Intersil sells the Prism2 chipset to wireless card manufacturers and for ["802.11b"] wireless gear the Prism2 chipset is pretty much the standard. A long time ago both Aironet (now Cisco) and WaveLan (now Lucent/Orinoco/Avaya/Agere) diverged from the base Prism2 chipset to make their own improved versions.
In the mean time Linux drivers have emerged to take advantage of the HostApMode abilities of the stock Prism2 cards which allows us to build a LinuxAccessPoint that supports InfrastructureMode.
If you are trying to setup a Prism2Card to work in your linux box (not in HostApMode, but as a client machine), here's a quick somthing I wrote up to keep people on the IrcChannel from asking me the same question over and over.... AshlandWireless:PrismCardSetup . Let me know if it works for you, and also if you have a distro not listed so I can add instructions for that distro. --ForrestEnglish
The problem is that most of the the stock Prism2Cards stink in comparison to the Cisco/Lucent ones. Below we are trying to maintain a list of the best Prism2Cards which have external antenna connectors to facilitate the building of high quality OpenSource AccessPoints.
Make |
Model |
Card |
Connector |
Rx |
Tx |
Comments |
[http://www.addtron.com/ Addtron] |
PCMCIA |
. |
-76 dBm |
>13 dBm |
Looks like the Belkin and SMC |
|
[http://www.addtron.com/ Addtron] |
AWP-101 |
PCMCIA |
Unknown |
. |
. |
. |
[http://www.asante.com/ Asanté] |
[http://www.asante.com/products/adapters/al1011/index.html AL1011] |
5V PCMCIA |
. |
? |
13 dBm |
Very similar to Belkin & SMC, but also supported on Macintosh |
[http://www.belkin.com/ Belkin] |
[http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=&Section_Id=200340&pcount=&Product_Id=122691&Section.Section_Path=%2FRoot%2FNetworki%2E%2E%2EndCables%2FWirelessNetworking%2Fct_Id> F5D6020] |
PCMCIA |
. |
. |
13-20 dBm (50mW max) |
Very Flat & Stackable - Appears to be the same as the SMC |
[http://www.compaq.com/ Compaq ] |
WL100 |
3.3v PCMCIA |
? |
? |
? |
|
[http://www.compaq.com/ Compaq ] |
WL200 |
PCI |
Reverse Threaded SMA |
? |
? |
The PCMCIA version is the wl100. note: the WL210 and WL110 are difference chipsets. |
[http://www.cellvision.net/pics/specs/wireless%20networking%20product/Wlc%2D100.pdf WLC-100 (pdf)] |
? |
? |
? |
? |
one image looks like DLink. sold for $65 at comready.com |
|
[http://www.demarctech.com/ Demarc] |
[http://www.demarctech.com/products/relia-wave-100mw-pcmcia-card.html Relia-Wave] |
3.3VDC / 5 VDC PCMCIA |
Diversity MMCX |
-85 - -93dB |
100mW or 20dBm |
|
[http://www.dlink.com/ D-Link] |
3.3v PCMCIA |
[http://kevlar.burdell.org/~will/antenna/ Hackable] |
-78 or -84 dBm |
14 or 17 dBm |
||
[http://www.dlink.com/ D-Link] |
[http://www.dlink.com/products/DigitalHome/Mobile/dcf650w/ DCF650w] |
3.3v Compact Flash |
lid snaps off/has socket |
-80 to -88 dBm |
14 or 18 dBm |
|
[http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?prid=156&grid=19 WPC11] |
3.3/5v PCMCIA |
. |
. |
14 dBm |
. |
|
[http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?prid=196&grid=19 WMP11] |
PCI |
RP-SMA |
. |
. |
Prism 2.5, Comes with rubber ducky antenna |
|
[http://www.musenki.com Musenki] |
? |
PCI |
Reverse SMC |
-87 dBm |
18 dBm |
. |
[http://www.proxim.com/ Proxim] |
RangeLAN-DS 8434-05 |
3.3v PCMCIA |
Dual Reverse MMCX |
-83 dBm |
13dBm |
has a detachable antenna RangeLanDsComments |
[http://www.proxim.com/ Proxim] |
RangeLAN-DS 8433-05 |
3.3v PCMCIA |
Single unknown connector (SSMB?) |
-83 dBm |
13dBm |
|
[http://www.smc.com SMC] |
[http://www.smc.com/index.cfm?action=products_show_product&productcode=SMC2632W SMC2632W] |
PCMCIA |
[http://www.guerrilla.net/reference/80211_mod/SMC2632_antenna_mod/ Hackable] |
-76 dBm |
50mw Max (17 dBm) |
Smc2632wComments Appears to be the same as the Belkin |
[http://www.teletronics.com/ Teletronics] |
[http://www.teletronics.com/tii/products/wireless_lan/LANc11.html WL-11000] |
PCMCIA |
Dual Reverse MMCX |
-83 dBm |
15 dBm |
It appears to be a Zcomax XI-300, they sell one with and one without the snap-on antenna |
[http://www.zcomax.com/ Zcomax] |
[http://www.zcomax.com/htm/xi300.htm XI-300] |
PCMCIA |
Dual Reverse MMCX |
-83 dBm |
13 dBm |
has a detachable antenna ZcomaxXi300Comments |
[http://www.zcomax.com/ Zcomax] |
[http://www.zcomax.com/htm/xi300.htm XI-300B] |
PCMCIA |
None |
-83 dBm |
13 dBm |
|
[http://www.zcomax.com/ Zcomax] |
[http://www.zcomax.com/htm/future.htm ZFE-300] |
PCMCIA |
Dual MMCX (probably reverse) |
. |
. |
comes with no antenna, Sold by Future Electronics |
[http://www.zcomax.com/ Zcomax] |
[http://www.zcom.com.tw/product/product%20info/pro_info113.htm XI-325] |
PCMCIA |
Dual Reverse MMCX |
-85dBm |
15dBm |
Prism 2.5, has a detachable antenna |
[http://www.zcomax.com/ Zcomax] |
[XI-325H] |
PCMCIA |
Dual Reverse MMCX |
. |
200mw |
Prism 2.5, has a detachable antenna, will be available in May 2002 |
PCMCIA |
RP-SMA |
. |
14 dBm |
http://www.goonda.org/wireless/prism2/ Some good but slightly dated prims2/linux information -- DonPark
Other good source of information: http://www.seattlewireless.net/index.cgi/HardwareComparison