Cheap Wireless 802.11b Bridging

eggboard writes "You can bridge two wired networks using two cheap Linksys 802.11b access points. This isn't exactly new, but the article I wrote, which just went up on Friday, describes in excruciating detail how to configure the units. The big news is really price: the WAP11 described is about $185 with a manfacturer's rebate. Using higher-gain antennas than the ones shipped with the WAP11 and/or tuning line-of-sight access, you've either figured out how to hook up a neighborhood of separate wired networks, or how to link multiple offices cheaply."

Comments

Broken...

[meisenst]

Unfortunately, like other 802.11b solutions, these use WEP, which is inherently broken... if I were linking my business' two campuses, I wouldn't really want Joe, Bob and Mary (who all happen to have line of sight) sniffing all of my network traffic with their perfectly simple store-bought solutions. :-)

meisenst

Detalils?

[Overphiend]

Is it just me or is this article completely lacking in any technical details at all. Basically there's nothing noted there that isn't in the users manual. It's even lacking much of what's in the manual. And it mentions a better antenna you can connect to the WAP11, but does it mention any details about the antenna? No. I've been looking at the antenna's on the market and I've found the HyperGain HG2410U 10dB Omnidirectional Antenna, however I still cant figure out which of the like 10 different connectors will go into the back of the WAP11.

Re:What about the antennas ?

[anticypher]

Go search the cisco web site for aironet and antenna, they have a few other antenna types, including a nice +21dB parabola not available in Europe.

Because 802.11b devices are being sold to consumers, they are required to have "non-standard" connectors not readily available on the market so people can NOT modify the antennas to boost range. That is a requirement in the U.S. and Europe, so all 802.11b manufacturers use Reverse-TNC or Reverse-SMA connectors.

The article had it wrong when it said the units had standard connectors. Clearly the author just bought two boxes and hooked them up and they worked, just like the TFM says. This article didn't deserve a /. listing, but in these last few hot summer days, the news is pretty thin.

the AC