Feasibility of a bridge setup
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I want to use an old Compaq Armada 1750 to create a wireless to wireless bridge. For the WAN connection, I would like to use my ALFA AWUS050NH USB adapter, and a USB N adapter to provide for a access point internally. Would that be possible under the latest version of pfsense?
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FreeBSD 8.1 doesn't support "wireless N" but some WiFi adapters capable of operating in N mode are supported in "G compatabilty" mode. I don't know about support for the chipset in the Alfa AWUS050NH. The chipset in the Alfa AWUS036NH appears to be supported in that it is reported to be the same chipset as in the Tenda W311U which I have operational.
The AWUS036NH should be fine as an AP for "local" use. The same device should be fine as a pfSense WAN interface BUT it might be necessary to run it in AP mode rather than Infrastructure mode. (If I recall correctly, there has been at least one report that the run diver, the driver for the chipset in the AWUS036NH, can cause system crashes if operating in Infrastructure mode.)
Do you need to have the pfSense side of the WAN link run in Infrastructure mode (because the other end is in AP mode and you can't easily change it)? If so, does the pfSense box have any spare I/O slots (PCI or Cardbus/PCMCIA)?
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The end device is a Verizon router that only operates as an AP. Currently, I am using an over powered (for the purpose) laptop running under Ubuntu 11.10, and the solution works just fine. I connect the Alfa as a client to the AP down the way and then setup up an adhoc connection using the built-in card to give access the house and it works fine. I wanted to just do this same setup using a low end laptop as opposed to my my i7 machine.