I use an Atheros wireless NIC  instead of the Broadcom's in the WL-500GP, and then download kamikaze 7.09 into the router. The type in the /etc/config/wireless is automaticlly changed  from "Broadcom" to "Atheros",and the router is running well. However, when I change the ESSID,the function of wifi is disabled.
      Use the command "ifconfig", there is no wifi , then "ifconfig wifi0 up", the mac address of wifi0 alters 00:00:00:00:00:00:00:.......
      There are some articles referring the success of atheros in 500GP, I absolutely don't know why?
       My English is quite poor, there must be somewhere not clear, I am eager for your help, my friends.

make sure your /etc/config/wireless doesn't have a "option disabled 1" line. if so remove it or set it to "option disabled 0" instead.
after this just do "wifi up" and it should be ok.

cavelas: are you able to get a good wifi signal and do your wifi clients get disconnected after a while? I haven't managed to get my atheros card in my WL-500GP to work normally. I get a very weak signal all the time and after a while WPA disconnects the sessions every couple of seconds...

I have the same issue.
Here's my post about the same: http://forum.openwrt.org/viewtopic.php?id=14124
The signal however is quite ok. But i get random disconnects with both WEP and WPA

bump

Hello,
I have a question maybe a bit off topic. I'd also like to buy this AP and the only reason why I hesitate is the broadcom chipset which forces the use of 2.4 Kernel. You guys and the wiki   http://wiki.openwrt.org/OpenWrtDocs/Har … us/WL500GP  are talking about Atheros chipset. Does it mean that you bought a new Atheros mini PCI card and put it instead of the original broadcom ? Or some models are shipped with the Atheros card ?

Thanks for your help,
Tex.

(Last edited by Tex-Twil on 6 Feb 2008, 09:55)

I've bought a new miniPCI card. I think moust of cards with Atheros chipset would work.

ok thanks. I ordered the 500gp today