Neighbor lady (she does brownies right!!) just called and she wants me to pick up a wifi AP for her to give to her family (I'm to install this on the QT) as a Christmas present.
As I'm going to be responsible for supporting this install (did I mention she's a great lady as well as great cook?) what should I recommend I get that would best fit her needs.
Regards
NM
Linksys WRT54G, preferably V4 (or GL).
another vote here for the WRT54G
Talk about last minute Christmas shopping...
I can't tell if this is a request for a specific model to purchase or if you need basic instructions for how wireless systems work. Since Christmas is 2 days away, this could turn into a crash course in wirless networking and a hectic Christmas day getting it working. There are also two ends to a wireless connection. She may also need some hardware on the client computer end.
In order to determine what is suitable for her system, we need to know what she already owns. What type of broadband connection? What model of broadband modem? Is there an existing router? Do you want to replace the existing router with a new wireless router, or just add a wireless access point? How far and through how many walls is the wireless expected to traverse? What type of client computers? How many?
If you have to buy something immediately, then the Linksys WRT54G recommended by others is a fairly safe bet. If the stock firmware doesn't do what she wants, then alternative open source firmware certainly will do the job. The catch is that Linksys screwed up badly on the v5 model. Don't buy this one. It can be recognized by the serial number starting with CDFB.
There are other makes and models that will also work just fine. If her brownies are really that good, you might wanna splurge and get her one of "pre-N" MIMO systems, that seems to work somewhat better than most.
No matter what make or model you purchase, you will probably need to update the firmware or drivers to the latest versions. Be prepared for this exercise. I would give up on the idea of installing it without her knowledge.
Also note that if she needs only an access point, all wireless routers can be used as just an access point by simply ignoring the router section. So, you're safe buying a wireless router as it can be reconfigured for the occassion.
For some frantic last minute readings, tutorials, and reviews, see:
I third that...
WRT54G V4 (or GL).
-- JM
Senao is ultimate 2054 or 2611
shanks
sorry 3054 NOT 2054
shanks
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