Intel Ultimate-N 6300 and Ubuntu 10.04 Running in Wireless Access Point mode

I need to make an Intel D945GSEJT mini-ITX mainboard into a wireless access point for outdoor applications using Ubuntu Server 10.04 LTS. Intel's literature for their Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 PCIe mini-card seems to say they have "My WiFi" capability that turns a notebook into a wireless access point for nearby WiFi devices.



I've seen lots of posts on using the 6300 as a client, but I need to use it as a wireless access point.



Does anyone have experience with this ? Are there any driver issues under Ubuntu ? What kind of range can I get ? How many antennas do I need and where do I place them with respect to one another ?



Thank you in advance.

Reply 1 : Intel Ultimate-N 6300 and Ubuntu 10.04 Running in Wireless Access Point mode

The iwlagn driver doesn't support AP mode unfortunately.



You'd probably want an atheros card, since they are pretty common in access points.



For reference here's a list of the drivers and whether they support AP mode or not: Drivers - Linux Wireless



You can share the connection using ad-hoc mode, but I'm not sure what your requirements are.

Reply 2 : Intel Ultimate-N 6300 and Ubuntu 10.04 Running in Wireless Access Point mode

Mywifi and similar stuff seen on Win7 is basically just client + adhoc at the same time, not a real AP.



I'll save you the trouble of dissecting the list linked above, you want a recent atheros card. You might run into 10.04 needing some updated packages though.



As for "what kind of range can I get" that is almost entirely a function of the type of antennas, noise on the channel, radio power and location. "How much do you want to spend" is a prerequisite question.



I'm guessing you just want a regular card and some omnis, in which the answer would be fairly cheap and as good or better than a consumer AP.

Reply 3 : Intel Ultimate-N 6300 and Ubuntu 10.04 Running in Wireless Access Point mode

TO: ALLurGroceries and Aluminum



Thank you both for your comments. My application is solar-powered and requires the smallest possible size and power dissipation. That's why I just want to plug a mini-PCIe card into the slot in my low power, mini-ITX mainboard instead of using a standalone router.



It's an outdoor application. I'd like a payload speed of at least several Mbps for EACH of at least two 2.4 GHz WiFi clients that are in opposite directions, and 100 yards, from my central machine.



I found a number of Atheros mini-PCIe cards, the AR5B93 and AR9287. I gather the ath9K driver supports the latter, and the ath5K the former. Is this correct ? But I'm confused about a comment that I saw that these drivers have been native to Ubuntu for a while, but they have to be enabled and configured. Can someone shine some light on this ?



Is there any way to support multiple PCIe cards in a single mainboard so I can use different channels for different clients to avoid problems of large distances between them ?



Thank you.



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Reply 4 : Intel Ultimate-N 6300 and Ubuntu 10.04 Running in Wireless Access Point mode

Both ath9k and ath5k should work out of the box. ath9k is for the newer 802.11n cards. I'm not sure about mini-pcie cards that have multiple radios on them.



You've said 100 yards, but is there anything in the way?