🚀 go-pugleaf

On Wed, 1 May 2002 14:40:21 -0700, "Gary Funck" <gary@intrepid.com>
wrote:

>> >SMC7004AWBR - 4 port router/firewall, 802.11b WAP, with printer server
>>
>> Garbage.  Limited features and configuration options.
>
>I'll grant you that. And limited debugging-related (ie, none) feedback as
>well. However, this unit does get reasonably high marks for transmission
>range,

Where did you see those "high marks".
http://www.practicallynetworked.com
???

>and its two antenna can be oriented arbitrarily which supposedly
>improves range/noise immunity.

Nope.  Only one antenna is on at a time.  The access point receiver
scans between the two antennas, measures the error rate, and tosses a
coin to decide which antenna to use for that session.  It's called
diversity reception and does improve the reliability when dealing with
moving laptops or reflections.  However, the two antennas do NOT act
together to form some kind of gain relationship that will improve
range.

>Both units I've tried seem to behave more
>like the antennae aren't hooked up. :)

That's not right.  Did you actually try it without antennas?  Even the
plastic case access points do NOT work without antennas.  As I said
before, if you're only getting 20ft or so, something is busted.

>Which manufacturer/product lines do you like/recommend?

The good:
  Wavelan/Lucent/Orinocco/Avaya/Agere
  Alvirion/Breezecom
  Cisco/Aironet
  3com
The bad:
  SMC
  Linksys
  D-link
  Raylink
The dubious or one's that make me worry:
  Netgear
  Buffalo
The interesting (there's hope):
  Belkin
  Zoom

Each of these manufactories has good and bad products depending upon
what you're attempting to accomplish.  I would not use a "home
networking" grade of wireless for a "mission criminal" enterprise
network link.  The minor detail that my "good" list is priced at
roughly 3 times the others is no coincidence.

>>
>> >USR2410 - US Robotics 802.11b PCMCIA (client) card
>I heard from the sales man that USR had acquired this product line. My
>initial experience with these clients has not been positive (Win XP driver
>issues, perhaps limited range)

Look at the FCC ID number on the serial number tag.  Then go to:
   http://www.fcc.gov/oet/fccid/
and lookup the FCC ID number to see who made it.  You'll find that
most of the cheapo home networking abominations are made by a small
group of unpronounceable Far-East companies.  You'll also get some
really bloated PDF files with some nifty test results and some
gigantic JPG's of what's inside.
   
>> External antenna(s) on the access point.
>Well, the SMC access point has two small antennae.

It will still work with one.  There are companies that sell pigtails
to adapter the Reverse TNC connector on the back, to a standard N
connector, and then to a higher gain antenna.  Depending on your house
layout, it may help.  However coax losses are horrendous at 2.4GHz and
a long coax cable will not work.

>What is a TNC-R connector?

The FCC had this great idea that if they forced the manufactories to
use non-standard connectors, people would be less tempted to add power
amplifiers and external antennas.  Fat chance.  The TNC-R is a
standard TNC connector, with the center pin as the opposite sex.
    http://www.hyperlinktech.com/web/connectors.html
    
>Is this on the access point or the client card?
>I don't see any obvious connector on either the client card or the WAP.

The TNC-R connectors are on the back of your SMC access point.  Most
PCMCIA cards do NOT have an external antenna connector.  However, the
Wavelan/Lucent/Orinoco/Agere/Avaya card does have an MC-Card
connector.  Many cards can be modified (i.e. butchered) to attach an
external antenna.  Spare me the effort right now.



-- 
Jeff Liebermann  150 Felker St #D  Santa Cruz CA 95060
(831)421-6491 pgr (831)426-1240 fax (831)336-2558 home
http://www.LearnByDestroying.com   WB6SSY
jeffl@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us   jeffl@cruzio.com