Comments on the Proxim RangeLAN-DS PCMCIA Prism2Card:

Originally we were hoping that this card was a rebranded Zcomax XI-300 (see ZcomaxXi300Comments). However MichaelCodanti reports that:

I just got my 20 Proxim RangeLan-DS 8434-05 cards...

The good news:

• They are Zcomax XI-300's and have a snap off antenna with two Reverse MMCX connectors

• Update 1/11/2002 ErikWalthinsen verified that they work under Linux as both clients and APs. (At least after forcing an update to the 0.8.3 firmware) Details here: [http://lists.personaltelco.net/pipermail/ptp/2002q1/011140.html]

Now for the bad news:

• The sticker says they have firmware 0.7.6, where the new Zcomax ones have 0.8.3.
  • You can get the 0.8.3 firmware from SMC (I think)
  • Zcomax has released the 1.03.04 firmware that is Windows XP compatible.

Now for the REALLY bad news:

• These are 3.3 volt cards, not 5 volt. (They are like the D-Link cards) But even worse, the cards are keyed correctly (unlike the D-Link ones) so they won't even go into the slot on my Toshiba 430CDT or a Stylistic 1000. This could be good news for some embedded boxes(if they support 3.3 volt) as I think the 3.3 volt cards draw less power. These will not work in the PCI "cardbus" bridges, see another of ErikWalthinsen's posts to the hostap mailing list here http://hostap.epitest.fi/hostap/2002-03/0232.html and weep.

I, also, got 2 Proxim RangeLan-DS 8433-05 cards. They are almost the same as the above 8434-05 cards but the have an integrated antenna with a single connector of unknown type (maybe SSMB)(see the connector guide at www.pasternack.com, if anyone knows what connector this takes I would love to know, is does look like SSMB). They still come with old firmware and are 3.3 volt.

After showing the card to the SeattleWireless/FreeNetworks guys at DCX, they said the connector was RP-SMA.

It is not RP-SMA... At least not the cards I have.. --MichaelCodanti

I'm still hoping that someone can positively identify this connector, anyone know?

NOTES:

• At least with Windows XP you can just force Windows to use the current Zcomax drivers, and then update the cards with the latest 1.03.04 firmware.
• For PocketPC (and I think WinCE) you can use the Compaq WL100 drivers, you just have to enter WL100NDS.DLL when you put the card in and it asks for a driver name. The Zcomax ones may work but I haven't tried them yet.

Here is some sample signal numbers from using cards in an iPaq running PocketPC all using the same driver (Compaq's WL100 driver) and everything:

Above numbers are all the best I saw from the card while holding the iPaq in the same spot in my house connecting back to an AirPort base.

• could you test a lucent and/or cisco card just to give some comparison? --ForrestEnglish

  • I don't have any Cisco cards, and in testing against a Lucent it would be using different drivers and report different numbers, so I would have to change my testing methodology to do distance testing instead of measuring signal strength. I just haven't had time yet. --MichaelCodanti

    someone with a linux box could use wavemon to test the lucent and prism2 cards using the same number scale. wireless tools reporting for cisco cards seems to be broken in my experience though. --ForrestEnglish

• I picked up some of these from MichaelCodanti, the card seems to work pretty well, no problem with use as normal client card when connecting to an AP. I haven't tried the HostAp mode yet. Drawback so far is that the snap-on antenna feels very flimsy. I already broke one of the plastic stabalizing pegs when trying to pull it off. It still seems reasonably secure fit though. Definately not a bad card for the price. --RichardLotz

  In an informal test a coworker with a Cisco 650 card and I with my RangeLan did a walkabout in and around our building. The AP was also a Cisco device. During the walkabout we experienced very similar signal degradation and loss of signal at the same points. This was a very light weight test, but the RangeLan worked equivelent to the Cisco 650. I was using the HostAP drivers. -- MichaelRasmussen

I think the Lucent cards are still better, but the Zcomax and Proxim cards with the snap off antenna appear to almost as good.

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