Linux capable PDA with WLAN NIC that supports access point mode?

Linux capable PDA with WLAN NIC that supports access point mode?

[Joerg Pommnitz]

Hello all,
I'm looking for either a Linux capable PDA or a NIC that works
with a Linux capable PDA that supports access point mode.

Here are my thoughts on this topic:

I know that mac80211 is not there yet, but on the other hand
OpenWRT seems to run on a lot of hardware with very different NICs. How
does OpenWRT implement the AP functionality? 

The SDIO based adapters are probably out of the question. Most of them
seem to be of the full mac variation (e.g. libertas_sdio). Correct?

I'm considering a PCCard based NIC with something like the old Compaq iPAQ
PC Card Expansion Pack. In this case an Atheros card with Madwifi might
work. Does this work? Is there a NIC (Broadcom maybe) that is better
suited?

Is there a CompactFlash based WLAN NIC with an AP capable Linux driver?

-- 
Thanks in advance an kind regards
       Joerg


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Re: Linux capable PDA with WLAN NIC that supports access point mode?

[Johannes Berg]

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> I know that mac80211 is not there yet, but on the other hand
> OpenWRT seems to run on a lot of hardware with very different NICs. How
> does OpenWRT implement the AP functionality? 

Either with hostapd or the broadcom proprietary driver.

> I'm considering a PCCard based NIC with something like the old Compaq iPAQ
> PC Card Expansion Pack. In this case an Atheros card with Madwifi might
> work. Does this work? Is there a NIC (Broadcom maybe) that is better
> suited?
> 
> Is there a CompactFlash based WLAN NIC with an AP capable Linux driver?

There's a Broadcom CF card. I have one, but it's not DMA capable in
Linux because of the PCMCIA subsystem (IIRC).

If you're willing to invest some work, it should be possible to get the
the N810 working with mac80211/p54spi but it's not there yet and I don't
have time to work on it.

johannes

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Re: Linux capable PDA with WLAN NIC that supports access point mode?

[Joerg Pommnitz]

--- Johannes Berg <johannes@sipsolutions.net> schrieb am Di, 8.7.2008:

> Von: Johannes Berg <johannes@sipsolutions.net>
> Betreff: Re: Linux capable PDA with WLAN NIC that supports access point mode?
> An: pommnitz@yahoo.com
> CC: linux-wireless@vger.kernel.org
> Datum: Dienstag, 8. Juli 2008, 21:16
> > I know that mac80211 is not there yet, but on the other
> hand
> > OpenWRT seems to run on a lot of hardware with very
> different NICs. How
> > does OpenWRT implement the AP functionality? 
> 
> Either with hostapd or the broadcom proprietary driver.

This is what I suspected, but according to 
http://hostap.epitest.fi/hostapd/ only the following drivers
are supported:

Supported wireless cards/drivers

    * Host AP driver for Prism2/2.5/3
    * madwifi (Atheros ar521x)
    * Prism54.org (Prism GT/Duette/Indigo)
    * BSD net80211 layer (e.g., Atheros driver) (FreeBSD 6-CURRENT)

Looking at the OpenWRT supported hardware list I see a lot of
other NICs. Is the hostapd list incomplete?

> > I'm considering a PCCard based NIC with something
> like the old Compaq iPAQ
> > PC Card Expansion Pack. In this case an Atheros card
> with Madwifi might
> > work. Does this work? Is there a NIC (Broadcom maybe)
> that is better
> > suited?
> > 
> > Is there a CompactFlash based WLAN NIC with an AP
> capable Linux driver?
> 
> There's a Broadcom CF card. I have one, but it's
> not DMA capable in
> Linux because of the PCMCIA subsystem (IIRC).

What driver?

> If you're willing to invest some work, it should be
> possible to get the
> the N810 working with mac80211/p54spi but it's not
> there yet and I don't
> have time to work on it.

I thought that the Connexant chip in the N810 resembles a FullMAC
card. Can this one support AP mode with the standard firmware?

> johannes


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Re: Linux capable PDA with WLAN NIC that supports access point mode?

[Johannes Berg]

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> > There's a Broadcom CF card. I have one, but it's
> > not DMA capable in
> > Linux because of the PCMCIA subsystem (IIRC).
> 
> What driver?

b43 of course.

> > If you're willing to invest some work, it should be
> > possible to get the
> > the N810 working with mac80211/p54spi but it's not
> > there yet and I don't
> > have time to work on it.
> 
> I thought that the Connexant chip in the N810 resembles a FullMAC
> card. Can this one support AP mode with the standard firmware?

It's not fullmac.

johannes

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Re: Linux capable PDA with WLAN NIC that supports access point mode?

[Pavel Roskin]

On Tue, 2008-07-08 at 12:28 -0700, Joerg Pommnitz wrote:

> This is what I suspected, but according to 
> http://hostap.epitest.fi/hostapd/ only the following drivers
> are supported:

I don't think the hostapd page would actively advertize support for
proprietary driver available only for one embedded platform.

Anyway, from kamikaze 7.09 sources, docs/wireless.tex:

"Each wireless driver has its own configuration script
in /lib/wifi/driver_name.sh which handles driver specific options and
configurations. This script is also calling driver specific binaries
like wlc for Broadcom, or hostapd and wpa_supplicant for atheros.  The
reason for using such architecture, is that it abstracts the driver
configuration"

That means that hostapd is not used with the proprietary Broadcom
driver.

-- 
Regards,
Pavel Roskin

Re: Linux capable PDA with WLAN NIC that supports access point mode?

[Joerg Pommnitz]

> > > There's a Broadcom CF card. I have one, but it's
> > > not DMA capable in
> > > Linux because of the PCMCIA subsystem (IIRC).
> > 
> > What driver?
> 
> b43 of course.

But b43 is mac80211 based. This would mean that I had to use your
experimental access point patches, right?

> > 
> > I thought that the Connexant chip in the N810 resembles a FullMAC
> > card. Can this one support AP mode with the standard firmware?
> 
> It's not fullmac.

I stand corrected.


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Re: Linux capable PDA with WLAN NIC that supports access point mode?

[Johannes Berg]

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On Tue, 2008-07-08 at 12:50 -0700, Joerg Pommnitz wrote:
> > > > There's a Broadcom CF card. I have one, but it's
> > > > not DMA capable in
> > > > Linux because of the PCMCIA subsystem (IIRC).
> > > 
> > > What driver?
> > 
> > b43 of course.
> 
> But b43 is mac80211 based. This would mean that I had to use your
> experimental access point patches, right?

Yes, of course.

johannes

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Re: Linux capable PDA with WLAN NIC that supports access point mode?

[Michael Buesch]

On Tuesday 08 July 2008 21:16:10 Johannes Berg wrote:
> > Is there a CompactFlash based WLAN NIC with an AP capable Linux driver?
> 
> There's a Broadcom CF card. I have one, but it's not DMA capable in
> Linux because of the PCMCIA subsystem (IIRC).

Well, there are several issues. One is that DMA on PCMCIA is damn ugly.
It was derived from ISA-DMA, so it is ugly by definition. Second thing is
that linux-pcmcia doesn't support it, as it doesn't fit into any way linux
does DMA. It could possibly get implemented with the old ISA DMA API, but
I don't think anybody is going to make that crufty code portable and usable.
Third thing is that not all PCMCIA host controllers capable of
driving the card can do DMA in hardware. The third point actually is the major
point for me to not try to implement it. The PCMCIA bridge chip in my laptop
does not support DMA.
I guess a PDA with a CF slot can do DMA, however. (Otherwise the designer has
to get kicked ass). So it would theoretically be possible to get DMA working
with some ugly hacks. Probably even without touching the damn ugly linux-pcmcia
code a lot.

-- 
Greetings Michael.