This is the beginnings of a FrequentlyAskedQuestions list for the IrcChannel (#wireless on the Open Projects Network).
Wireless Network Card Questions
Will my D-link DWL-650+ (or other Ti chipset 22 Mbps hardware) work in Linux or *BSD?
A: No. They use a currently unsupported Ti chipset. Please tell D-link that Linux support would be greatly appreciated.
What is the best card?
A: This is a highly subjective question. In my opinion the best all around wireless card is a Lucent/Orinoco Silver or a Gold card. They have good OS support, external antenna jacks, and have one of the highest recive sensitivity on the market. If you are looking to make a HostAp machine, you might want to look into the Zcomax Prism2Card or the [http://www.netgate.com/NL2511.html Senao 200mW cards].
I'd like to try doing ___________ with 802.11b. Will it work?
A: Dunno, maybe. Wireless networking depends on so many different factors that it's impossible to say for sure. Try it and let us know.
Do 802.11a cards work under Linux or *BSD?
A: Nope. As with other unsupported chipsets, contact the manufacturer, then return the hardware.
I'm trying to use my ________ (prism2 chipset card) under linux, and I can't figure out wlan-ng, help!
A: You might want to try using HostAp ( http://hostap.epitest.fi/ ), it is a driver that supports ad-hoc, infastructure and master modes, and uses the linux wireless extensions, so you can configure it with iwconfig, unlike wlan-ng.
Connecting to Networks
How do I connect to a wireless network?
A: This is different in each operating system, see AssociationWithNetworks and find your operating system's instructions.
Network Configuration help
What commands do I need to use?
The NetworkCommands page lists commands used to configure IP address information and radio settings.
How do I setup my network to automatically get an IP address?
Many service providers use DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) to assign Network Addresses. Some may use PPPoE which will be covered in more detail later.
Linux
You'll need dhcpc. You probably have it.
FreeBSD/OpenBSD
Many of the BSD's have dhclient. To run dhclient manually use: dhclient wi0 (where wi0 is the name of your network card)
FreeBSD users can have dhclient run automagically at bootup by adding the line
ifconfig_wi0="dhcp"
to /etc/rc.conf
More entries and help would be much appreciated. --ForrestEnglish