Wireless access points: consumer, commercial, or DIY?

[Doug Poland]

Hello,

I'm a long-time FreeBSD user (servers, desktops, laptops) and have lately
become disillusioned with the quality of consumer WAPs.  In my home I
typically run 2 FreeBSD 7.x laptops, a Windows-based laptop, an iMac, and an
iPhone.  My current WAP is a Linksys WAP54G and is a little over a year
old.  As this device ages, it frequently locks up and drops connections.
This is evident on all the wireless devices I use.  Prior to this WAP, I had
another WAP54G and it exhibited the same behavior, which is why I replaced
it.  Prior to that WAP, I had a DLink that had issues.

When I connect on a FreeBSD laptop, I'm typically connecting to my fast
desktop running XDMCP.  In this environment, I'm particularly sensitive to
dropouts and connection issues between my WAP and mobile device.

My current WAP54G is getting so unreliable that I cannot run remote X and be
productive, so I'm in the market to replace the Linksys WAP54G.  I'm not
pleased with the experience's I've had at the consumer level.  I'm not
well-informed about products on the commercial level, other than Cisco WAPs
are $500+.  I've toyed with the idea of using an old PIII and turning it
into a WAP, or going with something like a Soekris net5501 and building my
own.

I want reliable wireless in my home.  So what do I need to do, to get it?
I'm not convinced there's a low-cost solution.  If I have to go up to
commercial quality and spend near $500, I could build my own Soekris
net5501-based WAP and use FreeBSD 7.x. for $100 less.

What are your thoughts, experiences, and/or recommendations?


-- 
Regards,
Doug