# Need help setting up an 802.11a and/or SoftAP (VirtualAP)...



## Formula350 (Sep 23, 2010)

Alright, since my other thread didn't pan out I've taken the suggestion to break up the questions. I will try try _try_ not to ramble and make this a long read   Seeing as it is turning out to be long (it's either give not enough info and you won't reply due to annoyance, or explain and it ends up too long and you won't read it!)... alternatively if you don't care about the what I have for hardware or why I want to do this, just skip to "*My 2 issue are*"

But if it is too long (and yea it pretty much is), here are the questions short and sweet:

How can I configure a Windows Ad-Hoc or Soft AP to operate in 802.11*a*?

How can I set up a SAP with Atheros? Or make it so an Windows will set up and connect to an Ad-Hoc when Windows loads, so it is all ready to go and requires no user interaction?



Acronyms I'll use: Soft/Virtual AP is "SAP", 802.11a and g will be "*A*" and "*G*", Ad-Hoc will be "AH", the Laptop Base I mention later will be "Turion"

So here's my situation. I moved to Tennessee a year and 1/2 ago, which my area has no land-based internet (save for dialup) since AT&T is fracking lazy as hell... As a segway an electric company in Chattanooga, which is 45mins from me, now offers the fastest internet available in the US... FiOS @ 1Gbit for $350/mo  No I'm not shocked at the price since I think that it is, relatively speaking, very cheap... 

Anyways I am left with Verizon Wireless, which is equally a load of bull since any carrier's cell signal is almost nonexistant here. Rather, if we want signal you have to be outside or requires the phone to literally be up against a window  Don't mention Hughes Net either, it's just as expensive and only allows 500mb/day!:shadedshu

This is where the Soft/Virtual AP bit comes in... I am short on cash ATM and what I have for hardware is enough to get a computer to function as a Router or Access Point. What I plan to do is take the WWAN USB modem (which is taped to a window up stairs ) and move it into the attic, connected to the SAP and use my parabolic antenna for better signal...

Now we built our house with the upstairs being my aunt's place and the downstairs as ours, with all our own appliances, etc... Basically it's a "town home" if you will... So there are 2 microwaves, 2.4GHz phones, and who knows what else polluting the 2.4GHz spectrum. This is why I am wanting to try 802.11*a* , but also the setup I have now which has my aunt's laptop functioning as an AH and set up with *G* that is on the other end of the house (and upstairs), which I only get around 2 bars of WiFi signal  From my readings *A* will likely penetrate a bit better, even though my previous understanding is the higher the frequency the less distance and penetration it gives. Which is why our digital cell phones now which typically operate at 1+Ghz (falling back on 800Mhz) require more cell towers than before.

*My 2 issues are/B]: 
First I am not able to figure out how to set up my WiFi cards to operate in A, and I know at least my aunt's and my PCI desktop WiFi card can do it. At the moment all the operating WiFi cards are Atheros. The system, which is a Turion X2 laptop base (IE everything minus the screen/lid), I planned on using as an SAP runs a Broadcom 4311 mPCIe card, which I think is actually a better card but that's irrelevant really.

Second is in relation to the SAP. I came across this a few weeks ago, and my understanding is that you can set up (with Windows 7) a SAP with Microsoft's (M$) own included software, but also that multiple systems can communicate with it. Also, again from my understanding, was the ability to not just have multiple connections TO the M$ SAP, but it could also itself connect to a different WiFi that would be where it gets it's internet from. Saldy my attempt at this (with the Broadcom at least) did not work that way, when I connected the SAP to the AH and then had my desktop connect to the SAP, the desktop connecting broke the SAP to AH and thus, no internet lol

After I found out that the Turion (it's an AP) wouldn't accept this Atheros card and only the Broadcom, I started searching for something Atheros might offer. I had seen their own SAP mentioned, but never pointing to a DL link or a specific name  I then later came across this which talked about Atheros' own SAP, even better it gave a link! But after installing it, the Atheros Utility Console doesn't work  It loads, but doesn't exactly 'link' with the WiFi card. Same thing happens on my desktop... Though I did just think of something. Possibly the drivers I have, which are newer than those included in the package, might not have the .sys file replaced by the SAP installer as it has it's own (significantly older) drivers. So I'll try removing them and report back...

*sigh* I'm sorry for making this so long... I just absolutely hate the situation I'm in, and because of it I am left with trying to cobble together a solution. If I had $100 I would just buy a Craddlepoint MBR1000 (don't know how well the MBR500 or 900 would do in the attic with so much house to penetrate to make it down here) since it has USB WWAN support, but alas I don't and so I just have to make do with what I DO have... Mind you I do have the house wired for LAN, but I have to terminate all the cables still, plus none of them go in the attic since the house was done before we got Wireless Broadband and knew how shitty it'd be *


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## Hybrid_theory (Sep 23, 2010)

802.11a has lower range than 802.11g/b, even though it wont be interefered by the phones/microwaves, it has a limit of 150ft so keep that in mind. If you're devices have no support for 802.11a, then you're basically sol unless you want to write your own firmware. BTW your posts are long cause you make it a story. Just tell the information is needed. dont need to know its your aunts house. just say AP and comp 2 floors apart, and microwaves and phones are in between.


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## Formula350 (Sep 23, 2010)

Hybrid_theory said:


> 802.11a has lower range than 802.11g/b, even though it wont be interefered by the phones/microwaves, it has a limit of 150ft so keep that in mind. If you're devices have no support for 802.11a, then you're basically sol unless you want to write your own firmware.



I was under the impression .11a was 300ft? At least from most of what I read, that's what it said  Doesn't matter anyways given the length of the house being only 50ft.




> BTW your posts are long cause you make it a story. Just tell the information is needed. dont need to know its your aunts house. just say AP and comp 2 floors apart, and microwaves and phones are in between.



Fair enough  But I also include that due to someone else possibly having another idea, but also to weed out any further questions someone might ask to better help.

heh Damned if you do, damned if you don't!


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## andrew123 (Sep 26, 2010)

802.11a is sort of specialty in the WiFi world, as when it was ratified vendors started making 802.11b stuff that was cheaper.. A mode wireless cards are harder to find.

If you have an AP that supports A/B/G and and you want to use A, all of the WiFi cards that use that AP have to be dedicated A mode cards, as soon as you hook up a B/G Card to an A mode network that's it, no more A mode, everyone gets knocked down to B speeds.


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## Hybrid_theory (Sep 26, 2010)

the xbox 360 wireless n supports a to my suprise, maybe buy those at $100 each


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## andrew123 (Sep 26, 2010)

err, yeah, ok I should clarify.. each card has to support A (it can support other modes too, but A mode must be supported). All the clients on the AP have to run in A mode, one single non A mode connection ruins the party.


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## Formula350 (Sep 26, 2010)

andrew123 said:


> err, yeah, ok I should clarify.. each card has to support A (it can support other modes too, but A mode must be supported). All the clients on the AP have to run in A mode, one single non A mode connection ruins the party.



Well I don't know for CERTAIN if the wireless card in the main laptop supports A, but I say it's a fair bet. The PCI card I have in my desktop is a little strange, as it's an HP card, built by Lite-On, with an Atheros chip. The drivers reflect it as just b/g, but running the Atheros Client Utility and looking at the network readouts I see it check in the 5GHz band from time to time, plus the channel is above any b/g that I've read about. So I'm quite certain it'll do A. I'm also fairly certain the Broadcom 4311 in the computer I was to use as an AP supports A, and also quite certain the Atheros card in my aunts does as well (newer and supports n for sure, not that it means it'll do a though... nm lol).

I don't know, I'm just starting to feel like this is a lost cause, and I'll just have to try and scrounge up $80-100 for a Cradlepoint MBR series


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