1st Time Network

marello

Registered
Hey,

I've never made a network before, I haven't a clue really what I'm doing! What I want to do is share a 200kbps broadband internet connection between my mac and pc. The cable comes in downstairs and into the PC and I need to get it upstairs wirelessly, I don't have an airport card in my G4 dual 1.42, and the PC is running windows 2000.

I was thinking I needed some sort of router and then maybe one of those wireless adapter dongles you can get for a USB port. What about these two things? Could I do it with these? Help me I'm confused! Can you link me to some examples or recommend some products?

Thanks very much!
 
Hey marello,
you actually got the right idea there. Get yourself a dlink wifi router such as the dlink dl-614+ which is 802.11b compatible and supports up to 11mbit/sec. For your internet connection, this is just fine. As for your PC and Mac USB dongles are just fine. For the Mac you are restricted to the dlink DWL-122 only. The PC supports all kind of USB wifi dongles. In the end you will connect your broadband modem to your dlink router and share the internet connection to the local wireless network.
Good luck!
 
hey zammy-sam, thanks for the reply. that sounds like i need a usb dongle for each computer, is there a way of plugging my pc directly in like it is now and just wirelessly sending it up to my mac?
 
Of course. Most of the wifi routers have a switch / hub included where you can plug up to 4 computers by an ethernet cable. You simply plug them to the ports and everything works automatically. The only concern you might face is the signal strength. You said your router and Mac will be in different levels. That might lead to a weak signal and a permanent connection-loss. Try to reduce the distance between your router and your Mac as much as possible. In worst case you will need a new antenna.
 
what's the range of these things, realistically? I know 150ft, but with walls floors and other problems, what is the actual range available. i'm also setting up Wifi around the house. 2 upstairs, 2 downstairs, hub has to be downstairs
 
I have a 70sqm flat with concrete walls. My router is in one room and the PC with a wifi pci card in another, which is around 10m away with 3 walls between. Without an additional antenna there was no signal reception. I am using the dlink dl-624, which is known to have a good signal strength. The pci card in the PC is the dlink dwl-G520. Both are using an additional antenna with 5dBi instead of 2. Finally I got a medium signal strength and in the combined channel mode I can nearly get 2mb/sec transfer. Not very nice for a fileserver, but better than cables on the ground.
 
marello said:
Will this do to plug into my mac's usb port? I decided I want a 54mbps router so that when we get faster broadband i don't need to change anything. the usb adapter only says it's pc compatable but that seems strange when belkin make their other things mac and pc friendly?
http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/Shop/ShopDetail.asp?ProductID=1768
Unfortunately there is only one known USB wifi dongle that is Mac-compatible. This is the dlink dwl-122. However, the belkin dongle will surely not work on your mac, since it's using USB 2.0. Your Mac only supports USB 1.1. In other words: you will never be able to use a 54mbit wifi network over the USB port of your G4 Mac. That's why I proposed you a 11mbit router. You can use almost any router out there, since there is no software or driver installation needed. Most of the routers have a web-based interface that can be steered by any internet-read system.
Of course, a 54mbit router is also compatible to a 11mbit. So, you can get a 54mbit router, but it won't be any faster for now. Another solution is a Mac compatible pci card. I don't know which are Mac compatible, but this list might be of help for you.
 
i have a netgear 802.11g router i'm about to send back, for incompatibility reasons. the broadband modem is usb only, and apparently needs to have an ethernet cable to go through the router before getting to the computer. is this common? are there any wireless routers that don't need an internet connection to work? much less an ethernet broadband modem? can i get this one to work with my current modem?
 
Zammy-Sam said:
Unfortunately there is only one known USB wifi dongle that is Mac-compatible. This is the dlink dwl-122. However, the belkin dongle will surely not work on your mac, since it's using USB 2.0. Your Mac only supports USB 1.1. In other words: you will never be able to use a 54mbit wifi network over the USB port of your G4 Mac.

The Belkin F5D-7050 802.11g USB adapter (Version 2, aka. v2) is Mac compatible for systems running 10.3.x. I picked mine up for $50 at the loacl Circuit City. NOTE: You do have to download drivers off of Belkin's support page first however.

I picked one up as a 'quick fix' after my move while I was waiting for my apartment to become ready and stuck at one of those Extended-Stay hotels. It worked alright, at G speeds even (at least that's what their monitor/statistics said), but it's not without downfalls. The drivers are a bit buggy and sometimes required a reboot after letting the machine sleep for a while. I used it at three different places (wireless networks) during those 15 days. Finally found a place that overnighted me a new Airport (802.11b) card for a mere $92 shipped. Not bad, counting I ordered it at 3pm CST on Tuesday and it arrived at noon on Wednesday (Los Angeles, CA to Baton Rouge, LA).
 
hey,

i bought a dlink 624 router (was cheaper than the slower speed one!) and bought their g520 pci card for my mac as that link zammy sam gave me said that with orangeware drivers it was compatible with macs. however i've just installed the drivers and the card and it's telling me it can't find the pci card. what's going on?!
 
Currently I am using the dlink dwl-g650 (pcmcia card) together with the orangeware drivers and everything works flawless. The dwl-g520 card that I mentioned is used in a pc. However, the orangeware drivers are also compatible to the dwl-g520 pci card beyond rev.B. First check that. Reboot and open Wireless Configuration in the System Preferences. Does it still give you the "No card inserted or no compatible card found. Please refer to:..."? If so, contact the developers. The support team is quite quick in replying. Btw, you should turn off the super-G mode for the beginning. It still doesn't work stable on my system.
 
I've just had another peek round the back of my mac and the green LED isn't lit when my mac is switched on. The manual seems to say that if it's working the PCI card should have the green light lit. Does this mean I have a faulty card? I've just messaged the Orangeware people too thanks!
 
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