Hi Brock Thanks for your concerns on power consumption and I would have to agree about using an AP, particularly if buying everything from the start it would be better.
The wireless cards only cost me $13USD each and I have everything else except coax and connectors so even with the extra power consumption it will work out a bit cheaper for me to use a LEAF system. I can put money that would be spent on an AP towards the extra required for solar panel. It's also a project for me to learn more about Linux/routing/wireless etc. Another big advantage for me is if there is a problem with hardware I have spare cards and mother boards as replacements. Along with a friend that can do the replacing if I'm away. Again if I had nothing in my junk bin and starting with nothing, AP's would be the best way. Steve. > > Not wanting to rain on anyone's parade, but I am of the > opinion that this is > a *bad* idea... for one main reason: > > Power Consumption. > > As Steve alluded to, solar equipment is not cheap. I think > the key to a > cost-effective solution is to buy a real access point that > can function as a > repeater. The smaller and simpler the better. What you pay for this > hardware over and above the cost of a LEAF box will likely be > less than the > additional solar panels, batteries and grief of building and > maintaining a > LEAF install in a less than hospitable environment. The AP > is more likely > to keep going in the cold of winter and heat of summer than > that 386 is. > > A simple repeater has no need for firewall abilities, dhcp, > ssh or any of > the other goodies in LEAF! These abilities are better used > at the ends to > prevent unauthorized access via the repeater. If you can get > the repeater > concept to go, perhaps something like nocatauth from > nocat.net would be a > better solution to keep the neighbours from stealing your > bandwidth (if > that's a concern). > > Brock > > | > I'm putting in a wireless link from friends in city to > farm for faster > | > Internet access and need to have a remote repeater site > on hill running > | > from battery and solar power. LEAF should be ideal for > this. I will make > | > a power supply to run the mother board direct from the > battery to reduce > | > losses (about %15) from using Inverter and PC supply. > Sun power might > | > be free but solar panels are not cheap, so the lower the > losses and > | > power requirements the better. > > > >
