# Connect mac to Airport base station via ethernet?



## Hombre (Jan 20, 2011)

I am reasonably sure this is a stupid question for someone who understands this stuff, but networking isn't my forte.

I have been connected to the internet by broadband cable for quite some time.

...but I wanted to share that connection with my other computer, neither of which have an airport card, an older G5 and a intel mac pro.

So, I got an airport extreme base station, thinking that I could plug in the broadband and access it from both computers by simply using the ethernet plugs.

Well, it doesn't work...at least I don't know how to do it.

I know the airport base station is fine because I accessed it and the internet via my notebook which DOES have an airport card.

HOW can I hardwire the desktops into the airport station and share internet and files without buying airport cards for them?

Is there anyone who can walk me through this step by step?


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## Satcomer (Jan 20, 2011)

What ever was connected to the cable modem taught that cable modem what MAC (not Mac) address is connected to it). Since you changed out what that was directly connected to the modem you need to cut the power to that modem (for at least three minutes) before changing out any device that is directly connect to it. This way the servers are your ISP looks for a new MAC address device that is connected to it.


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## Hombre (Jan 21, 2011)

Thanks for your reply.

The problem ended up being the ethernet cable, which worked fine with my broadband receiver, but airport didn't like it at all...I wasn't aware that it was a crossover cable instead of a plain ethernet cable...once I switched that out, it works fine....but now I'm left with one more question:

I want to access files from other computers on my new network, but I don't know how to access them.

In system preferences/sharing...it tells me:

Computers on your local network can access your computer at: hombres-mac-pro.local

..so where do I type that in to transfer files from one computer to another?


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## Satcomer (Jan 22, 2011)

Both computers have to have sharing turned on! Then in each computer find the IP (Mac=System Preferences, Windows XP to 7=click on the Start button and do a search for the command line by typing: cmd. In that command line type: ipconfig /all).

Now on OS X click on the desktop, in the Finder menu items select 'Go', then select "Connect to Server" (command key+k). To share between OS X and Windows use the "Connect to Server" and type: smb://ipaddress (type the IP address of your sharing Windows machine).

Read the picture blogs File Sharing With Snow Leopard: Sharing OS X 10.6 Files With Windows 7, Sharing files between a Windows Vista Home Edition PC and a Mac running OS X Leopard 10.5, and the IMHO the best Apple article sharing document called Mac 101: File sharing.

With these links I have the confidence you can plow through them and get and idea on how to share on your home network, Good Luck.


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## Hombre (Jan 24, 2011)

Thanks Satcomer!

I have found in my reading a very simple path to doing this after I got the airport extreme base station running, which works fine for me.

Finder/Go/network...and whatever computers are connected show up in a list....from there it is a simple matter of typing in my password to access the hard drives, and files.

Of course I'm all Mac...so if I hook up an inferior Windows machine to my system at some point in the future, I'll need to learn all the various archaic MS-DOS types of command sequences in order to deal with their convoluted thinking hierarchies...LOL

I'm saving the articles you referenced, thanks for taking the time to do that!


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