Re: wired/wireless bridge: a more surefire Linux wireless solution?

James Miller
2005-02-03T14:21:20Z

On Wed, 2 Feb 2005, James Miller wrote:

> So, let me just ask: is this really some sort of solution to the wireless
> support problem under Linux? People objected to that poster's suggestion
> on the basis that it was too bulky (extra pieces of hardware like the
> bridge and its power adaptor). Maybe it's a bit more expensive, too.

Looking around at prices, wired/wireless bridges do seem a bit more
expensive than traditional wireless cards. I see prices starting at around
$35 for these, while wireless NIC's can be had on sale for as low as $10
(after rebates!). But what good is an unsupported $10 wirless NIC going to
be, anyway? I note in advertisements that these bridges are expressly
described as allowing computers to connect to wireless LANs (along with
set-top boxes, gaming consoles etc etc), and many even claim Linux
support. This looks to me like a good alternative to suggest to Linux
newbies interested in using wireless networks--i.e., for those who haven't
bought an already-wireless-enabled machine and are simply trying to get
the built-in wireless hardware to work under Linux.