[Cu-wireless] solid state design

[Zachary C. Miller]

Just looking into cheap ways to deploy no-moving-parts router boxes
close to the antenna. Obviously so far our best bet is that flashable
workstation but here's an interesting thought: 

In mid-2001 these cost about $300 apparently. 
http://www.gctglobal.com/Products/Set_Top_Box/set_top_box_0.html

But here's an interesting gimmic. Instead of being limitted to the
onboard disk-on-module which might be expensive...why not remote boot
through PCX from another regular desktop computer on the local
ethernet. We can also provide power via power-over-ethernet. Then we
just tuck this box up in the attic as close to the antenna as possible
and go from there.

These boxes only downfall is that they don't have a PCCard slot, but
they do have a PCI slot.

Here's another box that might be interesting (but it looks like it
doesn't have a way to add a wireless card):
http://www.3ilinux.com/uib.htm

I have no pricing information on the latter product. I am emailing
both companies to ask about bulk pricing for a 501c3
organization. (Actually I can't seem to find a way to get in touch
with 3ilinux because their online information request form is broken).

PC/104 stuff is universally too expensive. The cheapest entry level
PC104 mainboards are $300 in volume (and $400 or so singly) and then
you still have to buy an enclosure and a PC Card module and a netcard
module, etc.

-- 
Zachary C. Miller - @= - http://wolfgang.groogroo.com/
IMSA 1995 - UIUC 2000 - Just Another Leftist Muppet - Ya Basta!
 Social Justice, Community, Nonviolence, Decentralization, Feminism,
 Sustainability, Responsibility, Diversity, Democracy, Ecology