[OpenWrt-Users] OpenWRT and 802.11a

[galenz at zinkconsulting.com]

Hello,

I'm new to OpenWRT, but I've done enough with Linux and know people  
who use OpenWRT with great delight.

I'm going buy a new wireless router that supports 802.11a, and I'd  
like to have it support OpenWRT. Unfortunately, this seems to be  
trickier than I thought. Aside from various routing functionality,  
I'm not quite sure what else I would like from the device - it  
depends on what is available, I have a tendency to use everything to  
its full potential.

Initially, I thought a Linksys router might be an easy choice for  
basic functionality. I even spotted the WRT-54AG at a clearance  
company and noted the sources on Linksys' GPL site, but when I  
researched it, the results were not quite ideal. ( http:// 
www.anderson-net.com/~nathan/wrt54ag/ ) The WRT-55AG and WAP also  
seems to be rather disappointing - I'd like something that is  
actually supported, not 'partially working' or 'work in progress.'

I've looked at the supported devices list, but there's barely a word  
about 802.11a on the various models. And with dozens or hundreds of  
models listed, checking every single one for 802.11a support at the  
manufacturer's site would be time consuming, to say the least. In  
casual browsing, the only supported model I could find with 802.11a  
was the WHR3-AG54, but that appears to be Japanese only. I like  
OpenWRT, but it better be a dang good router if I'm going to try and  
import it from Japan.

While my initial thought was to purchase a device that supports  
802.11a out of the box, I have noticed that many routers have MiniPCI- 
based wireless cards, so in theory I could replace the wireless  
radio. Is this practically possible?

Any comments? Ideas? Things I have missed? Anybody actually using  
802.11a and OpenWRT?