Build Access Point with Realtek 8180

..:eMa:.. · 02-15-2004, 10:09 AM

...anyone do?

I've bought some of this WiFi card to build an AP, but there's a DISTRO which do it?

If not i'll build it on minimum redhat installation and ... many pacience. ;-)

finegan · 02-16-2004, 05:44 PM

The driver for the rtl8180 is pretty horrible. It would be possible, with just about any distro to get the card to work in ad-hoc mode, then set the clients in ad-hoc and sync them, then use iptables to NAT the connection, but its probably more trouble then its worth, I mean the driver from:

www.realtek.com.tw

is really really bad.

Cheers,

Finegan

..:eMa:.. · 02-17-2004, 03:39 AM

ok, I will test it anymore...
...so what do you think about clarck connect?

I will use it in a small office where anyone know linux and their best computer's experience is M$ word...
I must use some pretty web-interface to bring up and down the connection...

finegan · 02-20-2004, 03:35 PM

Clark Connect, cable internet company? Really I just know the US providers... Earthlink, Comcast, Bell$, AOL, etc... Don't know the European market at all, but I'm certain it would be okay to start a thread down in General asking for ISP advice about europe and you'll get some decent replies.

Honestly though, if you can toss that realtek card and get a prism2 based one, life will be much much much simpler.

Cheers,

Finegan

..:eMa:.. · 02-22-2004, 08:53 AM

Quote:

and get a prism2 based one, life will be much much much simpler.

Yes, I think so now!

Where I can find some card which work with prism?
Some name?
Online buy? Even in Europe?

finegan · 02-22-2004, 05:42 PM

Here's a huge list of the manufacturer's model names and what chipset is inside them:

http://www.linux-wlan.org/docs/wlan_adapters.html.gz

Its put together by a 3rd party driver company that produces a driver for the prism2 chipsets. Don't use their driver, as it can't do master mode and serve as an Access Point, for that, use:

http://hostap.epitest.fi/

I don't know what's available in europe and what isn't, so that's pretty much all of them. Be careful not to buy retail as most manufacturers, for instance: Linksys have NOT changed the model number of their cards but have changed the chipset inside, so a WPC11 v1, 2.5, or 3 is a Prism2 chipset while the v4 is realtek. Search auction sites where people are selling older gear, that's the best bet for finding an old prism2 card.

Cheers,

Finegan