[X4U] connecting older iMac to wireless network

[Stroller]

On 22 Jan 2008, at 15:46, Kansas Territory wrote:
> have a friend who is trying to connect his older iMac running some  
> version of OSX , to a wireless network of some kind which is  
> available in his office building.
>
> Being an older iMac, doesn't have built in wireless etc..
>
> what are his options ?


On 30 Sep 2005, at 11:48, Stroller wrote:
> ...
> I believe the older Airport cards are still available from Apple,  
> but only as a "service" item, not as an upgrade. A local Mac dealer  
> may be the best bet.
>
> Broadcom-based wireless cards for PCs can be fitted to Macs with  
> PCMCIA or PCI slots, but other than those, forget it. The Broadcom- 
> based cards are all recognised by OS X as "Airport Extreme" but any  
> other chipset will require 3rd party drivers, which may be of  
> dubious reliability. In particular the D-Link DWL-122 is a USB  
> wireless adaptor with Mac drivers, but it has some very poor user  
> reviews at Amazon.com
>
> Other than an Apple-branded solution the best way to connect a Mac  
> to a wireless network is using a wireless bridge, now sometimes  
> sold as "gaming adaptors". If your local computer emporium don't  
> have a "wireless bridge" on display, ask them for a "gaming  
> adaptor" telling them you wish to connect a PlayStation2 or Xbox to  
> your wireless network. These provide access to the wireless network  
> via standard Ethernet cable.


On 20 Sep 2004, at 11:07, Stroller wrote:
> ...
>> Can this replace Airport if one hasn't Airport?  See at OWC  
>> <http://eshop.macsales.com/Item_MailList.cfm?ID=7179&Item=BLKF5D6050>
>
> I looked at this unit around the time of my "Wireless networking an  
> older iMac..." postings, and decided I wasn't comfortable  
> installing it for a customer. IIRC it's the same chipset as this  
> <http://tinyurl.com/6xtkl>. Amazon & other reviews for the Belkin  
> are mixed, although I think those for the D-Link DWL-122 are worse.
>
> IMO if you're going to go with an external, 3rd party unit, then  
> you're best going with an Ethernet bridge. If a Playstation will  
> work with one, then a Mac will. I've used these <http://tinyurl.com/ 
> 432ap> on two occasions now, and they're up & running in 20 or 30  
> minutes if you're as dippy as me, taking time to tidy the cables &  
> forgetting what IP address to point your browser at to configure  
> it. Any Mac that you're likely to be using will have an Ethernet  
> port & a web-browser, which is all you need for compatibility with  
> this box - much better than worrying about USB driver support in  
> the future.

Stroller.