[mythtv-users] Easy to use 802.11G wireless card/USB for mythbox? Suggestions?

[Stroller]

On 23 Feb 2007, at 19:49, Jared Greenwald wrote:
>> Save yourself alot of trouble and get a wireless bridge.  It is  
>> external
>> to your Linux OS and therefore has no driver issues.
>
> D-Link makes (or used to make) a 108G Access Point that you could  
> convert to a bridge using WDS.  Not sure if they still make them,  
> but when I got my two they were about $50.

I _ think_ WDS does more than bridging - it will also act as "range  
extension" of several hops and can be used for "mesh networks". I  
think you can also WDS with the OpenWRT firmware which runs on many  
Linksys & other routers.

I think that the wireless bridge that Mr Kuphal suggests is simpler  
than WDS if the MythTV box is within decent reception of the master  
AP, and you can buy such devices off-the-shelf, eg <http:// 
www.amazon.com/D-Link-DWL-G810-Ethernet-Wireless-Adapter/dp/ 
B0000CEPCH>. These are basically just a client to the wireless  
network (with a web interface to set SSID & WEP key) and which  
transparently integrates the WLAN with its ethernet port(s); these  
are sure to work with Linux and are often sold as "gaming adaptors"  
because their most common application is with a PlayStation2 or Xbox.

> On 2/23/07, Kevin Kuphal <kuphal at dls.net> wrote: William Munson wrote:
>>>
>>> After fighting with a Netopia Ralink usb dongle for days I am  
>>> ready to take a look at alternatives. What works for youi? My  
>>> first preference would be something already supported by Fedora  
>>> Core or Ubuntu.

Sorry not to reply to the OP here - myrealbox.com has been  
unresponsive the last couple of days, and I don't have the original  
post - but I wrote about this exact subject on another list a few  
days ago:
http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.gentoo.user/179197/

The subject of that thread is "which wireless cardbus?", but most of  
my comments apply to PCI versions of the hardware. The OP in that  
thread was also using a USB Ralink adaptor, so I guess these are  
pretty troublesome (or rather: the driver support is not well- 
advanced at present). Please don't hold that against their PCI /  
cardbus devices, which run very well under Linux.

Network Ned, mentioned in the Gentoo thread linked to above, also  
sells PCI cards:
<http://networkned.co.uk/hardware.php>
The Allnet (prism54) is better but more expensive. If you're outside  
the UK contact in advance regarding shipping
FULL DISCLOSURE: I am involved with this supplier.

I prefer USB / PCI / cardbus devices to bridges where I can use them,  
as a bridge is a larger external box than a USB dongle and requires  
an additional power-brick. I only really like USB wireless devices  
when they're going to be plugged & and unplugged often, and for my  
non-technical Windows customers (who wouldn't know to remove a PCI  
card from a old PC when they're throwing it away, but who would  
naturally unplug all the USB cables). I find it "neatest" to have the  
wireless card inside the PC.

Stroller.