they have links to ways to get individual cards working. My Linksys card works fine with my Netgear router.

Get any brand card with the Prism chipset as this will work right away and is well supported.

doesn't the MA111 wireless USB adapter have the prism2 chipset and it doesn't work without a driver? I am looking for any wireless card/USB adapter that will be compatible with the router I gave and will be recognized WITHOUT having to install drivers...

Thanks!

AFAIK any 802.11b or g card should work, and prism should work without extra drivers (unless you want extra features). Also beware of the ever-changing versions of cards; two with almost exactly the same name can have different chipsets.

Edit: Oh and USB drivers are another thing, I don't think there are any builtin drivers for usb, you will probably have to install something.

does this one:

http://www.linuxquestions.org/hcl/sh...cat=all&page=1

look like it's supported without the need of drivers?

If you pick up an Atheros-based card, you can use my tutorial at Linux Citizen.

Yes it does.

Netgear MA311 has the prism2.5 chipset and run out of the box with Slackware 10.0 and 10.1.
No compiling or firmware to mess with. Unless you have a wide open network you will have to edit
/etc/rc.d/rc.wireless.conf but it is well documented.

An MA311 can also be set up to serve as an access point. The only downside is they tend to be pricey compared to some other cards and due to their popularity and the fact that most manufacturers are no longer making 11mbps cards they are hard to find.

Prism54 based cards will also work after you put the firmware (In slackware 10.1 it goes in /lib/firmware)

Yes... I've noticed that they do seem to be a bit pricey.. Ebay's got some good deals though. I will really spend anything to just get the internet going on the PC as i've realized how useless a computer really is without internet :P

Now I've just gotta think of some good reasons for my parents to let me have the PC in my room!... *think think think*

Thanks!

PS: will mostly any desktop PC accept this kind if wireless card? I mean, I've never installed wireless cards before. I've got a P3 500mhz, 512MB ram, and 10GB hd (if that helps describe what type of PC it is... oh yeah it's a compaq too) :) thank you!

An MA311 goes in a PCI slot which should be available on most MB of recent vintage. Check you MB manual to make sure you have one if you are not familiar with what a pci slot is. (No pci slots in Laptops)

I personally just bought the Linksys WMP11 with the v4 chipset. Even though it's a non-compatible card, ndiswrapper handles the windows drivers for this incredibly. The wiki simplifies the installation steps quite well also.

There's even a list of cards that work.

Thanks everyone for your help!

I ended up bidding on and winning this item:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Now the only thing I'm wondering is how will that antenna fit inside the pc? i mean does it go in a place where that can stick out?

Thanks!

the antena sticks out at the outside of the casing, not within the casing:)

when you open up the casing, you will understand.

Basically if your router is industry standard it'll work with any wireless card that it says: a,b,g. If it's drivers your worrying about, you might want to check out the Linux hardware howto over at tldp.org. If your shopping and your worrying about price and drivers check out www.linux-wlan.org, cheap cards with Linux support in the kernel with 2 models starting at $20 USD.

I guess your worrying that Micro$oft has invaded some of the wireless routers out there and won't work with your Linux box. Don't worry man, at least we have the dreaded CISCO and other companies that recognizes Unix(Linux, FreeBSD, etc.).