Is a good idea to use an USB wireless adaptor to connect to wifi with computers that have no free support in that aspect?

5 respostas [Última entrada]
Megver83
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Joined: 12/21/2015

It´s kinda funny to find computers that work perfect with linux-libre distros but laptops almost always fail on the free compatibility with its wifi chipsets. I was thinking on buying the Netgear WNDA3200 (see https://h-node.org/wifi/view/en/1280/Netgear-WNDA3200--Atheros-AR7010+AR9280-/1/1/undef/undef/undef/undef/undef/USB ) which is an USB adaptor. Do you think is a good decision? I´m seaking in case of a computer that is not mine, because if it´s mine I change the wifi chipset. Thanks in advance and sorry for my bad english!

Megver83
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Joined: 12/21/2015

I´m sorry, it´s not seaking, it´s speaking

Magic Banana

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I am a translator!

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Joined: 07/24/2010

I do not understand the problem (or the question?): making anybody use less proprietary software (in this case a proprietary firmware) is always good!

Remember that it is possible that the manufacturer has changed the chipset in the model in question. As far as I know, the only 100% safe purchases are from http://libre.thinkpenguin.com or http://tehnoetic.com

Megver83
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Joined: 12/21/2015

I understand your point, and I do. But when I start my USB on a PC which runs propietary wifi chipset, should I use an external USB wifi card to connect to wireless internet?

Magic Banana

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I am a translator!

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Joined: 07/24/2010

Doing so makes you run less proprietary software. So: yes.

loldier
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Joined: 02/17/2016

If RMS is a yardstick to go by, then yes.

https://stallman.org/stallman-computing.html

Before that, I used an OLPC for some weeks. I stopped because the OLPC project decided to make their machine support Windows, so I did not want to appear to endorse it. The OLPC uses a nonfree firmware blob for the WiFi, so I could not use the internal WiFi device. No big problem, I used an external one.