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* Vitals [1]
* Official Details [2]
* Pictures [3]
* ASUS Firmware [4]
* Alternate Linux Based Firmware [5]
* Support Forum [6]
* Misc Notes & Links [7]
* Serial port [8]
* Discussion [9]
VITALS
* MANUFACTURER : Asus
* MODEL : WL500G
* TYPE : Access Point / Router
* EXTERNAL ANTENNA JACK : 1x RP-SMA
* USB PORTS : 1x v1.1 on wl500g
* PARALLEL PORT : 1x on wl500g
* WLAN CHIPSET : Broadcom (mini pci)
* POWER : 5v
* TRANSMIT SPECS :
* 19mW default
* 84mW max
* RECIEVE SENSITIVITY :
* -84dB @ 11Mbps
* AVAILABLE NEW : Yes
* AVERAGE PRICE : $200 ish or better
* VITALS LAST UPDATED : 17/07/05
OFFICIAL DETAILS
From the Manufacturers blurb [10]...
The Most Smart WLAN Router in the world
ASUS proudly announce the smartest WLAN Router in the world, WL-500g.
It provides fast 54 Mbps date rate and all WLAN Router function,
including DHCP server, IP sharing, Firewall, VPN pass through, esc. To
ensure WLAN security, it also provides strong WPA and unique WLAN
firewall, to protect the data from WLAN.
The Asus WL500G Broadband Router is really FIVE devices in one box.
* First, there's the Wireless Access Point, which lets you connect
Wireless-G or Wireless-B devices to the network.
* There's also a built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100 Switch to
connect your wired-Ethernet devices. Connect four PCs directly, or
daisy-chain out to more hubs and switches to create as big a network
as you need.
* The Router function ties it all together and lets your whole
network share a high-speed cable or DSL Internet connection, files,
and other resources such as printers and hard disk storage space.
* It also has ability to be a print server or control device via the
printer port
* Finally, USB Storage support for USB key's / Harddisks OR a USB
Webcam, the storage support is even included on OpenWrt [11] with
webcam support on the horizon.
PICTURES
Lots of internal WL500G Pics [12]
ASUS FIRMWARE
Select your Model [13]
ALTERNATE LINUX BASED FIRMWARE
OPENWRT Support for wl500g [14] For WL500G - OpenWRT [15] provides an
flexible, re-writable Linux distribution for the WL500G, this one
includes madwifi to support the altheros a/b/g mini-pci chipsets and
others.
SUPPORT FORUM
WL500 Forum [16]
MISC NOTES & LINKS
wl500 Setup / Testing [17]
SERIAL PORT
There seems to be standard dual Uart's for possible dual serial
support on this board.
Here is a tutorial on how to add dual serial ports to this device:
Serial Port Tutorial [18]
This describes how to build an expansion board to add UARTs and a
MAX232 chip to the WL500g. I assume that UARTs are specified because
that particular hardware revision of the WL500g does not have UARTs on
board. Can we get confirmation on which wl500g/gx's have UARTs on
them?
If all this gets too hard, you could always plug in a USB-Serial
adapter and compile in support for that instead.
USB-Serial Tutorial [19]
DISCUSSION
17/7/05 Peter melb_ap [20] : Standard openwrt for the broadcom
chipset will run on this device, but there are also versions
specifically compiled to take advantage of the mini-pci slot thats
standard in the wl500g unit.
I've done some testing and found that the altheros a/b/g cards do
work , but watch the revisions - refer for supported cards [21]
This is a great little unit, for not much more than a WRT54G [22] you
get the big plus of being able to change the mini-pci radio for one
with a high receive sensitivity or 802.11a support. You can also even
add a memory key or hard disk storage, use the usb or printer port for
control or content purposes, and do the normal routing / web
functions.
I've been evaluating this unit and it could be another option for the
node in a box project where the uplink is a bit more difficult or
requires 802.11a
19/7/05 DanFlett [23] : I've recently bought 2 of these for myself.
I'm using one as my Internet router using modified firmware from
wl500g.info [24]. I'm using their firmware version 1.7.5.9-5 which has
the BPALogin software compiled in to allow use on Telstra Bigpond
Cable. It seems to work fine for me. It doesn't show me what IP
address I've received from Bigpond via DHCP in the web interface - but
you can telnet in and do an 'ifconfig'.
I intend to install OpenWRT [25] on the other one and have a play -
I'd like to compile in support for USB WLAN NICs so that extra radios
can easily added via USB.
27/7/05 John Batstone, Node FOA, FOB, FOC: I have been playing with
one of these little gems for the last couple of days and finding it a
great unit.
I have flashed it with 1.9.2.7-6b firmware from the
http://oleg.wl500g.info/ site (it still uses the ASUS web page
interface with some added goodies). There is a nice little "howto" at
http://www.macsat.com/ipkg.php on how to setup a 256Meg USB stick or
external USB drive and make it mount on bootup and install ipkg
package system. I have even got midnite commander working on this for
ease of use. So far the unit has been working great,
and as Peter says, the Mitsubishi R100 is the same unit as the
WL-500G, the cost of the Mitsubishi's are around the $110+ mark
Links:
------
[1] http://melbournewireless.org.au/#vitals
[2] http://melbournewireless.org.au/#official_details
[3] http://melbournewireless.org.au/#pictures
[4] http://melbournewireless.org.au/#asus_firmware
[5] http://melbournewireless.org.au/#alternate_linux_based_firmware
[6] http://melbournewireless.org.au/#support_forum
[7] http://melbournewireless.org.au/#misc_notes___links
[8] http://melbournewireless.org.au/#serial_port_
[9] http://melbournewireless.org.au/#discussion_
[10] http://au.asus.com/products2.aspx?l1=12&l2=43
[11] http://melbournewireless.org.au/?OpenWrt
[12] http://wl500g.info/showthread.php?t=8
[13] http://support.asus.com/download/download.aspx?SLanguage=en-us
[14] http://openwrt.org/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=9538#p9538
[15] http://melbournewireless.org.au/?OpenWRT
[16] http://wl500g.info/
[17] http://mobil.kunstlabor.at/openwrt/wl500gd/
[18] http://wl500g.info/archive/index.php/t-587.html
[19] http://wl500g.info/archive/index.php/t-608.html
[20] http://melbournewireless.org.au/?melb_ap
[21] http://www.madwifi.org/
[22] http://melbournewireless.org.au/?WRT54G
[23] http://melbournewireless.org.au/?DanFlett
[24] http://wl500g.info/
[25] http://melbournewireless.org.au/?OpenWRT
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