Easy WIFI install: an entrepreneurial opportunity

[rarsa]

I believe the lack of working wireless solutions is a very major drawback to the uptake of Linux

I believe the lack of working drivers should be a major drawback for certain addapter brands...

I think that's the point of this thread. Let's vote with our dollars and get cards that work with linux.

I am sure that the next version of Puppy (2.12) will be a big boost for wireless users as it includes many drivers that had to be manually installed before.

The list of available drivers in Puppy 2.12 should be a very good "hint" of what cards to buy.

I've had cards that require rt2500, zd1211 and orinoco.

Orinoco drivers have been working with puppy out of the box since I can remembe. The only problem was lack of scanning support.

rt2500 and zd1211 had some issues some time ago but now they are stable.

My point is... Investigate what drivers are required for your choosen card before buying it and see if they are included with Puppy.

[vodsonic]

Thanks, Lobster - that's exactly what I meant. Looking at the wireless section, I see that it's the same page I was referring to above in relation to wireless cards. It could do with a little more sorting (USB, PCMCIA, PCI internal, etc.) and some concrete recommendations for newbies looking to buy a card with Puppy in mind. If I find a good one, I'll add it.

EDIT: Perhaps once Puppy 2.12 is out, the wiki could be edited to include a complete list of included drivers and the specific cards they support.

Just made an addition to the modem section.

[PaulBx1]

This thread has been inactive for a couple months, but I wanted to check back and see if you had been able to get that USB dongle working with Puppy.

Just came back to this board to visit and noticed you resurrected this old thread.

The answer is no. The dongle in question never materialized; I think it was the hardware equivalent of "vaporware".

What's worse, Puppy 212 broke my somewhat kludgy wireless setup with my Netgear WG511T PCMCIA card, and when I tried a Belkin USB (Zydas 1211b chipset), that wouldn't work either with the 1211 driver supplied in 212, nor with my clumsy attempt to compile a 1211b driver (the 1211b driver was not supplied, an oversight). And the Windows install CD for it is 1000 miles away, so ndiswrapper is out too.

BTW I notice "laptopnewbee" had precisely the same issue I had with that Atheros chipset - madwifi doesn't work, and ndiswrapper hardly works (and not in 212). A prime example of what I'm talking about here.

Finally in frustration I scrounged an ethernet cable and hooked up physically to my wireless router. That connected with about two mouseclicks (except for some reason I can't receive email even though I can send it - still trying to sort that out). Thus I'm back in Puppy 211.

My point is... Investigate what drivers are required for your choosen card before buying it and see if they are included with Puppy.

Kinda difficult, when the vendors don't print the chipset info on the box. Oh, I suppose you could only buy cards for which every possible chipset has a supported driver, but good luck finding that info out.

No, the point of my thread was to hope some individual would see this as a way to make money. Pure economic self-interest. I want some guy to get out there and find something that works, and a source of repeated purchase of the same thing, and offer it for sale here with a respectable markup. I am willing to pay for this work, and I think others are too. I don't have time to fuss with it myself; I have other things to keep me busy. Help me to give you money!

Should be even easier than when I first started this post, since Barry is supporting more and more drivers in zdrv.