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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Using Airport to Iransmit Ethernet W/mot Sb5120

cyclopsx2 - Jul 26, 2005 - 9:06 pm

i have a g3 downstairs and a g4 pb upstairs. i have just signed up with comcast.connection on g3 solid.previously i had sprint bbd, it became unstable. but i was able to use my airport to connect my pb. they had an ordinary antennae tap attached to the cable to which i attached my airport. but now i am confused as to how to transmit ethernet via airport to the pb. one suggestion was to plug the etherner from the g3 into the airport leaving the other end plugged into the sb5120 modem. this sounds good but i cant get it to work. both g3 and pb start and safari runs but i have no internet connection. appreciate any advice to help get my pb connected wirelessly.

dsatchell - Jul 27, 2005 - 10:30 pm

Hi Victor,

The best way to configure this setup is to have a link between the G3 and the Airport and then a link between the Airport and the Modem.

I am assuming that you have the cables required to do this, and that you have an Airport Extreme or Airport base station that has two Ethernet ports - one with a circle of dots next to it, another with a double ended arrow next to it. If you cannot find these two ports on yours please let me know exactly what type of Airport you are using and we will configure it another way.

If you do have these two ports, and the cables available to connect them, follow this setup:

1. Connect the G3 to the port that has the double ended arrows (known as the LAN port)
2. Connect the modem to the port that has the circle of dots (known as the WAN port)

You should now use the Airport Setup Assistant or Airport Admin utility to configure the connection. The choice is yours - I recommend the Airport Setup Assistant if you have not had experience using the Airport Admin Utility.

If you use the Setup Assistant, just follow the instructions, telling the program you have a Cable Modem connected to the WAN port. If you use the Admin utility you will need to specify "Connect to:" as Ethernet in the Internet tab, and "Using DHCP" from the drop-down box.

This should get you on your way to using your Airport to share Internet across your building. If you find this a little too daunting, don't understand something or would like further assistance, please reply and I will be happy to help.

Thank you for choosing macosx.com,

David.

cyclopsx2 - Jul 28, 2005 - 9:37 am

thanks for your fast reply, david. sorry i did not make things clear . i have the original airport. it has no lan or wan port as you describe, of course. but i have been considering buying the extreme version in anticipation of my next mac/intel machine. if you recommend this as the simpliest and best solution its no problem. i don't like complicating things, especially tech things. what puzzles me if i read you correctly is i would have one cable connectiong the lan and wan ports on the airport extreme ubit if i choose to buy a new airport unit. is this correct? one cable loop connecting lan and wan on the airport extreme? the only ethernet connection would be the comcast cable the modem and thats it. all the data would have to be transmitted wirelessly via the airport extreme. well, if this is correct i i'll buy one if you recommend. i favor the simplest solution even is it might cost a few bucks. thanks for your help. hope to hear from you soon.

dsatchell - Jul 28, 2005 - 7:06 pm

Hi Victor,

All is not lost yet, I would not recommend buying a new Airport if your current one has previously worked. I'm just trying to determine the model or your base station. You say you do not have any LAN or WAN ports on the Airport, but your Airport is reporting that you are connected via Ethernet - an Ethernet port is either LAN or WAN in nature.

I have had a look around and found a Graphite website that describes one Telephone port and one Ethernet port, is this what you have on yours?

If so, the one Ethernet port may be a problem - the simplest way for you would be to have two on the Airport. Can you please also describe the setup you use to have - in particular, what you had everything connected to with your previous Internet. Where was the modem plugged into - a computer or an Airport? Was the G3 connected by cable to the Airport? Was it broadband as well, or dialup?

Once I get this information, I can make a recommendation on what you could do,

Thanks for your patience,

David.

cyclopsx2 - Jul 28, 2005 - 10:19 pm

hi david- well i hope i get it all this time. one telephone port and one ethernet port, that describes my airport. my previous setup was to sprint broadband direct, a fixed wireless isp. their antennae is on the hancock building downtown, they ran their cable down from an antennae on my roof to a modem on my desk.an original airport cable ran from their modem to the airport ethernet port. as the setup was originally explained to me long ago. i had two computers that were connected wirelessly.i remember the installer telling me if i could unplug the g3 and run it on a battery i would have two wireless internet connected computers. the sprint was good until a few months ago when it ran erratic, at times giving dial up speeds for extended periods. the comcast service is at least stable. now i hear of 100 mbps coming in 2006 via ethernet.sprint has a line of sight problem that will be taken care of by uwb and a mesh network as soon they decide its ready to make money. anyway, i've wasted enough of your time. i hope my answers were satisfactory. sounds like i would do well to get an airport extreme, but i'll wait for your recommendation. incidentally, if its any help there was nothing out of the telephone port on the airport. boy i hope that does it. i ain't much at this tech stuff, but i do enjoy it when it works. thanks for your patience.

dsatchell - Jul 29, 2005 - 6:32 am

Thank you Victor, you have been very patient with me - unfortunately its hard to communicate tech issues over just email sometimes - many things could be solved simply if we were there in the room with you!

You will not need a new Airport base station, you should be able to set this up similar in fashion to that you had with your previous provider. I did not realise that you had both computers connected wirelessly - this removes the need for Ethernet ports, and hence no need for a new Airport - I had assumed that your desktop computer needed to connect via a cable.

The best way to set this up is simply plug the cable from your modem directly into the Airport Ethernet port. This is all you will need to do by way of connections. This is no different to connecting it to a single computer, but instead the Airport lets you share it with others.

Now, run your Airport Admin Utility and click 'Configure' to connect to the base station. Under the 'Internet' heading you want to set it to "Connect Using Ethernet". Change the Configure: box to "Using DHCP". On the "Network" heading, make sure "Distribute IP Addresses" is selected, and "Share A Single IP Address" is enabled. Nothing else should need to be changed, click 'Update' and let the station reboot.

Now configure your computers to connect using "Airport" in the Network settings under System Preferences. Make sure the "Configure IPv4: " box is set to "Using DHCP". Apply these changes.

This is all that needs to be setup for the Airport to connect to your modem. If this still does not work, you are most likely looking at a configuration problem with the modem. Let me know how this goes,

Good luck , fingers crossed!

David.

cyclopsx2 - Jul 30, 2005 - 10:06 pm

hi david- well, i'm still working on it. have not had much time lately. i was thinking and reading about a bridge. one of those wireless ethernet bridges. what do you think? vic

dsatchell - Jul 31, 2005 - 8:21 am

Hi Victor,

I'm not quite sure what you mean by a wireless bridge - the Airport Base Station is technically a wireless bridge, it bridges the connection between your modem and the wireless computers.

The intention of the Airport is that you connect your cable modem to the Airport and it will bridge it to the wireless network it creates for your wireless computers.

Its fine that you haven't had much time, what I'll do is continue to leave the ticket open on standby, and let you get back to me when you are ready and have time. I'm happy to answer any further queries or questions you may have, or even if you just want someone to bounce some ideas off. I understand how difficult this networking stuff is, I still get a few problems on my own networks from time to time.

David.

cyclopsx2 - Aug 1, 2005 - 10:09 pm

hi david- well, this thing is proving to be too much for me via email. i'm going to try a phone consultant. i've tried to follow your directions, which were well written and clear but i think i need to talk with someone. thanks for your time and effort on my behalf. vic

dsatchell - Aug 3, 2005 - 6:46 am

Ok Victor,

Sorry I could not help you further. I will go ahead and close this ticket. Please be aware that if you would like futher assistance at any time, you may contact me personally at dsatchell@macosx.com.


David.