[H-GEN] WIFI access point recommendations

mick mickhowe at bigpond.net.au
Wed Aug 6 23:14:08 EDT 2008


On Thu, 7 Aug 2008 12:30:16 you wrote:
> On Thu, 2008-08-07 at 10:58 +1000, mick wrote:
> > I'm about to buy a WIFI Access point and would be interested in hearing
> > suggestions on what to buy, what not to buy, what to look for in the
> > under $100.00 price range
>
> Depends on how much of a fiddler you are.  If you don't mind re-flashing
> your access point with Linux, I recommend www.openwrt.org or a cousin.
> I have not tried the cousins, but I understand some, such as
> http://www.polarcloud.com/tomato are similar but have a nicer GUI.  If
> you use openwrt, be sure to add X-Wrt - its web interface.

I hope to find one that is "set and forget" out of the box, I'm getting too 
old 'n addled to extract the last picoMIP.
>
> If you are going to use one of those projects one of the better access
> points to get is a WRT54GL.  Note the L suffix.  Its important.  If it
> is doesn't have an L it won't work.  The WRT54GL is better only because
> it was the one openwrt.org was developed on, and so is very well
> supported.  A WRT54GL running openwrt is what humbug uses at its
> meetings.  If you shop around you can find other boxes such as the Asus
> WL-500g Premium (again note the specific model) that have USB ports
> meaning you can do all sort of trick things with them - like plug in a
> HDD and web cam and monitor your front door.  Then again, the price or
> all USB devices is a little over $100.
>
> If you aren't going to use an replacement firmware then I can't really
> help.  Frankly, they all suck, and have been getting worse as time goes
> on.  Its not the hardware, is the software in them.  The last few I have
> bought (from Netgear and Linksys if memory serves me right), the web
> interface (or more correctly the embedded java script) rejected
> perfectly valid IP addresses.  I had to bypass the web interface,
> monitor the data stream with tcpflow figure out what it wanted and talk
> to the HTTP server directly using telnet.  If they were selling cars
> they would forget to screw on the wheel nuts, I swear.
>
> Finally, don't get a combined ADSL modem + wireless.  They work well
> enough.  The issue is the ADSL modem eventually gets taken out by spikes
> coming down the phone line.  With the combined version you loose both
> the modem and the router.

I already have an Alcatel SpeedTouch Home modem feeding into an IPCop box to 
handle internet connection, port forwarding, firewall, etc. When I can 
workout how to set it up I have a TP_LINK TD-8840 modem/router to swap in so 
I can upgrade to ADSL2 (probably TPG's $50/month plan).

Amazingly I've had no problem with the DSL modem since I got it in 2002.

/]/]ik




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