On Mon, 7 Jul 2003 01:24:13 -0700
Bryan Vyhmeister <bsd@hub3.net> wrote:

> On Mon, Jul 07, 2003 at 02:59:43AM -0500, David Young wrote:
> > On Sun, Jul 06, 2003 at 08:42:19PM -0700, Bryan Vyhmeister wrote:
> > > I would highly recommend the EnGenius/Senao cards available from:
> > > 
> > > http://www.netgate.com/
> > > 
> > > They are 200 mW where most cards are 30 mW or maybe up to 100 mW. They
> > 
> > This is SO off topic, but this begs for a response: 200mW is OVERKILL
> > for most applications. 50mW or LESS is sufficient for the majority of
> > applications.  Be a responsible user of the spectrum (and save money!)
> > by choosing the right power level for your application. Home and office
> > networking does NOT usually require 200mW.
> 
> You do have a good point. The reason I use 200 mW cards is that the
> environment I usually work in is very spread out and 200 mW has allowed
> me greater range. I have also used 200 mW cards for outdoor,
> long-distance links. As far as low power cards go, the Orinoco cards
> have an excellent reputation. Their sensitivity is excellent and they
> are 30 mW. ...


I wouldn't stake my life on it, but I am fairly certain that the orinocco
gold cards are more like 130mW, which is why so many people use them with
their homemade "pringles can" antennas, and why they are used in a number of
APs. Any random prism2 card for less than $50 US should be a nice low
wattage. Depending on where you live, 130mW is probably not a big issue and
the driver support for the orinocco cards seems pretty good. But, last I
checked, the gold cards aren't cheap.

-- 
Harry Waddell
Caravan Electronic Publishing
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