Wireless AP FreeBSD 7.0

[Ted Mittelstaedt]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-freebsd-questions at freebsd.org
> [mailto:owner-freebsd-questions at freebsd.org]On Behalf Of Sam Fourman Jr.
> Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2008 12:08 PM
> To: FreeBSD Mailing List
> Subject: Wireless AP FreeBSD 7.0
> 
> 
> Hello,
> 
> my question is Does FreeBSD 7.0 Have ALTQ and pf enabled by default?
> or do Ihave to compile that support in the kernel
> 
> Here is the HOWTO I am following to setup a Small office Samba File
> Server / Wireless AP
> http://tun0.net/ascii/config/freebsd_access_point/howtoforge-freeb
sd_wireless.html
> 

My only comment here is I would advise that you simply buy a
commercial hardware access point as your wireless transmitter
rather than a PCI or other card in a FreeBSD server.  You can
mount the transmitter and it's antenna on the ceiling, in the
very best spot for broadcasting a radio signal to cover the entire
area you want covered, and you will get maximum radiated power
when the antenna you use is next to the access point, and has
the shortest possible connecting cable to the access point itself.
You then run ethernet from this to the server itself.

More importantly, wireless is baloney networking, insofar as it
is not reliable as wired ethernet cables.  Your going to have
disconnections, period.  Espically when people come in with
laptops with embedded antennas.  If you combine the AP and
the Samba server they are surely going to blame the server long
before their crappy wireless cards in their peecees, and
you don't want to tarnish FreeBSD and Samba with a bad rap.

If you have a separate hardware AP it's a lot easier to convince
them that the problem is inherent in the wireless networking
itself, and has nothing to do with the server, when you can
point to a separate box.

Ted