[ath9k-devel] Simultaneous 2.4 and 5.8 GHz on AR5008

[ath9k-devel] Simultaneous 2.4 and 5.8 GHz on AR5008

[Artem Makhutov]

Hello,

is it possible to create an AP for 2.4 and 5.8 GHz simultaneous using a 
AR5008-3NX, MAC AR5416, AR5133 (ATHEROS AR5BMB-0072TA) card?

Please set me on cc when replying, as I am not subscribed to the list.

Thanks, Artem

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[ath9k-devel] Simultaneous 2.4 and 5.8 GHz on AR5008

[Peter Stuge]

Artem Makhutov wrote:
> is it possible to create an AP for 2.4 and 5.8 GHz simultaneous using
> a AR5008-3NX, MAC AR5416, AR5133 (ATHEROS AR5BMB-0072TA) card?

My guess is no, since there is only one radio. (the 5133)

It can only be tuned to one channel at a time, and I don't think the
kernel can do tricks so that traffic on the different channels will
be guaranteed to be scheduled at different times, which would allow
the radio to constantly hop between channels.


//Peter
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[ath9k-devel] Simultaneous 2.4 and 5.8 GHz on AR5008

[Galen]

On Oct 14, 2010, at 10:11 AM, Artem Makhutov wrote:

> Hello,
> 
> is it possible to create an AP for 2.4 and 5.8 GHz simultaneous using a AR5008-3NX, MAC AR5416, AR5133 (ATHEROS AR5BMB-0072TA) card?
> 
> Please set me on cc when replying, as I am not subscribed to the list.
> 
> Thanks, Artem

This is not possible. Many 802.11n radios are dual-band (including AR5008-3NX) - however, they can only operate in one band at a time.  

It is not practical for the radio to rapidly switch between bands. Even if you setup a system where it scheduled data transmits, data receives would be highly problematic to schedule. In theory this might be possible, but there is no good software available because it would either fail in practice, or be plagued with massive performance and/or reliability problems. 802.11 is simply not designed for the AP to "vanish" periodically. 

What you require is simultaneous dual band, which means the radio can operate in both bands at the same time. There are very few if any radio modules available that support this. I believe a few may have been produced - but they would be a rarity.

I would suggest using multiple radios if you require dual-band support. They are quite inexpensive. Simply set each one up as an AP. If you do not have enough slots, there are a variety of options for multiplying PCI slots that are quite affordable. However, options for PCIe are somewhat limited.

I hope this helps.

-Galen

[ath9k-devel] Simultaneous 2.4 and 5.8 GHz on AR5008

[Luis R. Rodriguez]

On Thu, Oct 14, 2010 at 11:46 AM, Peter Stuge <peter@stuge.se> wrote:
> Artem Makhutov wrote:
>> is it possible to create an AP for 2.4 and 5.8 GHz simultaneous using
>> a AR5008-3NX, MAC AR5416, AR5133 (ATHEROS AR5BMB-0072TA) card?
>
> My guess is no, since there is only one radio. (the 5133)

Actually you should be able to with the ath9k virtual wiphy stuff but
that is experimental code and we plan on removing it soon to better
focus on an central solution for mac80211 / cfg80211.

 Luis

[ath9k-devel] Simultaneous 2.4 and 5.8 GHz on AR5008

[Artem Makhutov]

Hello,

Galen schrieb:
>
> On Oct 14, 2010, at 10:11 AM, Artem Makhutov wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>>
>> is it possible to create an AP for 2.4 and 5.8 GHz simultaneous using a AR5008-3NX, MAC AR5416, AR5133 (ATHEROS AR5BMB-0072TA) card?
>>
>> Please set me on cc when replying, as I am not subscribed to the list.
>>
>> Thanks, Artem
>
> This is not possible. Many 802.11n radios are dual-band (including AR5008-3NX) - however, they can only operate in one band at a time.
>
> It is not practical for the radio to rapidly switch between bands. Even if you setup a system where it scheduled data transmits, data receives would be highly problematic to schedule. In theory this might be possible, but there is no good software available because it would either fail in practice, or be plagued with massive performance and/or reliability problems. 802.11 is simply not designed for the AP to "vanish" periodically.
>
> What you require is simultaneous dual band, which means the radio can operate in both bands at the same time. There are very few if any radio modules available that support this. I believe a few may have been produced - but they would be a rarity.
>
> I would suggest using multiple radios if you require dual-band support. They are quite inexpensive. Simply set each one up as an AP. If you do not have enough slots, there are a variety of options for multiplying PCI slots that are quite affordable. However, options for PCIe are somewhat limited.
>
> I hope this helps.

Thank you for the info.

What are the solutions to multiply a miniPCI slot?

Thanks, Artem

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[ath9k-devel] Simultaneous 2.4 and 5.8 GHz on AR5008

[Galen]

On Oct 14, 2010, at 12:44 PM, Artem Makhutov wrote:

> Hello,
> 
> Galen schrieb:
>> 
>> On Oct 14, 2010, at 10:11 AM, Artem Makhutov wrote:
>> 
>>> Hello,
>>> 
>>> is it possible to create an AP for 2.4 and 5.8 GHz simultaneous using a AR5008-3NX, MAC AR5416, AR5133 (ATHEROS AR5BMB-0072TA) card?
>>> 
>>> Please set me on cc when replying, as I am not subscribed to the list.
>>> 
>>> Thanks, Artem
>> 
>> This is not possible. Many 802.11n radios are dual-band (including AR5008-3NX) - however, they can only operate in one band at a time.
>> 
>> It is not practical for the radio to rapidly switch between bands. Even if you setup a system where it scheduled data transmits, data receives would be highly problematic to schedule. In theory this might be possible, but there is no good software available because it would either fail in practice, or be plagued with massive performance and/or reliability problems. 802.11 is simply not designed for the AP to "vanish" periodically.
>> 
>> What you require is simultaneous dual band, which means the radio can operate in both bands at the same time. There are very few if any radio modules available that support this. I believe a few may have been produced - but they would be a rarity.
>> 
>> I would suggest using multiple radios if you require dual-band support. They are quite inexpensive. Simply set each one up as an AP. If you do not have enough slots, there are a variety of options for multiplying PCI slots that are quite affordable. However, options for PCIe are somewhat limited.
>> 
>> I hope this helps.
> 
> Thank you for the info.
> 
> What are the solutions to multiply a miniPCI slot?
> 
> Thanks, Artem

Consider the following options:
http://www.redpinesignals.com/Solutions/Reference_Designs/Smart_Grid_Comm/RS-SE-601.html
http://www.sparklan.com/product.php?func=view&prod_id=43

I don't know about the best choices for multiplying a miniPCI slot, one choice is this, paired with PCI->miniPCI adaptors. Only useful if you have space:
http://www.globalamericaninc.com/p1800010/1800010_-_Mini-PCI_Type-III_Module_to_PCI_Adapter_Card/product_info.html

There are probably many other resources out there too that I haven't listed. The SparkLAN product is notable as it is not very expensive.

-Galen