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Date:  Sat, 30 Aug 2003 14:36:33 -0400
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Reply-To: os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com
From:  Lewis G Rosenthal <os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com>
To:  os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com
Subject: [OS2Wireless] NetGear MA311

Hi, Ray. Congrats on your new Wi-Fi hardware!

Ray Hyder wrote:

> I realize the IBM driver was designed to run on a ThinkPad  but it 
> does recognize the MA311 and works okay as far as I can see.

It's all a matter of chipsets...

> Performance...   When transferring a 10 meg file between the systems 
> I'm getting a 450 KByte rate with WEP disabled.  350 KByte with 128 
> bit WEP enabled.   Does the  128 bit WEP really have a 25% overhead?

It varies between manufacturers, but there is a definite, measurable hit
by turning on WEP. 25% doesn't seem unreasonable.

>   Are these transfer rates normal for WiFi at 70 feet?

There's no universal yardstick. You could try using a parabolic
reflector to increase gain at either (or both) end(s) of the connection.

>   I have a 5db gain omni-directional antenna on order for the MA311.  
> Will that help? 

Probably. Also try adjusting the placement of the antenna/AP. It's
amazing how even a few inches can improve transmission. Also, try
adjusting the relative positions of the antennae at the AP (like TV
rabbit ears).

> The driver...  It looks like the driver boots up with the radio off  
> or something.

This indeed sounds like an option in the NIF which may not be well
documented. Jens can probably speak to this.

> Stability...   With all of the above considered,  the MA311 somehow 
> decides,  after about an hour,  that it is time to quit work and it 
> goes "unavailable".   Nothing will bring it back short of a reboot.  
> Please!  What am I missing here? 

Hehehe... Welcome to the brave new world of Wi-Fi power management (or
mismanagement, as the case may be). It sounds like the card's power
management functions are being enabled, and unfortunately, Wi-Fi cards
of today's vintage(!) are notorious for being unpredictable when power
management is enabled. As there are no standards for power management
written into the 802.11 specs, each manufacturer sort of does its own
thing, often with very strange results. Again, usually disabling power
controls in PROTOCOL.INI usually does the trick, but it's possible that
the driver wasn't specifically designed for NetGear's implementation,
that the IBM driver won't be able to effectively change it. Again, Jens
can probably provide more substantive information.

> Any help with the above will be appreciated!  - ray

No problem! That's why we're all here! (Of course, you could try calling
Netgear..."OS/2? Is that something like OS X?..."

-- 
Lewis
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