Building a Wireless Access Point on Linux

By Peter Seebach
2005-04-12


Custom Solution Offers Flexibility and Customizability -- and a Chance to Learn
When the ability to write and modify your own management software is the main objective, a custom-built wireless access point is the way to go. Take a look at what's involved in building a wireless bridge using Linux, including software and hardware considerations.

In this article, I'll take you through the process of building a wireless access point running Linux. I won't cover every last line of code, every intermediate step, or every detail of hardware; that would take a book and would be obsolete by the time you read it. The goal is to show you what kinds of concerns and pitfalls you'll face should you want to do this. For this piece, we build the access point to operate as a bridge; simply forwarding packets between the wireless network and a local ethernet. This allows wireless devices to simply be turned on and attached using your existing network -- no new configuration, no special routing.

Tutorial Pages:
» Custom Solution Offers Flexibility and Customizability -- and a Chance to Learn
» Why bother?
» Requirements
» Project Plan
» Conclusions
» Resources


First published by IBM DeveloperWorks

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