fcisler
Premium
join:2004-06-14
Riverhead, NY
| Magicbox (WRAP clone?) If this isn't the proper place, please move mods...
I was updating my linksys earlier today (DD-WRT) and came across this - »www.magicbox.pl/en/index.php
Magicbox!
It looks pretty interesting... It's a PowerPC 200Mhz SBC. Very close "clone" to my WRAP or a PC Engines SBC.
Anyone have any experience with these?
Price seems right....~$100
I'm wondering if it's worth picking up one of the outdoor units?
I have a Linksys WRT54G running DD-WRT, and I love it. I currently live around farm fields and i'm interested in toying with a PtP connection between a friends house, which i believe i have LOS to.
Think this device may be a good choice? Any recommendations on the card (miniPCI) and antennas (PtP and possibly just omnidirectional)? Anything comparable in price that would be better off for me?
Thanks for the suggestions! | |
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 LLigetfa
join:2006-05-15
Fort Frances, ON
1 edit | Re: Magicbox (WRAP clone?) If all you want is PtP, a pair of HGA sub $100 units would do that nicely and it is all packaged up complete with antenna in a weatherproof enclosure. You cannot beat the price. | |
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ponline
join:2004-03-04
presheva
| Re: Magicbox (WRAP clone?) WRAP clone??!!! I was hoping to find something interesting based on the topic.
As i can see this board can run only dd-wrt and some mini linux distributions with 4mb flash on it.
If this board cannot run StarOS or Mikrotik which is why is WRAP popular, how can it be a WRAP clone. | |
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fcisler
Premium
join:2004-06-14
Riverhead, NY
| Re: Magicbox (WRAP clone?) Read my post
It's a PowerPC 200Mhz SBC. Very close "clone" to my WRAP or a PC Engines SBC.
"Very close"....
It's a SBC..it's got 2 ethernet ports, a miniPCI
Whats not close?? Only major difference, as i stated, was PowerPC
I found it and had never heard of it, so i posted it. Don't like it? go buy a WRAP. I like my WRAP but im always interested in new technology. | |
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ponline
join:2004-03-04
presheva
1 edit | Re: Magicbox (WRAP clone?) It's a SBC..it's got 2 ethernet ports, a miniPCI
Whats not close?? Only major difference, as i stated, was PowerPC
Well it has good processor, but only 4 memory of flash, and doesnt have a CF port. It has only one mpci port, what makes it usable only for CPE. So i dont see too much similarities with the functionality of a WRAP. | |
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| | | LLigetfa
join:2006-05-15
Fort Frances, ON
| LOL
No need to get you knickers in a twist. You asked for input.
So what is the price difference between it (the clone???) and a WRAP, $50? Not worth it IMHO if it does not do what a WRAP does.
If all you want to do is setup a PtP and don't need all the features of a WRAP, there are much cheaper solutions that work straight out of the box. Sounds to me like you just want to play with the *clone* and don't care about the feature set.
You ask for recommendations but fail to provide any detail whatsoever but since you did say "PtP and possibly just omnidirectional" one can infer moderate gain / low power. | |
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lutful
Premium
join:2005-06-16
Ottawa, ON
 ·TekSavvy Solutions..
1 edit | *** First about your PtP and PtMP (AP) needs:
Since you are already exploring DD-WRT, the Buffalo high power wireless router is an excellent choice that is also very low cost. You can find them on-line in the $50 range and plastic enclosures are $10.
*** Now about PowerPC SBC from MagicBox:
I have been playing with a similar but tinier IBM PowerPC board with Atheros miniPCI cards since 2004. »Current longest 5.8Ghz OFDM link?
I think the IBM "405" PowerPC ran at 266Mhz to 533Mhz. IBM sold off the PowerPC low-end CPU line to AMCC who may be making the 200Mhz version CPU.
But I will estimate that even at 200Mhz, it will run Linux as well as a 266Mhz WRAP board. BTW most commercial WISP-OS (Star-OS, Mikrotik, WILI, Ikarus) do not support PowerPC but they all run on WRAP.
Sebastian added DD-WRT support recently. You may have to pay a small fee for 5Ghz Atheors support. DD-WRT forum has a section for MagicBox:
»www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewforum.···931e9982 | |
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fcisler
Premium
join:2004-06-14
Riverhead, NY
| Well i was refering to 2.0, the one coming soon, which does have a CF and 3 MiniPCI.
I love my WRAP's, but so far I have not seen a good free piece of software for using them as a WAP. The m0n0 distro recommends against using it (m0n0) as a WAP. I've heard of StarOS, which i believe is able to run on a WRAP, but i'm not paying for it.
So I guess a better question would be then what free distro's exist for a soekris/WRAP that are geared twards WISPS/WIFI and are free? | |
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| lutful
Premium
join:2005-06-16
Ottawa, ON
·TekSavvy Solutions..
| Re: Magicbox (WRAP clone?) I deployed many m0n0/prism/WRAP systems that still work with our m0n0/Prism and also CB3 and RTL8186 CPEs.
Many Linux distributions (Voyage, SISO) and pfSense support Atheros cards on WRAP.
Since I visited Sebastian in Dresden in January, I have begged him to port DD-WRT to WRAP. But he spent a lot of time on RB532 which in my opinion was a waste of his very busy time.
If enough WRAP users call hime I am sure he could do it in just one weekend. | |
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