From owner-freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG Sun May 30 12:06:00 2004 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-current@freebsd.org Received: by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix, from userid 618) id 5B64916A4CF; Sun, 30 May 2004 12:06:00 -0700 (PDT) In-Reply-To: <200405300946.23882.dfr@nlsystems.com> from Doug Rabson at "May 30, 2004 09:46:23 am" To: dfr@nlsystems.com (Doug Rabson) Date: Sun, 30 May 2004 12:06:00 -0700 (PDT) X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4ME+ PL54 (25)] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Message-Id: <20040530190600.5B64916A4CF@hub.freebsd.org> From: wpaul@FreeBSD.ORG (Bill Paul) cc: freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Project Evil APs X-BeenThere: freebsd-current@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussions about the use of FreeBSD-current List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 30 May 2004 19:06:00 -0000 > > > > You want to use ad-hoc mode. You don't want to bother me with silly > > questions about hostap mode because it doesn't really let you do > > anything you can't do with ad-hoc mode anyway. Use IPSec with > > ad-hoc mode and you'll probably get better security than any > > access point can give you in the first place. > > > > Probably. Only if I can get this silly little WinME laptop to do ad-hoc > as well though. The main reason for doing this is that my AP died and > my gf wants to use the laptop in the garden :-). Did you... read the little booklet that came with the card in your gf's computer? Sometimes there's a special control panel snap-in or custom utility to configure the card. If not, go to the control panel, click "system" and look for the device manager. Select the wireless device and check for driver settings. You might be able to set ad-hoc mode there. > Interestingly, the inf file lists a registry key named "EnableSoftAP" > which appears to suggest that support might be possible in windows with > the right software. Probably involves custom drivers using private > interfaces with the driver though :-(. > > Any chance of a native driver for the Broadcom 43xx stuff? Broadcom refuses to release programming manuals for their wireless chipsets, most likely because they use software controlled radios. In order to get FCC type acceptance for their parts, they have to fix it so the user can't arbitrarily set things like operating frequencies, modulation parameters and power output. Since a large part of that is now controlled by the driver (rather than by firmware, like with the Lucent WaveLAN and Aironet devices), the only way they can do that is by making the driver binary only. If they gave out driver source or manuals, you could figure out how to reprogram the radio any way you wanted, which would make the FCC unhappy, which means no FCC type acceptance, which means no sales in the U.S. market. Note that the Intel Centrino wireless chips (Calexico I and Calexico II) are firmware driven, which is what makes it possible to have a native driver for them without violating FCC regs. To bad Intel wrote the book on foot dragging. -Bill --- ============================================================================= -Bill Paul (510) 749-2329 | Senior Engineer, Master of Unix-Fu wpaul@windriver.com | Wind River Systems ============================================================================= you're just BEGGING to face the moose =============================================================================