[TriLUG] Linksys Wireless Access Points

[Dave Sorenson]

These devices are not totally plug and pray and forget. Since they use
unlicensed spectrum, they can be finicky to other device operating in the
same or similar frequencies (microwaves, GHz cordless phones). The FCC views
these devices as allowed but if they experience interference, that's too
bad. Of course if they cause interference with licensed devices the WAPs
will be required to cease and desist said interference.

 If you are using multiple AP's in an area, or there are multiple devices
you don't have control over, you need to make sure they are not all on the
same channel, or in my experience directly adjacent channels. Download a
network sniffer, find out what channel the AP's around you are on and choose
a channel to broadcast on that is as far away from the existing ones as
possible.  

My WAP11 has been running without a hitch since February. Since I have it
plugged into my UPS not even power issues have rebooted it. I wonder how
good the wall wart transformers are at protecting from power spikes? Is
anyone who has had issues with the WAP11's using UPS or are they plugging
straight into the wall? 

Dave S


> 
> I used a D-Link WAP (forget number) for a while but found it 
> interferred with the other WAPs in the area, which started 
> working again when I turned off the D-Link.
> 
> I've had 3 WAP11s that lock up almost everyday I use them. 
> One of them was dead after 6months sitting on a shelf. I have 
> another friend who has had 2 die on him. I can't imagine 
> having these survive a summer in the attic.
> I'm leary of trying a WRT54G, despite it running linux with 
> the problems I've had. The WRT54G has the same lock up 
> problems from reading the linux-wrt54g mailing list, which 
> they handle by down/up'ing the ethernet port every few mins 
> in a cron job.