Zeemax 0 #1 July 9, 2004 So i've got an iBook and bought an Airport extreme card for it today. Installed the software then plugged the card in. Lovely. Now what? I dont own a base station because with my shit dial up speed theres no point at home, its for outside use in shops/airports places like that. Without sounding stupid, how do i make it work? Do i just go into say starbucks and start the puppy up? Help!!Phoenix Fly - High performance wingsuits for skydiving and BASE Performance Designs - Simply brilliant canopies Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 4 #2 July 9, 2004 Quote Without sounding stupid, how do i make it work? Do i just go into say starbucks and start the puppy up? Damn close to it! But first . . . go HERE. The T-Mobile hot spots at Starbucks will cost you some cashola. There -are- some places where you can hook in for -free-.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gawain 0 #3 July 9, 2004 There is an Airport base station that has a modem built into it ($40-$50 more than the regular one) and has an ethernet jack too. That way, you can plug in whatever "hi-speed" stuff you get at home later. It picks up just about any compatible signal, so it is almost as easy as you describe. I set up an Airport and Extreme card for my step-mom's PowerBook G4. While we're waiting for DSL to get turned on, it works like a charm (even on dial-up) either way.So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright 'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life Make light! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeemax 0 #4 July 9, 2004 Thanks So when i turn it on, it will just find a wireless network connection and tell me? Also, i'm in the UK, anywere know where i can find a list of sites?Phoenix Fly - High performance wingsuits for skydiving and BASE Performance Designs - Simply brilliant canopies Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mailin 0 #5 July 9, 2004 Since you seem to know... I'll ask you! I'm getting my very own laptop (rather than my works ) next week - and plan on getting an extension on my T-Mobile service for internet service when travelling. I guess I have to buy some kind of card from t-mobile - then just use dial-up or something to get access? I really should know how this works, but I've never done the 'wireless' thing before. Zeemax - liike the ibook so far? I'm debating the PC/mac choice atm. JenArianna Frances Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
indyz 1 #6 July 9, 2004 T-Mobile will sell you one of these, which will enable you to get online with your laptop anywhere that your T-Mobile phone works. It is only for Windows, it is pretty expensive, and it isnt much faster than a dialup connection. Another alternative is to get WiFi, which is almost a standard feature in new laptops. Then all you need is to get within a couple hundred feet of a wireless access point (Quade posted a good list of free ones earlier in this thread) and go. Works with MacOS and Windows. It is also much faster than the T-Mobile service. The downside is that you need to find an access point to use it, but they are available a most Starbucks, a lot of hotels, libraries, etc. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 4 #7 July 9, 2004 What Apple calls "Airport" is just a really nice implementation of 802.11g (also known generically as WiFi). The Apple implementation is built right into their OS and does a LOT of the work for you. On Windows it's only a bit more complicated, but depending on the software (I'm told) not by much. If you have any 802.11g device hooked into your computer, you -may- be able to receive the basic signal from the wireless router, but you may not be able to actually do anything with it depending on how the wireless router is set up. An "Open" wireless network allows anyone to connect to the internet. A "Closed" network requires a password. To use a WiFi hot spot at Starbucks, you'll need an account and password from T-Mobile. From my house, just the password and from some communities, such as some areas of San Francisco or Long Beach, California you don't need anything as those are "open". One thing about being on a wireless network is that you'll be able to do 99% of everything you could do on a wired system, but there are a few choice things, like sending regular email, that you -may- have issues with. You can probably receive your email just fine, but sending may require some tricks such as using a web based email system like Yahoo. This is so that spammers don't just tap into "open" routers and flood the world with complete anonymity. Wireless computing with a notebook is just about as cool as it gets.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mailin 0 #8 July 9, 2004 QuoteWireless computing with a notebook is just about as cool as it gets. I hope so! I'm looking forward to it. You guys are making it sound like there are these networks are everywhere - I"ll be interested to learn about it first hand. And just to top and off and make you all jealous, I think I'll go to this next week: http://www.macworldexpo.com/live/20/events/20BOS04A/ Might find a good deal.... JenArianna Frances Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chachi 0 #9 July 9, 2004 I have to agree with Quade so muc. I actually bought a G4 PB about 4 weeks ago but was getting sick of taking it from my stereo (iTunes is so cool) to plugging it in so I went and bought a wireless router and all I have to say is this is so cool. Mac makes this like the simplist thing to set up, and get computing wireless and is it ever fast. I can't wait to use while I am away from home. ~Chachi Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymut 0 #10 July 9, 2004 QuoteZeemax - liike the ibook so far? I'm debating the PC/mac choice atm. Jen I read this, and I have to throw in my $.002 worth. I'm sure the 'apple-heads' will throw a few rocks at me. I support a network with approximately 900 PCs and 400 Macs. This is my experience...Macs are nice, as long as you budget mucho dinero for upkeep, if you plan to keep it for any number of years. Case in point, we have MANY campuses, and for some of the software that is used, the old G3 'all-in-one' beige cubes are still used, work like a champ. However, we lost a couple last year due to power supplies going out. Now, if this were a PC, $25.00 power supply and less than 10 minutes of my time, I've got it back in the class doing it's job. But, since this is a MAC, a REFURBISHED power supply is $125.00 and it took me over an hour just to tear the thing apart, and I literally had to tear the thing completely apart. So even if I buy the $125.00 power supply, assuming all goes well, it will take another hour to put it back together. Since I have to help support so many machines, along with printers, 15 servers and a fiber network that covers a lot of area, I'm not wasting that much time ON A POWER SUPPLY. If I decided just to take it to an 'Authorized Mac Shop' $250 to $300 - FOR A STUPID POWER SUPPLY!!! That's the dumbest thing I've heard of. We can purchase a new PC (2.4 Ghz, 512 DDR, 60 Gig HDD) for just a hair over $500. Same situation with an IMAC (power supply)- but decided to have it repaired, $350.00. Again, with a PC, $25.00 and 10 minutes max. I have a 2 labs with a total of 50 to 60 IBooks. While I haven't had any of them go out yet (the oldest lab is only 2 years old), I can imagine the cost if it does. First one that dies, since it will NOT be repaired or replaced (with an Apple), I'm going to tear it down to see how complicated it is. I can tear a Dell notebook down, replace any part (even if it's older and I have to find the part on ebay) and have it back up and working in about an hour. With school budgets in crisis, especially here in TX, we CANNOT justify keeping these things around. Therefore, we as a department sat down this past spring and made the decision to phase Apple out of our school system. Anyway, bottom line - Apples IN GENERAL are not technician or budget friendly. I guess their idea was that if something goes wrong outside of the warranty, it's cheaper to just go ahead and purchase a new one as opposed to repairing the old. Buy an extended warranty that covers EVERYTHING if you go with the IBook. Matt A well-informed person is somebody who has the same views and opinions as yours. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeemax 0 #11 July 9, 2004 the iBook rocks. i LOVE macs I've only got the basic 12" version with upgraded ram. I couldn't afford any of the flashier ones, but it does everything i need it to and more. (run Pro Tools and other apps) Definately reccomend Mac's Quade, quick Q about the g. Am i right in thinking airport is the only one using g, whereas others are on b? also that g can be upto 5 times faster? i'm sure i read that, but i could be wrong...Phoenix Fly - High performance wingsuits for skydiving and BASE Performance Designs - Simply brilliant canopies Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeemax 0 #12 July 9, 2004 Out of interest, how often do the macs break down compared to the PC's? They may be more to repair, but if they dont break as often... if you see what i mean? I much prefer the OS compared to windows. Also the ease of use and addition of new things. As an example, i plugged a blue tooth dongle into my pc, it showed the found new hardware box. Then it tried to find the software, didn;t have it. I supplied it with the software and it still didn't like it. Kept trying and still cant the bastard to work. Plugged the same dongle into my iBook, searched for it on my phone and instantly it was there and i could send files to my mac. No fuss, just plugged it in!Phoenix Fly - High performance wingsuits for skydiving and BASE Performance Designs - Simply brilliant canopies Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymut 0 #13 July 9, 2004 11b runs at 11 Megabits/sec while 11g is 54 Megabits/sec. The kicker is, though, most high speed internet connections outside of the corporate world don't run more than 1 to 1.5 Mbits/sec so really, what's the point unless you are doing a HECK of a lot transferring on your home or other network. I did some work at one of my client's home. They just had DirecWay high speed satellite internet hooked into their home (they live in the boonies). I was hired to config their small network, (one desktop and one notebook) They had bought an 11b, wireless router and the tech forom the company told them to 'take it back and get 11g, you won't be happy with the performance of the 11b.' Their satellite internet connection only runs at a MAX of 750 kilobit/sec - essentially the 11b wireless is running over 10X faster than their internet connection. Matt A well-informed person is somebody who has the same views and opinions as yours. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chachi 0 #14 July 9, 2004 i believe g is 5 times fatser than b, it is blazing. very nice. ease of use, i totally agree i am very PC literate and i could not tell you how much nicer this mac is. everything is plug and play including your adsl cable, no reboot, plug it in, take it out, plug it in it all works. if you need more convincing PM me i'll tell you a million wonderful things Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 4 #15 July 9, 2004 802.11g is backward compatable with 802.11b. g is, in theory, faster. Since I -only- have one g card in my entire network I can only speak towards compatibility and not to additional speed. b was not fast enough to stream full resolution DV25 and I look forward to the day when I can experiment with a g machine, although to take full advantage I'd probably have to create a separate network -just- for that -- in theory -- totally doable. You really can't go too wrong with 802.11g. The original Airport was 802.11b and I have an original Airport 802.11b base station I use at home as my router. Works just fine with the two iBooks, the iMac and the Powerbook I'm typing on right now. I use the iMac as a print/data server and the iBooks just seem to wander around the home. The Powerbook is pretty much my constant companion with all of the high-powered graphics goodies. The iMac and iBooks have original Airport b cards in them and the Powerbook has the more up-to-date g card in it. All are running Mac OS X 10.3.4.quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymut 0 #16 July 9, 2004 I would say that, in my experience that the MAcs keep on trucking. However, just over a year ago, I retired some 486s (yes, you read that right) that were used for basic typing classes - most of them still had their original parts. And we still have some Mac LC IIIs around doing some 'really easy' stuff. In general, I think that Macs are more user friendly, if you just want to turn things on and go without having to read or learn anything. Most things that people find 'frustrating' on PCs can be conquered by doing a little research. I think people are lazy when it comes to their computer, they want it to be more like their television. However, from my working environment, what people get used to using most, is what makes their preference. I've been frustrated by PCs AND by Macs, and I can work on either as a technician or as a user. Matt A well-informed person is somebody who has the same views and opinions as yours. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
