Embedded Linux Wi-Fi Mesh Router On Sale

juxter writes "Following the announcement earlier this month, LocustWorld are now selling pre-built hardware MeshAPs for use as instant turn-key nodes in community mesh networks. (pictures here) - Featuring auto-updating and auto-configuration via a centralized management site, these are designed with 'Joe PC' in mind."

Comments

Locustworld...

[Crusty Oldman]

Locustworld just had a plague descend upon it.

Will find cache for karma

[Greedo]

LocustWorld seems to be down, so here's the Google cache.

I'm such a whore.

Mesh topology? How about cell topo?

[Istealmymusic]

Wouldn't mesh be a slightly, ahem, wildly inaccurate description of the Linux Wi-Fi router which is featured in this Slashvertisement? Wi-Fi access points have limited range in the form of a spherical sphere, causing some but not complete overlap of all cells with all cells. I concede this Linux router should be referred to as a "Linux Wi-Fi Cell Topology Router", conforming with the conventional toplogy standards. My Linksys wired router is already labelled as topology: star, why should wireless be any indifferent to the canonical forms?

Re:Mesh topology? How about cell topo?

[glwtta]

in the form of a spherical sphere

My favourite kind of sphere ;)

commodity hardware

[g4dget]

Here's the bits and pieces:

• Motherboard and case from CaseOutlet.com; you get a choice of 533MHz or 800MHz, for about $200. Motherboard and CPU alone are $100.
• CF-to-IDE adapter from various sources, for about $20
• 32MB CF card for $15 (512M for about $175)
• wireless PCI 802.11b adapter, for about $40

Total cost: $275.

This takes a few minutes to put together. You get a choice between 12V or 120V power supply.

What about bandwidth?

[Loopy]

I only see one wireless NIC in it...how much good as a hub will it do after 10, 20 or 50 people start using it?

system specs

[ruiner5000]

I've been selling the same sort of MINI ITX boxes to quite a few people. There setup is based on the VIA 500MHz C3 model with Casetronic MINI ITX case with PCI riser. Not too shabby, although costs could be cut by using embedded memory onboard instead of using the compact flash to ide adapter. Now if VIA would get the DDR memory based Eden 2 out that would make a sweet little box.

Alternative Solution

[PhotonSphere]

The wireless group in Houston is building even smaller boxes that are capable of doing everything that this box does. A HOWTO is being assembled here. They are using the Soekris Net4501 in combination with the DWL-520 802.11b PCI card to run Linux and push HostAP and NoCatAuth. The Soekris comes with 3 NICs and no moving parts!

you pay a premium for size

[g4dget]

The Soekris motherboard costs $196, for a 133MHz 486. A Mini ITX motheboard with processor costs around $100, with your choice of 533MHz or 800MHz Pentium-compatible processor, plus a $20 CF-to-IDE adapter.

The Soekris has a number of advantages, primarily that it's smaller and that it is happy with just 5V or 7-20V DC. But you pay a premium for those features, and you sacrifice functionality. The Mini ITX gives you a standard PCI slot, many more I/O options, much better performance, and more I/O ports.

I think, given its functionality, the "value" of something like the Soekris 486 boards really "should be" around $50 these days, and that's what it probably would be if it really were manufactured in huge quantities. Does anybody know of a low-cost 486 PC104 board like that?

Re:you pay a premium for size

[Paul Komarek]

Just to be picky:

* "The Soekris motherboard costs $196" It's not a motherboard, it's a single board computer. You know that and I know that, but it makes a big difference for someone not familiar with the board.

* The Mini-ITX stuff is very new, using very new technology, and I haven't seen one yet with three eth ifaces, two 'pci' slots (one mini-pci, one 3.3v pci), and two serial ports. One of the Soekris eth ifaces is net-bootable.

* The Mini-ITX stuff is fanless, but still hotter than the Soekris. I expect the Mini-ITX stuff (esp. w/ enough gear to do what the net4501 does) draws a lot more power than the 0.06A at 120V during normal (not idle) operation. Of course, the cpu on the Mini-ITX stuff is much faster. That probably doesn't matter to the target market of the net4501, because of their applications (hardware-assisted vpn and other WAN routing/firewalling tasks).

* Besides being smaller and lighter (as you mention), the net4501 runs cooler than the C3 and does not need a heat sink.

* I wonder if the Soekris has been vibration tested and such. Since the Mini-ITX stuff requires assembly (cpu, heat sink, network cards, etc), it probably couldn't withstand much vibration without some ruggedizing.

* You cannot find equivalent functionality to the net4501 for $50 anywhere (see my next paragraph =-). The net4501 is a bargain for the intended audience. And pc104 stuff is generally more expensive, because of the slightly more compact form factor and fancy i/o stuff.

I've spent a *lot* of time looking for SBCs like the net4501 but less expensive. There aren't any (yet). That's why I've got a net4501 handling many of my gateway and network tasks. For another $100 or so dollars, you can get a nice 3-port 300MHz NatSemi Geode board from Acrosser (AR-B1550, fanless and very compact) that seems adequate for file serving, mail serving, and light web serving. As with the Soekris, I haven't found better prices on compact fanless SBCs anywhere.

FWIW, the folks at Soekris and Acrosser are very pleasant to work with, and the user communities are nice.

-Paul Komarek

isn't this overkill?

[jiminim]

500MHz and 128MB RAM?

My own version of this that I built last year mostly out of parts I had laying around when I was too cheap to buy a real ap:
66MHz Pentium w/ small AT Mobo
32MB RAM
AT P/S
Floppy
ISA to ribbon cable to nice 2 card PCMCIA socket ($5 from ebay +$5s/h)
Orinoco card ($60)
WRP on a floppy from nocat.net
random Intel PCI NIC

This little baby, named Gates, ran faithfully for about six months until my roommate finally got a real ap.