Pandora As A Wireless Access Point

[sammydee]

I've searched the forums but haven't been able to find an answer to this question (YOU try searching for "wireless access point" ).

Will the pandora's wireless drivers allow so called "master" mode, ie, will the pandora be able to function as a wireless access point with some ifconfig voodoo?

The real use I can see for this is to set up a small wireless network between two pandoras to share files and play games without access to a real ap.

Sam

 

[kloplop321]

it's called ad hoc mode.

 

[sammydee]

it's called ad hoc mode.

:huh: No it's not. It's called master mode and it's what happens when you configure a wireless card as an access point. I want to know if the pandora's wireless drivers will allow it to do this (a lot of binary wireless drivers do not).

Does the pandora definitely support ad hoc mode?

Sam

EDIT: I should make this more clear. Master mode and ad hoc mode are different things. Master mode enables the wireless card to act as if it is a wireless access point that other computers can connect to. Ad hoc is what it says on the tin, an ad hoc network between a couple of computers.

 

[chris_r]

Although ad-hoc mode should work, I believe he did actually mean master mode which is only present in some wireless chips which allows that wireless device to act as a wireless access point.

 

[kloplop321]

you do not need infrastructure when communicating peer to peer. ad hoc is made for peer to peer. Linux supports Ad Hoc, so yes.

if you are going to have it as an access point then where are you going to get the internet access from? a USB LAN modem?

Please think this through, I am not trying to be insulting, flaming or otherwise.

 

[ledow]

Will the pandora's wireless drivers allow so called "master" mode, ie, will the pandora be able to function as a wireless access point with some ifconfig voodoo?

I'm not sure but I think it was specified that it is possible, although whether the drivers exists, work, are stable and will be available without having to re-flash the thing is another matter. Most wireless chipsets support master mode nowadays, it's just a matter of having the drivers and the right firmware on the chipset.

The real use I can see for this is to set up a small wireless network between two pandoras to share files and play games without access to a real ap.

And, again, this is a description of an Ad-Hoc network, which will almost certainly be supported as it's a standard feature (whereas Master mode is not). Adhoc networks are where two or more random wireless devices talk together without requiring a specific access point to co-ordinate communications. E.g. the same uses as Bluetooth, think about Nintendo DS wireless connectivity etc. Adhoc tends to be limited to slower speeds if you read the letter of the specs (11Mbps even on a 802.11g network) but most devices let you "break" this and have 54Mbps between each member of the Adhoc network.

Master mode means that the Pandora would BE a normal wireless access point (much like a BT HomeHub or a Linksys gadget, NOT like a wireless card) and co-ordinate all devices on the network. As someone said, that would be pretty pointless unless the Pandora had its own independent Internet connection. Master mode would be the Pandora BEING a wireless access point, which may be useful for things like - making the Pandora a wireless extender for an already existing wireless network. Making the Pandora a public access wifi point (with appropriate Internet connection). Taking over a friends wireless network by pretending to be his main Wireless AP. :unsure:

Master mode is for when you want to turn a normal wireless card into an access point. They don't necessarily do as good a job as a real access point. Ad-hoc mode is for when you want to join 2 or more normal wireless devices together without an AP being present AT ALL. They are similar but, technically, entirely different things. The confusion arises from the fact that most cards capable of being in Master mode can be an AP *AND* a wireless client at the same time.

Normal network = Access point needed - it co-ordinates all the clients and "filters" their communication between one another.
Adhoc = No access points anywhere, all clients "talk" to all clients.
Master = One client "pretending" to be an access point (and possibly client as well).

 

[javaJake]

I would find a repeater mode to be just as useful as well, if that can be handled...

 

[DXR_13KE]

i also consider this to be interesting and useful, i will be using my pandora as a Swiss tool.

 

[Yamara]

if you are going to have it as an access point then where are you going to get the internet access from? a USB LAN modem?

My boyfriend's IBM X41 gets wireless reception in places where my Dell X200 doesn't. If the Pandora is able to get reception on weak signals, I could see using that to provide access to those systems with less capable wireless cards.

 

[sammydee]

if you are going to have it as an access point then where are you going to get the internet access from? a USB LAN modem?

My boyfriend's IBM X41 gets wireless reception in places where my Dell X200 doesn't. If the Pandora is able to get reception on weak signals, I could see using that to provide access to those systems with less capable wireless cards.


This is where repeater functionality would be useful. Simply put the pandora halfway between the two wireless devices et voila - extended wireless range!

Sam

 

[azmodean]

The reason for Master as compared to ad-hoc (afaik) is if you have more than two computers to connect, then you would want one to be Master and the rest to be Managed. As far as I know you can't do multi-way ad-hoc.

P.S. unless the mesh infrastructure recently added to linux were somehow usable, in which case you could use that... not holding my breath though.

 

[ramune]

you do not need infrastructure when communicating peer to peer. ad hoc is made for peer to peer. Linux supports Ad Hoc, so yes.

if you are going to have it as an access point then where are you going to get the internet access from? a USB LAN modem?

Please think this through, I am not trying to be insulting, flaming or otherwise.

The Pandora will probably support tethering to a phone through bluetooth, right? You could tether your phone to the Pandora and use the Pandora as an access point for devices around you. It would be great to have a portable access point with just the phone I carry around all the time anyway and the Pandora.

 

[AireTamStorm]

:huh: No it's not. It's called master mode and it's what happens when you configure a wireless card as an access point.

There really isn't much of a difference if you're handing out IP addresses to your client(s), which is easily doable in software.