WiFi Card Recommendations

[Rev Simon Rumble]

This one time, at band camp, pgarrett at homemail.com.au wrote:

> I have used D-Link and Netgear cards successfully using ndiswrapper but it
> is causing irq conflicts on a new install on an old machine (a P3). I've
> tried most of the boot parameter work-arounds with no success. Also, I
> find a number of wardriving utils I want to try will only work with cards
> using native Linux drivers.

Yeah you really don't want to use ndiswrapper if you can help it.  At 
best it's a dirty hack.  At worst it's probably breaking some laws or 
license agreements and won't expose all the features of your wireless 
hardware to Linux (as you've discovered).

> I have checked the hardware lists on the ndiswrapper web site and Ubuntu
> forums but they mostly recommend cards or particular chipset versions I
> have been unable source in Oz.  Are there any "off the shelf" solutions?

The problem that suppliers have is that manufacturers change chipsets 
mid-production without changing the model number.  So a given card might 
work in one batch the supplier received and not the next.

A good approach would be to favour products by manufacturers who 
advertise Linux support.  I'm not aware of any, unfortunately.

elx.com.au specializes in hardware for Linux.  You'd do well to give 
them a call and ask what they have in stock that will work:
http://www.elx.com.au/srch?searchwords=wireless&partial=exact&searchcata=40

Disclosure: ELX is my brother's company.

-- 
Rev Simon Rumble <simon at rumble.net>
www.rumble.net

Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for
appointment by the corrupt few. 

- George Bernard Shaw