: [X4U] wireless network

[Mary C.Youra]

On Sep 15, 2004, at 10:26 AM, senft at worldnet.att.net wrote:

> Once again, we're close to getting broadband at home and have a couple
> of questions.
<snip>
> First, I'm still unclear what plugs into what: cable modem goes into
> base station, and Mac connects to modem? Or base station?

Mitchell--this can be confusing to read, but it's pretty simple once 
you see it. Here's how our home network was initially set up:
Cable Modem > Apple Snow Base Station > Ethernet RJ-45 cable connected 
to Blue/White G3 (which has no internal airport card slot, 
incidentally). Other computers--an iBook 800 G3, iBook SE, 2 iMac 500s 
(not first generation, but Summer 2001), and a Powerbook 3400 with a 
wireless card in a PCMCIA slot--connect wirelessly with all but the 
Powerbook 3400 outfitted with original Airtport cards.

The Apple Base Station is easy to set up, but it is more expensive than 
many other routers. The newer Apple Extreme Base Stations offer a 
faster wireless connection, but only to those computers with the newer 
Airport Extreme cards. An AEBS will work with the original Airport 
cards, but they can only receive the signal at their lower rate.

This Apple site has a nice setup diagram, though it's about those ISPs 
that want only one device connected at a time. (This was helpful 
information for us, even though our cable company does not care if we 
have a router--we still had to use the reset procedure to connect the 
Airport Base Station after the cable guy hooked up the B/W G3 to the 
modem, and left.):
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106836

If you buy an non-Apple wireless router, make sure it doesn't require a 
Windows PC to configure it, or know someone with a PC notebook to come 
over and help you.

> After parsing Apple's support pages, I'm completely confused as to what
> hardware I need. Can I use Airport Express?

Airport Express has only one ethernet port, into which you would plug 
the cable modem. It would broadcast a wireless signal to any of your 
computers with an Airport card, but there'd be no port available to 
connect it by ethernet to a non-wireless computer. You might find it 
too limiting for your purposes, though it does offer a wireless print 
server usb connection, which would allow you to hook up your printer 
and let your wireless computers access the printer that way. (My iBook 
accesses my husband's printer wirelessly, but his computer does have to 
be on to do so.)

>  Can either the iBook or
> iMac take a wireless card?

The iBook 800 G3 can certainly take an original Airport card, but not 
the newer, faster Extreme card. I am not certain about your iMac, it 
may be too early (if it can, like the iBook, it will be limited to the 
original Airport card). Check these two sites:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106777
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58669

If there is no internal Airport card slot, keep in mind that there are 
external devices which plug into the iMac's ethernet port which will 
allow it to connect wirelessly to a wireless router or Airport Base 
Station. I think these adapters can be pricey, however.

Or you can do what my college daugher does in her shared 
apartment--they have a 4 port Linksys router with ethernet cables 
snaking up and down the hall and into their rooms. Not elegant, but 
functional.

hth,
Mary