Re: Project Evil APs

> > <jedi mind trick>
> > You want to use ad-hoc mode. You don't want to bother me with silly
> > questions about hostap mode because it doesn't really let you do
> > anything you can't do with ad-hoc mode anyway. Use IPSec with
> > ad-hoc mode and you'll probably get better security than any
> > access point can give you in the first place.
> > </jedi mind trick>
> 
> Probably. Only if I can get this silly little WinME laptop to do ad-hoc 
> as well though. The main reason for doing this is that my AP died and 
> my gf wants to use the laptop in the garden :-).

Did you... read the little booklet that came with the card in your
gf's computer? Sometimes there's a special control panel snap-in or
custom utility to configure the card. If not, go to the control
panel, click "system" and look for the device manager. Select the
wireless device and check for driver settings. You might be able to
set ad-hoc mode there.
 
> Interestingly, the inf file lists a registry key named "EnableSoftAP" 
> which appears to suggest that support might be possible in windows with 
> the right software. Probably involves custom drivers using private 
> interfaces with the driver though :-(.
> 
> Any chance of a native driver for the Broadcom 43xx stuff?

Broadcom refuses to release programming manuals for their wireless
chipsets, most likely because they use software controlled radios.
In order to get FCC type acceptance for their parts, they have to
fix it so the user can't arbitrarily set things like operating
frequencies, modulation parameters and power output. Since a large
part of that is now controlled by the driver (rather than by firmware,
like with the Lucent WaveLAN and Aironet devices), the only way
they can do that is by making the driver binary only. If they gave
out driver source or manuals, you could figure out how to reprogram
the radio any way you wanted, which would make the FCC unhappy,
which means no FCC type acceptance, which means no sales in the
U.S. market.

Note that the Intel Centrino wireless chips (Calexico I and Calexico II)
are firmware driven, which is what makes it possible to have a native
driver for them without violating FCC regs. To bad Intel wrote the book
on foot dragging.


-Bill

---
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-Bill Paul            (510) 749-2329 | Senior Engineer, Master of Unix-Fu
                 wpaul_at_windriver.com | Wind River Systems
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              <adamw> you're just BEGGING to face the moose
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