We are going to build a wireless network using OpenBSD.  I have looked
at http://www.openbsd.com/i386.html#hardware to see the supported
wireless PCI cards.  Could someone please recommend an 802.11g card that
has a stronger transmit power?  Or another card they have had good
success with?





Shane

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We are testing ralink RT2500 series chipset heavily here, see excellent
http://ralink.rapla.net/
Even same chipset may perform different while on g-mode.


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If you can't find a card with the transmit power you want, you may be 
able to get the range you're looking for from antenna gain and type.

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Steve is right that it would produce stable TX/RS by using higher gain
antenna. 

Usually a reliable/stable range for TX of 11g would be 1 miles or few kilo,
or it could be up / down. A higher power prism 802.11b would be more
reliable than 11g if further than such range.

Prism 2.5 chipset with 200mW/370mW is doable for hostap but it would show
100mW maximum internally, codes would need to be adjusted for more than
100mW.

Otherwise an external high power AP (400mW 11b / 200mW 11g) board would be
more productive.


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Here is some info if you go the antenna route to improve gain.

Note a directional antenna is the best, but then you have
to be pointing in the direction...  Omnidirectional
antennas have less gain because the signal is 360,
not focused.


For customers needing an off the shelf solution
I have ordered 14db and 16db antennas from these two companies
and with the proper reverse polarity connector to connect
to d-link cards and linksys routers:

  hyperlinktech in boca raton florida:
   http://www.hyperlinktech.com/web/antennas_2400_out_directional.php
  Pacific Wireless in Utah:
   http://www.pacwireless.com/products/vagi_series.shtml


For less than $50 you may can get an antenna and get by
with a watt for quite a distance, but you may also need
to buy a 'pigtail' (cable with different connectors)
to connect.

For directional I've had a good gain with the 16db
'VAGI' antenna from Pacific Wireless,
and a side benefit is that the
average person thinks its a radio antenna and does
not realize it is a wifi antenna.
BTW, its suppose to have a polarity that changes
by rotating 90 degrees, but I could tell no
significant difference in signal strength ...

In one situation I still had good gain after
buying a 50 foot low noise cable with a reverse
polarity sma connector to hook to a d-link
ap900+ and a type N connector to the soupcan
the customer already had.  But if you get
a long cable you may want to go
for the low noise like a LMR 200,
or thicker LMR400 ...  The
down side of the thick cables is that it takes
more cable to make a corner (gain drop)
and the tension could snap a small connector.

In the past I ordered some 'pigtails'
from http://www.hdcom.com/pigtails.html
or http://www.rfmicrowavecable.com/


good luck !

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I'm using the Linksys WMP54G v4 wireless card
with the ral driver.
I had problems with weak signal.
I improved it greatly by using the
Hawking HSB2 Signal Booster, along with
a Linksys high gain antenna.
It now runs in 802.11g mode at 54Mb

Now I have a decently supported card, with
reasonable range and am satisfied with the
performance.
                                          Ed

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Is this an idea?

http://www.tritium.co.uk/



# Han

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