Re: Linux wireless GSoC 2010 project ideas

[Pat Erley <pat-lkml@erley.org>]

On 02/01/10 17:12, Nick Bowler wrote:
> On 22:14 Mon 01 Feb     , Maxim Levitsky wrote:
>> 2 - Allow a wireless card to associate to several APs at once (if they
>> share the frequency). 
>> Implement this at least for ath5/9k. Madwifi had that feature. Maybe
>> ath9k has. If it has that feature, test it.
> 
> I haven't actually tried this particular case, but this is ostensibly
> already supported by mac80211: iw allows you to create several wireless
> interfaces that share a phy, which can then be configured into different
> modes (I've used station + monitor successfully in the past).
> 
With ath9k I have used:

AP + MP
AP + STA
AP + AP (Open and WPA2)

using both the debug interface to ath9k's internal multi-vif support 
(never tested MP with ath9k multi-vif) and mac80211.  I know that 
if you use the ath9k internal method, you can operate on multiple 
channels at a sacrifice to throughput.  I have not tested if mac80211
supports multiple channels.

It's as easy as:

AP+MP and AP+STA:
Start Hostapd
Create interface with iw
use second interface.

AP+AP
Configure hostapd for multiple bss
start hostapd

Pat Erley