Wireless Macs...

I'm not a big fan of Macs, but someone has asked me to help get their
iBook connected via a wireless connection, so I'll need some opinions.

It seems to me that the Airport Extreme is what is normally referred to
as a "wireless router" (router with wireless access point), while the
Airport Express is simply a wireless access point. Can anyone confirm
this?

Also, does anyone have any known issues with connecting Macs to WLANs
using non-Apple access points (ie. Linksys, Netgear, D-Link, whatever),
or am I safer going with Apple products for this?

And, last question: What about WPA-PSK? Any issues getting this to work
(assuming OS X Panther 10.3) with either Airport solution or using
third-party WAP?


Lars M. Hansen
http://www.hansenonline.net
(replace 'badnews' with 'news' in e-mail address)

Lars M. Hansen <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:(E-Mail Removed):

> It seems to me that the Airport Extreme is what is normally
> referred to as a "wireless router" (router with wireless access
> point), while the Airport Express is simply a wireless access
> point. Can anyone confirm this?
>
> Also, does anyone have any known issues with connecting Macs to
> WLANs using non-Apple access points (ie. Linksys, Netgear, D-Link,
> whatever), or am I safer going with Apple products for this?
>
> And, last question: What about WPA-PSK? Any issues getting this to
> work (assuming OS X Panther 10.3) with either Airport solution or
> using third-party WAP?

Apple call their wireless router a 'Base Station'. So the Airport
Base Station is the 802.11b model, and the Airport Extreme Base
Station is the 802.11g model.

Same with the wireless cards: the Airport is the 11b model, the
Airport Extreme the 11g model.

I have an iMac with an Airport card. No problems connecting to a D-
Link wireless router. On this model, encryption is WEP only, but I
wouldn't expect any problems using WPA.

The Airport Express device appears to be an access point.

Certain iBook models come with an inbuilt Airport Extreme card.

As far as the network goes, I guess it depends on the mix of PCs and
Macs. If it's principally a Mac-based installation I would stick with
Apple kit. If there are only a few Macs, I would go with a more
mainstream brand such as Netgear, D-Link, Linksys etc.

I don't expect you will have problems provided you stick to 54 Mbit/s
speeds. However I suspect that any attempt to use the proprietary
extensions which give higher throughput will probably fail due to
mixed wireless chipsets and drivers.

Hope this helps

--

Richard Perkin
To email me, change the AT in the address below
richard.perkinATmyrealbox.com

It's is not, it isn't ain't, and it's it's, not its, if you mean it
is. If you don't, it's its. Then too, it's hers. It isn't her's.
It isn't our's either. It's ours, and likewise yours and theirs.
-- Oxford University Press, Edpress News

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>,
Lars M. Hansen <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
:I'm not a big fan of Macs, but someone has asked me to help get their
:iBook connected via a wireless connection, so I'll need some opinions.

:Also, does anyone have any known issues with connecting Macs to WLANs
:using non-Apple access points (ie. Linksys, Netgear, D-Link, whatever),
r am I safer going with Apple products for this?

Apple's 802.11b wireless cards are pretty much Orinoco's without the
antenna. I have put an Orinoco card into the Airport slot on a G5
[had to leave the cover open to do this], and it was detected as if
it was an Airport.

If you aren't using Apple's Base Station, then you can't take advantage
of Apple's utility to reach out through your wireless card and configure
the Base Station (at least when it is in its default state), but
personally I prefer that my AP's *not* be remotely configurable through
the wireless side until I have been given a chance to turn on some security.

--
Would you buy a used bit from this man??

Richard Perkin <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> The Airport Express device appears to be an access point.

No the Airport Express can be used in several modes including as a full
functioning wireless 802.11g router with firewall. and WEP or WPA
encryption. When used as a wireless router, it won't support as many
clients as the Airport Extreme basestation and it lacks the external
antenna port and modem of the base station.

I am using an Airport Extreme on the second floor of a house and it
reaches all rooms on this floor. Computers connecting to it are a
Quicksilver G4 with an Airport card 802.11b, and a new 14" iBook with
Airport Extreme card 802.11g. I haven't tried moving computers to other
floors to see how far this little device transmits. You can combine
more than one to extent the network, or do the same thing by combining
an Airport Extreme Base station and an Airport Express. And the Airport
Express has the way cool audio streaming from any computer on the
network running iTunes 4.6, plus a USB print server. Amazing
considering the thing is barely bigger than a deck of cards.

--
To email me use: sjusenet AT comcast DOT net

On Mon, 20 Sep 2004 10:48:55 -0400, in alt.internet.wireless , Lars M.
Hansen <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>It seems to me that the Airport Extreme is what is normally referred to
>as a "wireless router" (router with wireless access point), while the
>Airport Express is simply a wireless access point. Can anyone confirm
>this?

Quite possibly. I don't own either because...

>Also, does anyone have any known issues with connecting Macs to WLANs
>using non-Apple access points (ie. Linksys, Netgear, D-Link, whatever),

.....there are no issues with this, and so my wireless mac talks just fine
to both my SMC and Actiontec routers (the latter acting as an AP only).

>or am I safer going with Apple products for this?

Only if you like spending money !!

>And, last question: What about WPA-PSK? Any issues getting this to work
>(assuming OS X Panther 10.3) with either Airport solution or using
>third-party WAP?

I've not tried this on the mac., sorry.
--
Mark McIntyre
CLC FAQ <http://www.eskimo.com/~scs/C-faq/top.html>
CLC readme: <http://www.ungerhu.com/jxh/clc.welcome.txt>


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