Open Source Wireless Tools Emerge
By Anne Zieger2005-04-13
Wireless LAN Options: Still Ramping Up
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Of late, WLANs have become increasingly important to enterprise connectivity, as well. In a recent study by Santa Cruz, CA-based developer research firm Evans Data Corp., 56 percent of firms surveyed were currently using or evaluating 802.11 networks, up from 50 percent six months before.
As WLANs become more accessible, especially with the growth of Wi-Fi options, the open source community has begun to roll out WLAN projects.
Linux-based projects
A variety of projects, not surprisingly, start out by running over Linux. One example is the Linux-WLAN project, an open source effort developing an 802.11-based wireless LAN system using Linux. The project is sponsored by Melbourne, FL-based Absolute Value Systems, which develops open source-based WLAN product designs. AVS products integrate embedded system software based on Linux with low-cost target hardware.
Individual developers, meanwhile, are coming out with a long list of Linux-based wireless monitoring apps, including KwiFiManager, a set of KDE tools using configurator and link monitor wireless extensions; Qwireless, an x86 and iPaq app for analyzing wireless LANs; and Gwireless, a GNOME-based link monitor and configurator for 802.11b wireless cards using wireless extensions. Security options include Open1x, an open source version of the IEEE 802.1x authentication protocol using wireless extensions.
OpenAP
Several other open source WLAN projects are offering varied open source-based infrastructure options. The OpenAP project, for example, offers a complete distribution of the open source software required to produce an 802.11b-compliant wireless access point, primarily intended for people building community networks. OpenAP is backed by Brisbane, CA-based Instant 802 Networks, Inc., a commercial 802.11 software house.
The OpenAP access point supports multipoint-to-multipoint wireless bridging, while simultaneously serving 802.11b stations. The access points also feature serial console login access, complete with Unix bash shell, Layer 2 roaming, and the 802.1d spanning tree protocol.
Kannel
Another WLAN-related project is Kannel, an open source WAP gateway written in C that also works as an SMS gateway for GSM networks. Founded in 1999 by now-defunct vendor Wapit, Ltd., the project is now coordinated by an internationally distributed group of companies, including UK-based mobile interface design firm 3G LAB, Ltd., Germany-based wireless application services provider Wapme Systems AG, Irish wireless development firm ANAM, and Swiss mobile carrier Global Networks, Inc., along with individual developers and contributors.
Sputnik Community Gateway
Another open source WLAN app comes from commercial development firm Sputnik. Sputnik's free-to-download Community Gateway software turns 802.11-equipped x86-compatible laptops and PCs into network access gateways.
Sputnik Community Gateway features include bandwidth shaping and usage tracking; router, firewall, and authentication-level security; remote management; and dynamic interference detection and automated configuration. The gateway supports throughput of up to 11 Mbps for devices up to approximately 150 feet away.
Sputnik also offers its Sputnik Agent firmware to OEMs and ODMs at no charge. Sputnik licenses the Agent source code, which gives devices the capabilities of its commercial Sputnik AP 120 access point, under its own Sputnik Source Code License.
Tutorial Pages:
» Slowly but Surely, the Open Source Development Model is Spreading Beyond the wired world
» Commercial Offerings
» Volunteer Efforts
» Wireless LAN Options: Still Ramping Up
» A Longer Road
» Resources
First published byIBM DeveloperWorks
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