[leaf-wisp] Wireless signal dropout

I have a Soekris net4521 running Wisp-Dist, using a single Teletronics
200mW pcmcia card attached to a 12" pigtail and a 15db planar antenna.
It is operating as a single access point.  I am using a standard 12v
power supply (purchased with the board from Soekris) which feeds through
the power input jack (not POE).  

Access is via a Toshiba laptop also running a Teletronics 200mW pcmcia
card with one of the little pigtail whip antennas. The laptop can boot
WinXP/Fedora Core 1/FreeBSD 4.9.  

I get strong reception in many parts of the building and everything
seems to work well . . . except that the signal drops out every so often
without warning.  Sometimes it is able to reconnect on its own, while
atothers I have to manually reconnect.  It happens when I am at the
outer limits of the access point's range but also when close by (i.e.,
in the same room).

The /etc/network/wireless.conf is as follows:

# Wireless configuration parameters
#
netcs0_MODE="MASTER"
netcs0_ENCMODE="ON"
netcs0_RATE="11M"
netcs0_ESSID="fpcwireless"
netcs0_KEY="##:##:##:##:##" <== not actual
netcs0_CHANNEL="11"
netcs0_MACFILTER_POLICY="0"
netcs0_NICK="fpcwireless1"
netcs0_TXPOWER="200mW"
netcs0_RTS=""

With no wireless clients connected, iwconfig displays the following:

netcs0  IEEE 802.11-DS  ESSID:"fpcwireless"  Nickname:"fpcwireless1"
        Mode:Master  Frequency:2.462GHz  Access Point: 00:02:6F:05:59:2F
        Bit Rate=2Mb/s   Tx-Power=24 dBm   Sensitivity=1/3
        Retry min limit:8   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off
        Encryption key:####-####-##   Encryption mode:restricted
        Power Management:off
        Link Quality:0  Signal level:0  Noise level:0
        Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0
        Tx excessive retries:90  Invalid misc:269   Missed beacon:0

I have not configured RTS/CTS as I am not sure what those settings ought
to be.

I do not know if my problem is due to hardware/software/local
interference or something else.  I do have another lower powered (30mW
SMC) AP in another part of the building running on channel 6 with a 6db
antenna, but that does not seem to be a problem.

I am concerned that the problem is related to the hardware, but have not
the expertise to diagnose it.  Any suggestions where I should begin?

Daniel Loomis



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