Search for driver NowiresNeeded Accesspoint

"Sander" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com... [Original titel "Search for driver NowiresNeeded Accesspoint"]

This is not the first time product support evaporates in less than three years after product introduction.

NoWires Needed was started in Bilthoven, The Netherlandsin 1994. "No Wires Needed (NWN) is a leader in high-speed, IEEE 802.11-based wireless LAN technology and products NWN is the first vendor to ship an 11 Mbps WLAN product that implements all IEEE 802.11 mandatory features including WEP security."

The company was sold to Intersil in 2000: "NoWires Needed is an OEM provider of wireless equipment for several of the LAN wireless vendors, including BreezeCom and Compaq." "During the course of our tests, the company was purchased by Intersil (the company that makes the Prism chipset)." Intersil was the maker of the PRISM® WLAN chip set: (Used also in NoWires Needed products) In August 2003 Intersil sold of their Wireless product group: "Intersil Corporation (NASDAQ: ISIL), a world leader in the design and manufacture of high performance analog solutions, announced today that it has completed the sale of its Wireless Networking Product Group to GlobespanVirata, Inc. (NASDAQ: GSPN)." On March 1, 2004 GlobespanVirata, Inc merged with Conexant Systems, Inc: - Press release: - - WiFi Planet news story: - The Conexant web site offers support only to "registered customers". I do not think you will find anything there even if you register:

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The NoWires Needed "Parrot 1100" 11Mbps access point was also sold as the Compaq WL400: "Compaq's access point is a NoWires Needed OEM product. The access point is manageable only via the NoWires Needed management software, which--as we mention below--isn't particularly user friendly."

Directron.com sells the Compaq WL400 access point for US $59.99: (See picture)

Management software is available on the HP web site: "This SoftPaq contains the AP Manager for the Compaq WL 400 Hardware Access Point, as well as a firmware upgrade."

You may also find the software here:

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The management software only runs under MS Windows (98 - 2000). In theory it should be possible to manage the access point through SNMP. (This is what the software in fact does.)

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I year ago I bought some Compaq WL400 access points on eBay for about US $29 each. The best thing about this access point is that it has two external antenna connectors, both are standard SMA connectors! (Nor reverse polarity or threaded.) Otherwise the mechanics are good, as you would expect from a device with an original price of $899.

Last year I found software and information on the NoWires Needed and Intersil web sites. (

) As you mentioned, the sites are now down.

I did some experimenting with the different firmware versions. The Parrot

1100 and Compaq WL400 firmwares and management software seem to be interchangable.

NoWires Needed sold the Parrot 1100 with three other firmware versions: - Bridge master (for connecting two Ethernet networks) - Bridge client -"- - Client bridge (for connecting a printer etc.)

All four devices seem to have the same hardware. Only the color of the case differs.

I tried to install the bridge firmware on the Compaq WL400. The bridge client firmware would not install. I did manage to install the bridge master firmware, but in fact this seemed to be the same as the access point.

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One problem with the Compaq WL400 access point is that there seems to be no way of controlling the output power. I would like to use the access point outside with strong directional antennas. In Europe this requires that the output power is tuned down.

There seems to be a firmware version floating around which increases the output power. This is of cause of no use in my case.

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NoWires Needed also released another 11Mbps access point, the Parrot 1148. I do not know if this was ever sold anywhere. I have a copy of the accompanying CD-ROM (.zip file, 7497kB)

[Added copy to news:comp.sys.hp.hardware followups to news:alt.internet.wireless]

Hello,

Thanks for your reply. I tried the management software for the WL400 but that unfortunately didn't work. I also emailed intersil and they also told me it was taken over by conexant. But there is no means of contacting them (conexant) via the web. Only some phone numbers.

I could use that CD-ROM, just to see if it'll work.

is the AP I mean.

Thank, Sander.

Sander wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Hi Sander,

This D-Link AP looks oddly almost exactly like the one you posted the link to:

The page I found it on was complaining about it's lack of a web-based interface also. It's worth a shot, there's d/l's at that link including firmware upgrade's with 128-bit WEP.

Let us know.

Regards,

DanS

Sander wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Well when you say it doesn't work, does that mean that it can't see any AP on the network ?

And this might be a stupid question, but you are connected thru a cable when trying to configure correct ?

DanS

It looks a lot like the one I have only in grey. I used the AP management software but it didn't work. TOmorrow I'll try the other links on the page. It looks hopefull and I hope it will be.

I'll let you know if it works.

Thank already and if someone has more tips I'll be gladly to receive them.

Sander

It can't see any AP on the network and yes I am trying to connect to the AP thru a cable. I even know what IP the AP has because it's assigned by my router.

Sander.

"Sander" kirjoitti viestissä news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

This looks just like the access point I called "Parrot 1148". The manual only refers to it as "11 Mbps WLAN Access Point", but the .zip file is named "1148apcdrom.zip" so I guess this is the Parrot 1148.

Here is a quote from the manual: 4.10 Compatibility "The APCenter utility version 3.0.x is compatible with the NoWires Needed 11 Mbps WLAN Access Points and the series 1100 Parrot Access Point. The 11 Mbps WLAN Access Point is also compatible with the Swallow 1100 series, for AirLock, however, the Swallow 1100 requires an upgrade. The 1100 Parrot Access Point also requires an AirLock upgrade in order to work with an 11Mbps WLAN PC Card."

Compatibility should work the other way around. You could manage the Compaq WL400 with APCenter version 3.

NoWires Needed and Compaq software do not work together with the default settings. The Compaq version of the management software asumes the the access points use the SNMP community string "COMPAQ". On NoWires Needed APs the default community strings are "public" for reading and "private" for writing.

The CD-ROM .zip file is too large to send by email (7,5MB). If you can provide an FTP site I will upload it.

Thanks for mailing a cut down version it works great. I think I'll put it up on the Internet for other people to find it.

Thanks again for the help.

Sander

Hi,

I also have a parrot 1100 and can't find the managment software

anywhere on the net. Could you please tell me where I can get it?

Thanks

I got it from someone else. It's at

Sander.

Hp WL400 need a fix or repair solution 4203 that I cannot get back

because WL400 is obsolete. I tried to call HP but difficult to get in

touch with a special

fix file:

for reference :

How can I get that exe file, and MIB file too

- Run SNWNMGR.EXE.

- Click *File*, then *Connect to Remote Host*, enter IP address of

AP, enter the Read Community String (COMPAQ is default), enter the

Write Community String (COMPAQ is default).

- Select *File*, the *Open* and choose the CompaqWL400HAPMIB file

(part of the attached ZIP).

"aladin" kirjoitti viestissä news: snipped-for-privacy@no-mx.forums.yourdomain.com.au...

The SNWNMGR seems to be a generic SNMP client program. You could use any similar SNMP program.

The CompaqWL400HAPMIB is a MIB file. This only seems to be available as part of the .zip file.

Perfect but how to download that zip. HP has erase the file

So I am in contact to get that fix. It is not easy