Re: Oops. I dropped my ISP's jury-rigged rooftop antenna - Did research - Will these replacement parts work?

On Mon, 18 Apr 2011 17:04:44 +0000 (UTC), Sam Harrison
<samiamharrison@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

- ISP contraption = http://bayimg.com/hAHEgAadk

I don't recognize the device, but it doesn't seem mechanically broken
other than a cracked case. Any internal or board damage? Is there a
maker, model number, or first 6 digits of the MAC address to identify
it?

- ISP bridge with PCMCIA card = http://bayimg.com/haHEfAAdK

Engenius/Senao ML-2611CB3 Plus. I'm neutral on the quality. Some say
it's great, other say it's crap. No clue who's right.

- My attempt to 'access' the PCMCIA card = http://bayimg.com/HaHEeaaDK

Your photos are marginal. No detail, mostly otto focus, too tiny, and
yucky GIF files. The answers you get are only going to be as detailed
as the info you supply. From the blurry image, I don't see anything
that looks incorrect. It should work. What exactly is broken or not
working?

- The planar? antenna I need to repladce = http://bayimg.com/haHEoAadk

That's a RooTenna by Pacific Wireless
<http://www.fab-corp.com/product.php?productid=2845&cat=255&page=1>
15dBi gain claimed. I'm also a fan of science fiction.

Repeating the questions with (non-truncated) tinyurl links:
Q1: Can I replace the ISP's old antenna with this newer better one?
* 2.4 GHz 19dBi Gain Grid parabolic Dish N-Female, by Laird
* http://tinyurl.com/3mnxaqu

Sure, no problem. You're only trying to connect to one remote bridge
or access point, so there won't be any issues with coverage area. More
gain is always better.

Q2: Can I replace the ISP's jury-rigged "bridge" with this "router"?
* * BULLET-M2-HP Outdoor 802.11n 802.11g, by Ubiquiti
* http://tinyurl.com/32yjmhh

Maybe. However, it's not plug-n-play. The Bullet M2 HP is my current
favorite and should work electrically. However, there are some
unanswered questions that you'll need to investigate:
1. If authentication is by MAC address, you'll need to change the
registration with the wireless WISP.
2. If the ISP system is using WEP/WPA/WPA2 encryption, you'll need to
get the password from the ISP.
3. If the ISP is setting the transmit power to avoid overload at the
central bridge or access point, you'll need to have them set it.
4. If the ISP is using 802.11b only, then you'll need to turn off
802.11g and 802.11n features.
5. If the ISP is using alternative firmware, such as DD-WRT, you'll
need get the correct version number, or have them do it.

Translation: It's not going to happen unless you first contact your
ISP.

Q3: Can I change the MAC address on this router to match the original
'bridge'? (Bear in mind, I'm still confused about the difference between
a router and a bridge; and that I have no problem changing the MAC on my
Linksys WRT54G router; but I could not connect to the ISP's bridge even
when I wired it directly to my laptop PC).

I've never tried it, but this *MIGHT* work:

wlanconfig ath0 destroy
ifconfig wifi0 down
ifconfig wifi0 hw ether 11:22:33:44:55:66
ifconfig wifi0 up
wlanconfig ath0 create wlandev wifi0 wlanmode sta
ifconfig ath0 up

If it works, store this in
/etc/persistent/rc.poststart

Again, I haven't tried this, don't know if it works, don't consider
MAC address juggling to be ethically correct, and will not be
responsible if you trash your bridge, or your WISP kicks you off his
system for hacking.

TIA,for your advice!

Why haven't you just called your WISP for help with repair or
replacement of the existing hardware? Presumably, it worked before it
was dropped and should be adequate for the purpose.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@xxxxxxxxxx
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
.

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