<![CDATA[How to know if Wifi USB stick support Server and Client mode?]]>Hi Everyone,

I am not sure if I am using the right term or not but I understand that a wifi USB dongle can be used in either client mode where it connects to a wireless router and obtains IP or it can itself act as a Wireless access point where other clients can connect to it.

That is what I am looking to achieve with a Cisco WUSB54GC ver.3.

What commands can I run to check if the this USB dongle support both modes mentioned above?

Thanks

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/topic/32828/how-to-know-if-wifi-usb-stick-support-server-and-client-modeRSS for NodeWed, 22 Apr 2026 17:21:09 GMTSun, 17 Apr 2011 22:28:27 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to How to know if Wifi USB stick support Server and Client mode? on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 21:00:27 GMT]]>@torontob:

To get things straight, "Hostap" is for acting as a wireless router and that is when you put Infrastructure mode in pfSense wireless tab?

On a pfSense wireless interface, configure Mode as

  • Access Point if you want it to behave as an access point

  • Infrastructure if you want to use something else as an access point

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/275495https://forum.netgate.com/post/275495Mon, 18 Apr 2011 21:00:27 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to know if Wifi USB stick support Server and Client mode? on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 20:07:44 GMT]]>This sheet we maintain is also a good point of reference:

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AojFUXcbH0ROdHgwYkFHbkRUdV9hVWljVWl5SXkxbFE&hl=en

Searching on the "cards supported by drivers" tab shows that chip should be supported by the run(4) driver, which supports hostap.

Search the forum for more on that driver. I seem to recall some people were getting panics when trying to use that driver with certain chips.

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/275490https://forum.netgate.com/post/275490Mon, 18 Apr 2011 20:07:44 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to know if Wifi USB stick support Server and Client mode? on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 19:46:27 GMT]]>Thanks CMB and Wallybob.

So, I checked and I have a Ralink RT2070L chipset. I am not sure how the man page search works as it didn't return neither of WUSB54GC version 3 or RT2070L even though it's supported in pfSense 2.0.

To get things straight, "Hostap" is for acting as a wireless router and that is when you put Infrastructure mode in pfSense wireless tab?

Thanks

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/275481https://forum.netgate.com/post/275481Mon, 18 Apr 2011 19:46:27 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to know if Wifi USB stick support Server and Client mode? on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 11:19:33 GMT]]>@torontob:

That is what I am looking to achieve with a Cisco WUSB54GC ver.3.

Do you know what chipset is used in this stick? Or the pfSense driver? My source suggests its probably a Ralink chipset supported by the FreeBSD run driver in which case Access Point would be supported.

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/275407https://forum.netgate.com/post/275407Mon, 18 Apr 2011 11:19:33 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to How to know if Wifi USB stick support Server and Client mode? on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 09:10:21 GMT]]>It's generally chipset and hence driver-specific, so just look up the driver your card uses here.
http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi

For AP, you're looking for hostap. They all support infrastructure mode (what you're referring to as "client"). If hostap isn't listed in the driver's man page it's not supported, likely because the hardware doesn't support it.

]]>https://forum.netgate.com/post/275395https://forum.netgate.com/post/275395Mon, 18 Apr 2011 09:10:21 GMT