This is a cool project, but can someone help be understand the "necessity" to do this to connect older PCs with PCMCIA "without the need to maintain an old linksys router"?
Current wireless APs are backwards compatible to 802.11b and in some cases also 802.11a, usually covering every standard between that and whatever the new standard was when they hit the market. For example, this Netgear AP and router in its spec sheet says specifically "- Backwards compatible with 802.11a/b/
g/n/ac WiFi". It's just not on the main feature list that's shortened for marketing. https://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/RAX38/RAX38v2_DS...
So I get the idea of a faster network connection on PCMCIA, up to the point that the 486 can actually use it anyway. I understand the coolness factor and the fun of solving this puzzle. I just don't understand the stated need. It's a lot of work compared to just connecting. The bigger deal for me would be this old laptop and card speaking WEP rather than WPA3.
> The bigger deal for me would be this old laptop and card speaking WEP rather than WPA3.
As I understood, this is exactly helping with not having to use WEP. The Pico is simulating a NE2000 ethernet card, so any old pre-WPA Windows98 drivers are not used at all, but with the Pico doing ethernet-to-wifi conversion and WPA2 encryption.
Current wireless APs are backwards compatible to 802.11b and in some cases also 802.11a, usually covering every standard between that and whatever the new standard was when they hit the market. For example, this Netgear AP and router in its spec sheet says specifically "- Backwards compatible with 802.11a/b/ g/n/ac WiFi". It's just not on the main feature list that's shortened for marketing. https://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/RAX38/RAX38v2_DS...
So I get the idea of a faster network connection on PCMCIA, up to the point that the 486 can actually use it anyway. I understand the coolness factor and the fun of solving this puzzle. I just don't understand the stated need. It's a lot of work compared to just connecting. The bigger deal for me would be this old laptop and card speaking WEP rather than WPA3.