Fedora Users — Re: Wireless out of the box

Bill Gradwohl wrote:

Kevin Freeman wrote:
I have used a WG511 for about 1 year.  In FC3 it is very close to a
"just works" installation.  You only need to visit
http://www.prism54.org to download firmware and copy it to /lib/firmware
(location is different for FC2).  The prism54 driver module is part of
the standard FC2/3 kernel.  I don't believe the driver supports WPA-PSK,
otherwise I have been satisfied with its performance.
Kevin Freeman
Is it possible to use the WG511 or any other wireless device AS an access point?

Said another way, I'm looking to eliminate a box (access point) because I need wireless connectivity aboard a small boat. The idea is to have one regular PC (or laptop) running FC3 contain a wireless nic, and that nic IS the access point to allow one or more other devices (laptops, PC's, etc) access to that servers samba shares, etc.

The dlink site suggests its possible( http://www.dlink.com/products/?sec=0&pid=308 ), but I'd like to know if its possible under FC3. On that page the statement : Like all D-Link wireless adapters, the DWL-G510 can be used in Ad-Hoc mode to connect directly with other 2.4GHz wireless computers for peer-to-peer file sharing ... is what I'm referring to.

Some wireless cards do have the ability to act as access points. I believe most PCI cards are really just PC Cards (meant for notebooks) mounted aboard a PCB that can fit into a PCI slot. There should be some PC Cards that have the circuitry needed to work in AP (Access Point) mode. I think some SMC cards have the capability.

Google is your friend here. Try '+AP +mode +wireless'.

I'm really reluctant about mentioning this, but...while the book is extremely preachy and condescending and tends to treat you like you are 50 times an idiot -- you should look through "Jeff Duntemann's Wi-Fi Guide 2nd Edition" (Paraglyph Press). Your local library might have it. The book is so preachy that I can't reccomend buying it. But if you filter out the you-are-one-stupid-reader tone, you can get some bits of good information. Possibly the most useful section is the one on how to build antennas. Also look at the Fleeman, Anderson and Bird website ( http://www.fab-corp.com/ ). They offer a lot of wireless gear you may find useful.

Bob