Henry House wrote:
I finally have no choice but to get a wireless interface for my home
workstation. Given the difficulty with changing chipsets and poor driver
support, I am thinking of a ethernet-to-wireless bridge, which is alleged to
bridge a one-device ethernet network to an existing wireless network with an
existing access point, all without any drivers on the PC. Here are two
products, both by Linksys, that claim to do just that:
http://www.buy.com/prod/Wireless_G_Game_Adapter/q/loc/15625/10351886.html
http://www.buy.com/prod/Wireless_G_Ethernet_Bridge/q/loc/15625/10346525.html
The second is about twice the price of the first.
My questions are:
- Am I on the right track going with an ethernet bridge?
Probably. Keep in mind that it will make troubleshooting the wireless
network more difficult since you'll be at the mercy of the bridge to
tell you what's wrong.
Another option is to look for older wireless cards with known-supported
chipsets. I use some Cisco Aironet 350 PCI cards that I found on Ebay.
Netgear is actually pretty good about changing the model number whenever
they change the chipset, so (for example) the MA311 is always a Prism2
chipset. They stick revision numbers on the end when they change
chipset. With most other manufacturers, you're just plain screwed.
- What reasons are there to prefer the more-expensive device? I loathe
wireless networking and so would prefer to spend as little as possible. I
am not really interested in special features.
Some access points can work in bridging mode as well; it depends on the
model. This includes some home routers with wireless capability. You
might be able to pick up such a device cheaply.
To find out, you will probably need to look at the manufacturer's web
site; bridging mode is usually not well-advertised on the box or by stores.
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