What PCI card do you use to organize wireless AP?

dnb

dnb

I am using Supermicro x7spe-hf-d525 server as my router. This server is known to work great with FreeBSD. However, I also need to turn it into a wireless AP. This device should distribute wifi at a distance of 50 meters.

Please advise specific PCI express device. Please indicate the brand name of the device (to make it easier for me to find it on sale) and the wi-fi speed that you managed to get with it, for example:

TP-Link TL-WN781ND - 150 Mbps (works great, but, in my case, I only managed to get 54Mbps, I need something faster).

Thanks to all!
 
hardworkingnewbie said:
Why don't you take a hardware AP instead, which you can put there where reachability for Wifi will be optimum?
Click to expand...
I have, for example, Mikrotik netmetal ac2, which I can connect to my server. Do I understand correctly that you are talking about a device of this type?

Purism doesn't let me do it. Everything should be on FreeBSD, this is the most important idea. If I can't do it, I'll try OpenBSD. Although no, I won't.
 
You want a device, which can distribute WIFI in a reliable manner at a distance of 50 meters. This really contradicts the expressed wish to use a PCI Express device, where antennas are normally quite short and such.

Furthermore FreeBSD at the moment does not support Wifi6 (802.11ac), this is still in the making.
 
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Slight nitpick: Wifi 6 is 802.11ax (2019)

FreeBSD also doesn't seem to support Wifi 5: 802.11ac (from 2014)
 
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dnb said:
I only managed to get 54Mbps,
Click to expand...
That is FreeBSD Hostapd wireless in a nutshell. Even in N mode I see ~8 megabytes/sec max.
Either retool or deal with it. OpenWRT is good open source wireless including 802.11ac.

Mikrotik makes the best modules in my opinion. Mount one on a PCIe paddle card for your Wireless card on that board.
The Mikrotik Atheros based 802.11N modules come in either 2.4 or 5 ghz. So you need to choose a band.
mikrotik.com

R11e-5HnD | MikroTik

5Ghz miniPCI-express, 802.11a/n dual chain, 2x MMCX
mikrotik.com mikrotik.com
mikrotik.com

R11e-2HPnD | MikroTik

2Ghz miniPCI-express, 802.11b/g/n dual chain, 2x MMCX
mikrotik.com mikrotik.com
At 50 meters you are pushing it. What is the arrangement? Point to point or omni-directional needed?
 
"This device should distribute wifi at a distance of 50 meters." -good luck with that! Best range has 54g but 50 meters is a hell of a distance... and we didn't even discuss if you have wall(s) between the server and the clients...

Its better if you buy some cheap wireless routers and you setup as access points...
 
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That adapter card I posted will not work with the Mikrotik modules I posted. They use MMCX connectors.
The adapter card uses U.Fl connectors. I was just spit-balling ideas for PCIe to mini PCIe adapters.
You would need to switch out the pigtails for MMCX.

Disadvantage of hostapd is single band only. With two modules you can host both 2.4 and 5 ghz.
$40 dollar netgear WAP does that with ease. So that route is faster and much cheaper.
I used a Ruckus WAP until I figured out hostapd. It was nothing special.

You have to ignore the atheros hostap quirks for an overall positive experience.
For example MIMO doesn't seem to help much. AR9380 with 3 Antennas does not offer any more speed than 2 antennas models like AR9280.

I consider the configurability a big plus. I do like total control.
 
+1 for going with Mikrotik if you take wifi serious - the FreeBSD wifi stack is not up to it. Or, you could give net/wifibox a try (pass-through a wifi cart to a Linux bhyve VM)
 
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