USB wlan devices are pretty horrible for hostap. Usable at a push, but I wouldn't purchase one primarily to run an access point.
At this point I would be looking at athn(4) if you can live without power-saving mode (users of blackberry phones and some other devices cannot; people intending to provide public access from their ap probably don't want to as it often requires users to dig around and change settings on their devices). If you need power-saving mode now then choose an off-the-shelf AP (fwiw I have been very happy with Ubiquiti kit for this). On 2011-01-02, Greg Steuck <g...@nest.cx> wrote: > I was thinking of building a new wifi AP. The following is a stream of > thoughts on the subject. Any constructive suggestions are welcome. > > Requirements: > * Compatibility with Androids, Kindles, x86 Linux, OpenBSD wifi clients > * Strong in-doors signal > * Maximum control > > Nice to have: > * Combine the AP with the wired Ethernet OpenBSD router. > * Low power & noise. > > Complications: > * A few wireless networks in nearby houses > * OpenBSD AP capable devices have a CAVEAT: Host AP mode doesn't > support power saving. Clients attempting to use power saving mode > may experience significant packet loss (disabling power saving on > the client will fix this). > > Possible design: > * OpenBSD host with 2 or more wired Ethernets > * USB wifi device (free to switch host hardware) > * External Hi-Gain antenna > > Detailed implementation: > * small i386 or armish machine for the host (Soekris?) > * Hawking HWUG1 (rum(4)) ( http://goo.gl/ccd6Q ) > * Hawking HAI7SIP Antenna ( http://goo.gl/Axg7j ) > > Does anybody know if the CAVEAT above present a problem in real life for > the clients I listed? > > Thanks > Greg > -- > nest.cx is Gmail hosted, use PGP for anything private. Key: > http://tinyurl.com/ho8qg > Fingerprint: 5E2B 2D0E 1E03 2046 BEC3 4D50 0B15 42BD 8DF5 A1B0
