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Thread: USB Wireless Adapter

  1. #1
    Orca Whisperer n2ize's Avatar
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    USB Wireless Adapter

    Okay, I have a system in the next room that has no wi-fi and used a wired connection to the router. It was the last remauining non-wireless workstation on my network. In an effort to reduce the number of wires and cables running all over the place I decided to make it wireless. So I bought a Panda 300 Mbps USB wireless adapter for under 15 dollars. Plugged it into the USB port and Fedora picked it right up. At that point all I had to do was connect to one of my wireless routers and viola' it connected and works flawlessly right out of the package.
    I keep my 2 feet on the ground, and my head in the twilight zone.

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    Master Navigator K4PIH's Avatar
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    Outstanding. I have a windoz10 box that is a pain and I'll soon wipe it and put Ubuntu or Mint on it. There is a microcenter close by and everytime I go they have a bin with those USB wireless dongles, usually $10 or less and I pick one up. The Panda ones work well. Amazing that wireless a few years ago was so expensive!
    "Don't put it on the plate if you can't eat it!"

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    It's so nice when it works "out of the box"... no I'm not going to use that "other phrase", although the latter part of it was colorful at times.

    I guess some would say I've reverted... I had most of my network wireless and have been working to get everything possible back to wired. This has meant setting up several switches (still need a cable run and switch downstairs), but no problem. We still have several wireless devices (phones, kindles, mac, etc.) that number close to the router list max. However, the daily pc, work machines when booted, and streaming boxes are all wired.
    Dan - N3XJN
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  4. #4
    Orca Whisperer n2ize's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by N3XJN View Post
    It's so nice when it works "out of the box"... no I'm not going to use that "other phrase", although the latter part of it was colorful at times.

    I guess some would say I've reverted... I had most of my network wireless and have been working to get everything possible back to wired. This has meant setting up several switches (still need a cable run and switch downstairs), but no problem. We still have several wireless devices (phones, kindles, mac, etc.) that number close to the router list max. However, the daily pc, work machines when booted, and streaming boxes are all wired.
    The only funct part of my local network that is still wired is a Linux (Fedora) system in the basement that functions as a router/gateway, firewall nameserver, part time server, http server, part time ftp server, fax server, mailserver for local mail and a few other things I'm not thinking of at the moment. It is fed by a wireless access point upstairs and then directly wired to the Verizon FiOS router also down there (although I can also connect the Linux box directly to the ethernet connector on the ONT should the need arise. So basically I have 3 Internet access points...The Linux server (both wireless/wired), the Verizon router, and the VOIP router/adapter. Then there are the various portable/mobile devices that float on and off the network from day to day...i.e. smart phones, printers, tablets, laptops, devices belonging to visiting guests, etc. I remember when I first set up the network. There were just 2 workstations i.e. my 166 mhz Pentium and a 166 mhz Pentium I set up for my folks. Soon after my Mom got a wireless laptop so I had to add it wireless connectivity. In those days everything ran through a single dialup connection that automatically dialed out on demand via a daemon on the gateway system that would bring up the connection whenever it saw traffic destined for the outside world. Then came broadband, higher speeds and the network topology rapidly expanded from there.
    I keep my 2 feet on the ground, and my head in the twilight zone.

  5. #5
    Orca Whisperer n2ize's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by K4PIH View Post
    Outstanding. I have a windoz10 box that is a pain and I'll soon wipe it and put Ubuntu or Mint on it. There is a microcenter close by and everytime I go they have a bin with those USB wireless dongles, usually $10 or less and I pick one up. The Panda ones work well. Amazing that wireless a few years ago was so expensive!
    Before I ordered the Panda adapter I did some online research and it was the only brand that specifically mentioned Linux support. It comes with a small CD that comes with a Linux driver that you can compile and install. But that was so 2011 and I didn't have to do any of that. New versions of Fedora Linux (and probably other distros as well ) have everything already built in so all I had to do was plug it in to a free USB port. Ypu'll like going with Ubuntu or Mint. Fedora is very good as well, lot of new bleeding edge stuff included in every new distro. Only thing with Fedora is that you have to get used to a frequent upgrade schedule as new versions are released every few months.
    I keep my 2 feet on the ground, and my head in the twilight zone.

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    Master Navigator K4PIH's Avatar
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    I have one NIB that I'll be using on that machine when I put win10 out to pasture. There's enough good ham programs out now that are designed for a linux system.
    "Don't put it on the plate if you can't eat it!"

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    Master Navigator koØm's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by N3XJN View Post
    It's so nice when it works "out of the box"... no I'm not going to use that "other phrase", although the latter part of it was colorful at times.

    I guess some would say I've reverted... I had most of my network wireless and have been working to get everything possible back to wired. This has meant setting up several switches (still need a cable run and switch downstairs), but no problem. We still have several wireless devices (phones, kindles, mac, etc.) that number close to the router list max. However, the daily pc, work machines when booted, and streaming boxes are all wired.
    I'm with you.

    I run one computer as a DVR and stream video to my desktops that have static IP addresses (*preferred) in the middle of my DHCP range. All of my machines are hanging off a Cisco Catalyst Managed switch (connected to the cable gateway) and I still have 40+ Ethernet ports available.

    My kids wireless network is through a Apple Airport in bridge mode; I have a timer on it and then, I have my own wireless network.

    .


  8. #8
    Orca Whisperer n2ize's Avatar
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    Yesterday water poured over my wireless access point causing it to go out. Luckily I have two other wireless points of access so all I had to do is connect to one of those. Today the wireless access point that got drenched and went down is back up and running. All it needed was a chance to dry out overnight and it's fine today.
    I keep my 2 feet on the ground, and my head in the twilight zone.

  9. #9
    Master Navigator koØm's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by n2ize View Post
    Yesterday water poured over my wireless access point causing it to go out. Luckily I have two other wireless points of access so all I had to do is connect to one of those. Today the wireless access point that got drenched and went down is back up and running. All it needed was a chance to dry out overnight and it's fine today.
    Maybe, lower voltage devices (without LCD Displays) have a better chance of surviving being submerged in water; I had a knock-off i-Pod go thru the wash and dry cycle; the display was never the same but the device functioned in-spite of a commercial wash cycle and a hot dryer.

    In hindsight, the hot dryer (along with the other clothes for padding) was exactly what the soaked device needed.

    .


  10. #10
    Master Navigator HUGH's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by n2ize View Post
    Yesterday water poured over my wireless access point causing it to go out. Luckily I have two other wireless points of access so all I had to do is connect to one of those. Today the wireless access point that got drenched and went down is back up and running. All it needed was a chance to dry out overnight and it's fine today.
    I have to ask why you took it into the shower?

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