Anyone here used ndisgen?
reddit / BSD

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RedditAlready19 · 2021-11-18 07:35

So, my WiFi adapter only officially supports Windows and Linux.
However, I came across the FreeBSD manpage for ndisgen, which says it
can convert windows network drivers to FreeBSD kernel modules. Does
this work well, and where do I get NDIS images from?

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FUZxxl · 2021-11-18 14:16

NDISgen is a very old mechanism and is known to be unreliable.
Proceed with caution.

As for the ndis images, you have to find a windows driver for the wlan
adapter.

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RedditAlready19 · 2021-11-18 16:16

What do I do if its only as .exe?

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FUZxxl · 2021-11-18 16:56

You need to first unpack the installer.  I think 7zip can do it.

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qci · 2021-11-18 21:26

Yes in the early 00s and it was already crappy back then.

Save yourself time and sell the adapter or even the entire laptop on
ebay and buy something better.

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RedditAlready19 · 2021-11-18 23:43

Not using a laptop, using a desktop that is too far from the router to
be used via Ethernet.

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tcmart14 · 2021-11-19 01:04

It’s not a great solution, but I bought a second wireless router,
cheap, 20 bucks off Amazon. It sits by my desk and I use it to plug in
to Ethernet, the router connects to the home network. It’s not
perfect, but it works for the few devices that are too far from the
router and need Ethernet.

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qci · 2021-11-19 05:23

But this is even easier. Wireless PCIe adapters are cheap. Look for
one with a supported chipset.

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VENTDEV · 2021-11-19 20:44

If you're not in a shared living situation like a dorm, consider
Ethernet Over Power. Hell of a lot better than wifi all around.
Powerline network adapter, whatever they're calling them these days.

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RedditAlready19 · 2021-11-19 21:13

Actually considering this.

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VENTDEV · 2021-11-19 21:23

I'm using one myself, and it works great. Not as good as a cat 5
cable, but if you're not doing large intranetwork transfers you won't
notice any performance difference between it and a real network cable.
(If memory serves me, it's about a 10-20% performance hit) I do hear
they start to get slower if you chain more adapters to the power
lines. But one run from a router to a switch at your desk, on the same
floor, it's practically the same as an ethernet cable.

In any case, it beats the pants off wifi both in terms of stability
and latency. I'm not sure raw speed compared to modern wifi standards,
but it beats most of the older standards I have access to in speed.


There is also Ethernet over Coaxle, it's a little more expensive, but
I think a little faster too.