[tlug] 802.11b PCMCIA Options

["Rodrego Alverez" <rodalverez@example.com>]

My office has just installed an 802.11b wireless LAN network. However, the equipment being supplied is Buffalo AirStation cards and the Access Point are also a Buffalo AirStation using WEP. So far, I have not been overly impressed with these cards as some Japanese Win98 users had difficulties getting the drivers to run it seems.

Although these cards are marketed as Windows only and have their own windows software driver CDs, a bit of searching revealed that it uses a Lucent  chipset which does have linux drivers (the old driver being: wvlan_cs.o but a while back development efforts were transferred to the orinoco_cs.o  project, which seems to be also included in the 2.4.12 kernel).

Additionally, I was in Akihabara this weekend and found a Linux compatible Corega 802.11b card (and it is cheaper than the Buffalo card).  Card details are at: http://www.corega.co.jp/product/list/wireless/wlpccb11.htm  

1) Can I get confirmation that, given 802.11b is a “standard” there should be no problem using this card instead.

2)Does anyone have experience with either of these cards under Linux? How good of a brand is Corega? Ideally any card would also function under an English-language version of  Windows as well.

3)Are there any other card recommendations?

4) Any problems in getting the networking to work?  Any software for controlling the networking setting or such?

I do prefer buying cards which make the effort to be linux compatible, but it is much easier just getting the Buffalo card from the IT guys here than filing an expense claim, etc.

Thanks for any help / advice!

Yours,
Rod

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