[BAT] Any 802.11a interest?

Mon, 29 Apr 2002 23:48:06 -0600 (MDT)

In message: <>
            "" <> writes:
: > In message: <>
: >             "" <> writes:
: > : I've noticed that the 5Ghz/54Mb '802.11a' cards are coming down in price,
: > : many are not much more expensive than were 802.11b cards a year ago ($120+).
: > : 
: > : Under FreeBSD, some of the 802.11b drivers are said to work with vendor's
: > : new 802.11a with little or no work. Has anybody tried these with dstumbler?
: 
: I asked because I'd like to find something more than rumors before I
: spend $120+ on yet another wireless card.

I can understand that.  However, I might do that once the current
crunch at work is done.  Given what I've been told to date, I doubt
they would use the Herese firmware interface, since it is program I/O
with no DMA (IIRC) for a pci design that is designed to push 6MB/s
through the bus.

: > Who is saying this?  I know of none of the 802.11a cards that will
: > work with any of FreeBSD drivers.  Please enlighten me :-)
: 
: By "are said to" I am quoting Terry Lambert:
:        http://docs.freebsd.org/cgi/getmsg.cgi?fetch=301446+0+archive/2002/freebsd-chat/20020331.freebsd-chat

OK.  I've taken a look at this thread, and the threads that it
references.  I don't think that this is a reliable source of
information. :-)

: Other rumors suggest a Proxim 802.11b "RangeLAN" driver _may_be_compatible_
: with one of their 802.11a cards, but nothing solid, no real confirmation:
:        http://www.newttools.com/wavelan/WaveLAN.txt
:        (See the end of <009701c04f68$06fcd580$>.)

The Proxim Rangelan cards are just PRISM2 cards.  They are compatible
with the wi driver.  The airports that are in this article are 802.11b
compatible (mostly), and aren't 802.11a things.

: Since we have your attention, before I run out and buy more hardware,
: may I inquire as to the status/future of 802.11a support in -current?

Right now I've been unable to get firmware/programming information
from the mfg w/o serious non-disclosure agrements.

I suspect that if any 802.11a cards were lucent/hermes/prism2
compatible (or close), we'd have seen at least a linux or *BSD driver
that supported them by now. :-)

Warner