How easy is it to use an Ubuntu box as a WiFi access point?

MikeHunt79 · 14 Sep 2011 at 10:30

I've got a machine right now that does a few trivial things like backing up files over a wired network.

It's working well, and if I was to throw in a PCI wireless card, how easy would it be to make it an access point? I need WEP or WPA encryption also, will this be possible?

Thanks.

SMN · 14 Sep 2011 at 11:00

Is this any use to you mate?

http://www.su-root.eu/computing/turn-your-linux-computer-in-a-wireless-access-point-using-hostapd

Its going to be difficult but most of the bodgery will definitely be on the WiFi card etc. I know someone who set up an Netbook as a wifi AP as we used it for AP spoofing, i think we used Madwifi drivers for that though and an Atheros based card.

MikeHunt79 · 15 Sep 2011 at 08:37

That looks ideal, thanks. I'll keep an eye out for an Atheros card.

masterluke · 21 Sep 2011 at 17:01

If you only want to share the resources of the wired network out to users connected wirelessly then you can use a wireless broadband (ethernet NOT ADSL) router to do this in combination with either iptables (complicated) or firestarter (easy).

Ethernet network > PC running firestarter > Ethernet cable > WAN input of broadband router > Secure wireless

I use this method to share my USB 3G dongle out wirelessly and its very stable.