PCI-E Card for WiFi AP
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Hello guys,
Thank you for your suggestions on this thread.
I think I will give a try using a WiFi card before (eventually) moving to a separate AP!
I just have a doubt about the protocols: basically for my smart devices I need something on 2.4GHz (802.11b/g/n) and better have 5GHz (802.11a/n/ac..) for the laptops.
If I could find a supported PCI-E Card, is it possible to have an AP on multiple frequencies and bands?
Or I may need to have 2 PCI-E Cards each one working no a specific frequency?Regards,
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I have a 2100-MAX I use an internal pcie card for guest WiFi and an external AP for the secure side. It works fine.
But the pcie card can't do both 2.4 ghz and 5 ghz at the same time. So with that said it's great for my guest and unfiltered Internet for gaming systems. Things like MFPs need 2.4 ghz. But I run both APs at the same time so it works for what I need.
This way you will end up with 2 DHCP servers and you can set up two different private IP blocks, like 192.169.1.1 and a 10.0.0.1 network block. It's really cool.
Yes they do work but I played with every setting this is the best coverage for my internal card set to a/n -40 and fcc anywhere. All the other options have issues.
No more bssid errors it runs good.
5dbi antenna also for mine. Has a oval coverage shape.
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@JonathanLee said in PCI-E Card for WiFi AP:
But the pcie card can't do both 2.4 ghz and 5 ghz at the same time.
Hello. Sorry, is that a limitation of that specific card, or in general?
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@MasterLog it's a limitations for PfSense on the 2100MAX I assume it's for all. That's why everyone loves external AP plus wifi AC support is not available on the drivers for the internal cards.
External APs got it all and then some.
https://forum.netgate.com/topic/184066/pfsense-how-to-guide-guest-wifi-secure-wifi-on-a-sg2100-max
I made a quick how to guide if you want to check it out.
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You need something with dual radios to do more than one channel at a time. Most access points have that. Some have 3 or 4 radios these days. They can run at 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6Ghz and have a radio dedicated to monitoring.
You could put two NICs in pfSense if you really wanted to. But..... external AP.
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@stephenw10 said in PCI-E Card for WiFi AP:
You could put two NICs in pfSense if you really wanted to.
Unfortunately on my device (which is a Thin Client) I have only 1 PCI-E slot (used by the 2nd LAN port) and 1 mini PCI-E slot (for the AP) so I can put only 1 Card for AP.
Hopefully I can find a compatible one with 2 radios (2.4 and 5 GHz). -
I think you're very unlikely to find one. And if you do it may be, literally, 100x more expensive! However you don't need dual band like that to run as an AP.
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@stephenw10 the Compex has 2 radios but FreeBSD and pfSense software only allow use of one of the channels at a time. Also auto mode does not function however PfSense has an option to use auto. Maybe it will work in a future version.
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WLE200NX is dual band but it only has one radio. It can only use one band at a time in any OS.
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Thank you guys.
It seems that using 2 Cards is the only solution at this point.Regards,
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It shows 2 rx 2 tx and 2 radios. . . I just think the software doesn't have code yet to enable both at the same time.
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@JonathanLee said in PCI-E Card for WiFi AP:
It shows 2 rx 2 tx and 2 radios. . . I just think the software doesn't have code yet to enable both at the same time.
Sorry, do you mean also with 2 different devices (e.g. 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz)?
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@MasterLog that's my Compex card just one. I only can get one radio to run with PfSense FreeBSD. I have a external AP for most of the secure traffic.
Use 2 cards, I didn't know PfSense could do that.
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Hmm, interesting. Looking at the data sheet for the chip it does indeed contain two radios. However I think either part of that is shared or it's restricted some way in hardware because Ive never seen one of those chipsets that could use both simultaneously.
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@stephenw10 Maybe we need to configure 2 interfaces?
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Creating two virtual interfaces like that share one parent NIC, ath0, and can only use one set of wifi values. They always use the same channel.
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@stephenw10 it's weird I thought it was a ath0 driver issue with FreeBSD. The card clearly has two radios. Again it just only runs one. Have you ever seen a 2100 running 2 radios on one card?
https://man.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=athn&sektion=4&manpath=OpenBSD+5.0
Per FreeBSD the 9280 has 2 radios.
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Nope and I've never seen it in any OS. If you look at an AP running similar hardware those that support dual band simultaneously have multiple radio chipsets. I don't believe it's possible to run both on that or any similar card.
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Hello guys,
Thank you for your messages.
Summarizing, even using pfsense with a single wifi device featuring dual radio will end using only one radio, despite set the configuration for both.
At this point we didn't confirm if it will work with 2 different separate devices (e.g. 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz).
Is it my understanding correct up to this point?Regards,
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I think Stephenw10 suggested to use two separate cards to achieve your requirements. I have never attempted it. Please yet me know how it turns out with two drivers running.
