Public Wireless Linux networks

If you don't want to play alone with your wireless equipement, there are lots of people setting up public wireless networks using Linux. I just picked a few of those with interesting info on their pages.

• WiFiMaps has some maps of public wireless connectivity, and allow you to locate those public wireless Access Points.
• Linux users in Australia are using the good old Wavelan or the Wavelan IEEE to create point to point data link between distant houses. They have set up a mailing list, which is not Wavelan specific and very useful.
• Guerilla Net aim to setup a free network in the area of Boston.
• Consume the net want to do the same in the area of London. Many mailing lists.
• Elektrosmog wants fast Internet everywhere, starting in Sweeden.
• Seattle Wireless wants to build a next-generation community wireless network.
• Personal Telco want to build alternative communication networks in the area of Portland. Their web site contains a mountain of information, such as this Wireless FAQ.
• NYCwireless wants Free Public Wireless Internet for New York City. They have some mailing lists.
• BAWUG, the Bay Area (California) Wireless User group is pretty active and has some mailing lists.
• Reseau Citoyen is deploying their wireless network in Bruxelles, Belgium, and has an extensive amount of information in french.

• LIVE.COM want you to enjoy wireless coffee in Mountain View, California.
• The Shmoo Group has setup a database of public Wireless LAN networks.

Wireless LAN Hardware (surveys and reviews)

Various people maintain some approximate list of the hardware that is compatible with Linux :

• Of course, I list a number of vendors in the various sections of the Howto...
• Absoval has one of the most exaustive list of wireless cards, and list compatibility of PrismII cards with their own linux-wlan driver.
• Hendrik-Jan Heins is now maintaining an updated version of the exaustive list from Absoval. This is very difficult task, so don't be surprised if you find minor errors.
• Personal Telco has a short list of PrismII cards (for which many Linux drivers are available).
• Seattle Wireless has a pretty long list of cards, but the information on this page is not always correct, so double check.
• Kismet Wireless list card compatible with Kismet, and the corresponding driver.
• Nicolai Langfeldt has a short list of 802.11g cards comaptible with Linux.
• Jacek Pliszka has many tips on how to identify the various card, especially USB devices.
• Jason Hecker maintains a list of all Atmel USB devices.
• Tarmo Järvalt has long lists of cards containing various chipsets, one page per chipset, including some Google Ads.
• The Linux Wireless wiki has some limited hardware surveys.
• The NetworkManager team has a complete list of hardware and drivers that works properly with NetworkManager.

Just a few reviews and guides here, not Linux specific.

• Most manufacturer web sites are listed in the Howto...
• Tim Higgins has a huge amount of 802.11 information on his web site (FAQ, articles, reviews, links), which is acurate, detailed and up to date.
• Practically Networked lists and compares the main Wireless LAN products available on the market. Their list is long and they have reviewed in details a lot of products.
• I've found a really good web page on the different radio products available (now quite outdated).
• Network Computing has a long and complete article comparing various 802.11 products. Definitely worth a read, even if they don't mention Linux support ;-)
• PC Magazine/ZDnet has done a short review of 802.11-b products. They have tested the latest products from the big names.
• Toms Networking has frequent detailed reviews of various wireless hardware.
• Synack Communications has done some testing of the Power Consumptions of some common Wireless LANs.

Other web sites of interest (Wireless LAN related)

A random collection of links. I welcome your suggestions...

• The web site of IEEE 802.11, one of the major standard in Wireless LANs. Nowadays, you can get the IEEE 802.11 standard for free !.
• The Wireless LAN Alliance for marketing buzz around 802.11.
• The WECA is the organisation managing the WiFi certification.
• The Wireless LAN Interoperability Forum is promoting Proxim's OpenAir standard.
• The HIPERLAN Alliance has a nice white-paper on HiperLan-1.
• I've developed the SWAP MAC protocol for Home RF before they decided to change course due to political pressures...

• Roger Coudé has developped an impressive package to predict the performance and coverage of a radio system based on the characteristic of the environment.
• The State University of Ohio has a basic Overview of 802.11.
• Mark S. Mathews has a nice white paper on 802.11.
• Intersil (formerly Harris) has a lot of white papers, but they tend to have a very strong bias towards what they are offering.
• Lot's of links about Wireless (no longer updated).
• Ben Gross has more links about Wireless (mostly Linux related, and quite up to date).
• Jacco Tunnissen has lot's of links about Wardriving and Wireless Security.
• Bernard Adoba has created The Unofficial 802.11 Security Web Page, with many links about security issues in wireless networks and 802.1x.
• Delbert K. Matlock used to have a very complete page on Linux BlueTooth support, linking to all information available on the net on this subject, but hasn't updated it in since 2001.
• Foo Chun Choong has a web page that link to various BlueTooth research projects and papers.
• The NTIA maintain a chart of the frequencies in use in the US. Try to find the unlicensed bands ;-)
• You may also want to check my paper page, especially if you look for either my publications or SWAP information.

Linux and other links

Some personal recommendations on the web...

• The project I'm currently officially working on for HP is called CoolTown.

• The Linux Kernel Archive. Looking for Linux, that's the place... Want to flame Linus ? Check the linux-kernel mailing list archive.
• The Linux Pcmcia package. Most Wireless LAN cards are nowadays comming in Pcmcia form, and that's what you need. David maintains a very neat and useful package. Note that Pcmcia development has migrated to the kernel, you can follow this on the new Pcmcia mailing list.
• John Linville wants all the Linux Wireless bug reports to go to the linux-Wireless mailing list archive, but you will usually have better luck with the individual driver mailing lists (listed above). He maintains the wireless-dev GIT repository.
• David Miller wants all the TCP/IP bug reports to go to the linux-Networking mailing list archive or the linux-NetDevice mailing list archive. The is also a linux-PPP mailing list archive.
• Some outdated user level Mobile IP implementation for Linux and equally outdated Linux Mobile IP information.

• The Linux Documentation Project. Lots' of info about Linux, all the docs and Howto (how to set up networking on you Linux box) and tons of links.
• The Guide to IP Layer Network Administration with Linux. Advanced, exhaustive, accurate and up to date (that's quite a feat).
• Laptops are always more problematic. Werner, alongside the Linux-Mobile-Guide, keeps a long list of laptop specific pages. You can also check the classical Linux on Laptops web site.
• The Kernel Notes web site, with kernel changes and more kernel hacking info.
• The web page of Alan Cox (who process my patches before they go in the kernel) has some info about Linux and Networking.
• The web page of Donald Becker who has authored most Linux Ethernet drivers (but not the HP 100vg driver I use on my PCs).

• The Debian distribution. That's the one I use, your mileage may vary...
• The NerPerf benchmark. That's the one I use, and I love it !
• Hewlett Packard computers. That's the ones I use, you probably guessed why, but at least I never cut my hands plugging cards in their cases