On Apr 5, 2004, at 10:54 AM, Manuel Kasper wrote:
> Personally, I'd recommend using a separate, dedicated access point
> where possible. It's easier, faster and probably more reliable (and
> sometimes even cheaper).
>
> - Manuel

I do agree that adding a external AP would be better.  The problem is 
that there aren't any good AP's that are less than $1000.  I've tried 
many AP's and they all seem to lock up at random times requiring a 
power cycles.

This is why I chose to use a small computer that runs in hostAP mode.  
I could have scripts that detect problems and reset the interfaces or 
reboot the system.  m0n0wall seems very good at this.  I can still 
access the remote AP's even if something goes haywire with the radios.

I used to use Linux, but it would just crash all together if something 
went wrong.  Even the watchdog would not reboot it.  I would have to 
power cycle it to fix it.  FreeBSD on the same hardware does not have 
this problem....as much.

Probably the best solution is to use a real AP and have a timer on it 
to cycle the power every 12 hours.

But in retrospect, I should probably have bought a $1000 AP for my WISP 
as it probably would run better than FreeBSD as a AP.  This Power Save 
Mode has me looking over my shoulder every 10 minutes.