<OT> Can I be happy... (longish)

[Zoki]

*** ... as a kid without being declared nuts!?

Especially because I'm an IT pro and I'm supposed to be a no-nonsense,
serious person?

I don't think it's of any use anymore, anyway. All my colleagues have given
up hope I'll become a to be trusted sysadmin: I'm the only one to use Mac's,
I write and test scripts on my iBook and I'm also the only one to have a
smile on my face when I'm using my hard- & software.

And it has happened again! I just got an Airport card for my iBook, bought a
Linksys WiFi router and I'm hooked. Literally.

This is FREEKING fun! My keyboard is full of last evenings dinner and this
mornings breakfast, my wife is about to divorce me, my kid doesn't talk to
me anymore, my dog is barking at me...  And I don't care, I'm enjoying this
stuff too much. ;-)) BTW, I don't have a dog.

I really didn't expect it to be this "cool".

Anyway, coming back to earth, I would like to share the little experience I
have with my setup and pass on the info I gathered while setting up the
"crap, Windows compatible only", WAP54G (FR) WiFi router/basestation and the
Airport card.

This Linksys model is in France the best deal you can find: 131eus (bit less
in $). It doesn't have mentioned anyware it can be used in any other
environment except Windows. Under normal circumstances this would be enough
for me to go look for another product, if it wasn't for the price.

Follow these instructions to get it up using default settings:

# If you don't have an existing network at home

1/ To use WiFi.
- Set up Airport, setup a fixed IP address on your Mac in the 192.168.1.x
range and join the Airport network called "Linksys". The base station
defaults to the following settings which allow you to use it out of the box:

IP address base station: 192.168.1.245
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
Password: admin
Airport network name: base station
If your iBook uses e.g. 192.168.1.1 you should be fine.

To change settings, connect to the base station's web interface by going to
http://192.168.1.245 with IE! It's using *.asp scripts for the management
console which doesn't work properly in Safari. There you can change the
default settings.

# If you have a network at home.

2/ If your network is not in the 192.168.1.x range, connect the base station
directly to your iBook or any Mac with the network cable and go to base
station web interface (the management console) to change the default
settings. Give it a fixed IP address in your IP range and validate.

At this point you have to disconnect the base station from your Mac and
connect it to your network. Just plug it into your existing router/switch
and go again to the web interface to finish the setup.

Some baseline notes:

- The SSID setting on the Linksys is equivalent to Airport's network name.
You have to use the name you enter there in the Airport connection screen as
the network name.

- Since this model "runs" on a Linux kernel send a mail to Linksys to tell
them this proprietary attitude of theirs is "no, no" and they would have
more clients if they only could wake up form their Microsoft-only wet dream
and use cgi instead of aps, not label the product exclusively Windows
compatible when it's not and ask them to add a view lines more in the manual
allowing non-Windows users to setup this product without having to play
IT-detective to get all the info needed. For example, the base station
default IP address is mentioned the first time on page 11 of the manual!

- Mail me if you can make the WEP security work. When I try to connect, my
Airport connection says "Wrong password". Can't seem to understand why it
doesn't accept it.

'base station me now but I don't have the time anymore to socialize: It's
lunch time and I've an Airport iBook to play with... ;-))))

-- 
Cheers,
Zoran.

If C lets you shoot yourself in the foot, C++ lets you blow your whole leg
off.
  -- Bjarne Stroustrup