Hey guys. I've been hesitating to post something like this, but I think
I'm frustrated enough at this point to go ahead and do it.
If anyone out there is considering using any Wi-Fi modules based on the
Marvell 88W8385 chipset under Windows CE 5.0, I strongly recommend you
reconsider. Or, at least put whatever you are considering through a
very rigorous evaluation before making any design commitments.
The company I'm doing work for had committed to a design that used this
chipset on a CF interface Wi-Fi module. The assumption was that they
would be able to use the NDIS mini-port driver provided by Marvell in
their software platform just as they had done with many CF Wi-Fi
solutions in the past.
Unfortunately, this was not the case. Marvell has provided them with no
direct support whatsoever. The module manufacturer they were working
with has provided them with no support whatsoever. The sales
organization that they were purchasing these modules through managed to
provide them with two different drops of driver source code. Neither
worked on their platform as-is. After approximately 6 weeks of software
effort, they managed to achieve minimal Wi-Fi functionality under very
controlled setups. This was not sufficient for their requirements.
They are currently in quite a bit of a pickle.
Is anyone out there successfully using this chipset? If so, who's
drivers are you using? Are there any contacts for people willing to
provide high-quality, production-grade software support for this chipset
under Windows CE?
For everyone else... If you're anything other than a Tier 1 customer to
Marvell, be very careful. If any module providers are promising you
drivers, make sure you can evaluate them before making any design
decisions.
(I feel like I just went to confession.)
"Frustrated"