Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] 802.11 radios == software radios?

[Ken Sinclair]

David Young wrote:
> Excuse me if this is a naive question, but are the 802.11b radio chipsets
> by Intersil and others "software radios" ? Is it possible to change their
> modulation scheme and tune them to different channels in the 2.4GHz band
> with a change to their firmware?

No.  All the integrated 802.11 parts have hardwired modulation/demodulation,
spread/despread functions, and channel plans.  You could replace the 802.11
protocol stack if you want, but that's all.

> Is there any such thing as an affordable 2.4GHz experimenter's kit for
> software radio? Are the obstacles to an inexpensive kit technical or
> economic (i.e., the market is too small)?

More legal/economic than technical.  I have a 900mhz software radio in
development (there are more interesting signals and applications for us in
that range than at 2.4ghz).  But turning that into a manufactured
experimenter's kit would require unusual regulatory approval (the FCC
traditionally frowns on emitters that can be modified by their end users)
and might run unusual legal risks (from anti-eavesdropping statutes and
perhaps patent threats from incumbents who believe their signal structures
are proprietary).

Ken Sinclair
Wavetrain - Wireless computing and embedded system design
Newton, MA
address@hidden