Re: alt.net.wireless.NOT.FILLED.WITH ANAL RETENTIVE.PRICKS

[POSTED TO alt.internet.wireless - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <inj882dvhn4372qhga6hn2n3lc6tsttv1o@xxxxxxx> on Mon, 05 Jun 2006 09:17:21
-0700, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

If ease of setup were a primary requirement, just about anything in
networking would be considered a failure.

Indeed -- networking is still Way Too Hard.

Attempts to automate the
processes with UPnP and IRDP (router discovery protocol) have largely
failed due to wide range of methods used to connect to the internet.
The number of WAN interface methods (PPPoE, PPPoA, satellite,
cellular, etc) have increased faster than the manufacturers wizards
can adapt. In other words, setup automation has largely been a
failure.

My own opinion is that there has been substantial improvement:
* Interoperability has improved
* Products have become more mature and stable
* Products have become more tolerant and less rigid (e.g., smart ports)
* Setup wizards, while far from perfect, are much easier to use

One could also argue that Cisco, Sonicwall, and 3com make
superior wireless hardware, but require substantially more expertise
and time to setup.

Depends on the target market. Some of those products (e.g., SonicWALL SOHO
routers) install easily with little or no expertise.

Linksys and DD-WRT as a different story. People that install
alternative firmware do so because they want features and control not
available in the stock firmware. In all cases, they are willing to
accept the learning curve and setup time in order to obtain these
features. Although the average user could certainly install DD-WRT,
they will also complain about the added complexity. Fine. Complexity
is the price one pays for added features and control.

I don't think that's necessarily the case. I think it's more a matter of
maturity, and also of careful engineering. Early in a product life cycle we
put up with a lot of crap to get something working at all, but late in a life
cycle we expect it to be darn near idiot proof. The problem in 802.11 is a
high rate that has kept us early in the life cycle.

The emergence and popularity of alternative firmware also underscores
a big problem with Linksys. I don't believe their marketting has a
clue how their products are being used. The WRT54G v5 fiasco is a
great example of how they can kill their own golden goose. Yet, the
WRT54G and GS series are their best sellers. They're so good that
Linksys recycled the model number on completely unrelated products in
the hope consumers will assume it's the same as the popular WRT54G.
Maybe they'll realize that its popularity is based on alternative
firmware and not anything wonderful about the hardware.

I think that's an exaggeration, that much of the popularity was unrelated to
alternative firmware.

Like I said, none of these bottom of the line vendors are anywhere
near perfect.

Yet.

--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>
.

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