Ask Jacob

I use the Apple Airport base stations for this. They share a printer with Macs and PCs, but you need to install Bonjour on the Windows system.

Look at the Airport express if you just have wireless computers in the house. If some computers have to have an Ethernet connection, the AirPort Extreme is the one you want.

- Jacob

WPA is the best security to use for your mixed Wireless network because it will often work identically for both Apple Computers and Windows PCs. There are some options in setting up the wireless router that may not work well with your Mac. One of the primary issues stems from “Speed Boosting” technology promoted by some routers. These feature will work well if you use the same manufacturer for a wireless router and a computers wireless network card. Matching card and router works with “Speed Boosting” because both understand each other, but that feature doesn’t adhere to industry standards for wireless communication. With Mac computers, they have built-in wireless cards that expect standard wireless communication and the Airport card fails to understand the “Speed Boosting” communication from the router. Make sure that any boosting technology is turned off on your router.

It is also important that you have a modern version of the Mac OS to connect to the WPA network. Use Mac OS X 10.4.11 or higher if you can. There are several WPA configuration options that may also be causing problems. On your router you will want to select Pre-Shared Key w/TKIP, or something similar, to connect your Mac via WPA/WPA2 Personal option.

These Wi-Fi to ethernet adapters, like the Belkin unit you have, are great for connecting older Apple laptops and Apple computers to a wireless network. Because you have both PCs and Macs you have two options. You can program this Belkin Wireless Ethernet Bridge via your Dell with the setup wizard included on the CD that came with in the box. Connect the device to your Dell with an ethernet cable and use the setup wizard as if you were going to use it to get your Dell on the network with the adapter. Once you have the Dell online via the Wireless Ethernet Bridge, disconnect it from the Dell and plug the ethernet cable into the G3 Apple computers ethernet jack.

Then it is just a matter of setting the G3’s TCP/IP settings to use DHCP.

If you do not want to use the Dell for this or you have problems, you can use a web browser. First you have to set your G3 computer’s TCP/IP settings to Manual, and set the following settings.

IP address: 192.168.2.200
Subnet: 255.255.255.0
Router: 192.168.2.199

Save those settings and then open a browser and type this IP address into the browsers address bar: 192.168.2.225

That should get you to the router’s web interface to finish the setup based on the users manual. After you configure your adapter you will have to change the TCP/IP settings on your G3 back to DHCP.

Here’s a link to your Belkin G Gaming Adapter downloadable user manual.

I was a Windows IT guy in another life but I quickly turned into a resident Mac guy for the Art Department systems. I got that job precisely because I rarely “clam up.” The same is true now but in the reversed direction, just forgive me if I am not as polished with the Windows XP world.

You could be encountering a problem with having a “Fixed IP” address in your work’s network. Many IT people use fixed IPs to control network access, preventing unauthorized computers being brought in from home. Follow these steps to make sure you have your system set to request an IP address from the DHCP server in your Airport router.

To enable DHCP in Windows XP, follow these steps:
• On the Start Menu, select Control Panel > Network Connections.
• Right-click the appropriate connection name and select Properties.
• Select TCP/IP Protocol, and then select Properties.
• On the General tab, select Obtain an IP address automatically.
• Click OK.

If it does not automatically obtain an IP address, you may want to restart the XP computer. If that has no effect make sure your Airport Extreme router is set to share its network connection via DHCP. Also you may want to try temporarily removing any Access password you set on the router, just to see if this is a password issue. If removing the Airport password helps, please re-enable it and let me know and we can try to get your XP system to use the password.

I assume (ha!) you are using the Mac Pro wireless upgrade kit to add 802.11n to your pre-N MacBook Pro. In that case there is sometimes an “extra” antenna cable. There are two things to remember when dropping one antenna from a three-cable wire harness. The first is that you want to cap the metal end of the unused antenna cable. The second is that you want to use the black and blue cables with the new card, and cap the grey cable. If the cables are not color coded, the middle cable is the right one to cap.

I have been a fan of the Addlogix USB Wi-Fi adapter. It will work with Mac OS X 10.3 or higher, on an open USB 2.0 port. The USB 2.0 port is there requirement and I have heard mixed reports of it working on some USB 1.1 ports. Your best bet would be to get a USB 2.0 PCI card to add wireless to the G3 tower.

I cannot be certain but I would suspect this is related to WEP’s sometimes use of hexadecimal equivalents on some access points.

Here is Apple’s tech notes on joining non Apple WEP networks.

The main point being that you may need to add a “$” if a hexadecimal password was required to get the other computer on the network, use the same hex code, but add a “$” in front of it. Also if it is a standard password, use quotes.

All iBooks, and most PowerBooks can go Wireless with a simple upgrade card. What you need is an Apple Airport card. There are two versions of airport card for the iBook - you’ll need a G4 iBook Airport Extreme card, or a regular G3 iBook FastMac Airport card.With iBooks, you just flip open the keyboard and plug in the card. Inside your iBook there is a built-in Airport antenna that attaches to the back of the Airport card. After the battery, Airport is the most user-accessible installation on the iBook.

As I understand your network, you have a Westell 2200 DSL modem plugged in through Ethernet to your Time Capsule router/Drive’s WAN port. Your PC is connected by Ethernet to the Time Capsule’s LAN port and your iMac connects wirelessly to the Time Capsule.

The problem you have is that the iMac is too far away from the Time Capsule to get a good signal. The best option for you would be an added Airport Express. You can wirelessly link your Time Capsule to the new Airport Express Via the WDS feature of Airport. This will let you place your new Airport Express halfway between your Time Capsule and iMac to create that boosted network range you wanted.

Don’t worry, there is a lot of common confusion as to what Wi-Fi is.

It may be helpful to think of Wi-Fi as a drinking glass. Your Comcast Internet connection is similar to the water connection to your house. If you want to drink it you have to fill your glass with water. You could drink right from the garden hose but it will not reach everywhere you want to go. A glass lets you drink water everywhere in your house without having to install new plumbing throughout your house. So, similar to the glass, Wi-Fi lets you get your Comcast Internet connection any place in your house. You still have to pay Comcast for the Internet connection if you have Wi-Fi, the same as paying the water bill even if you don’t have a drinking glass.

One more consideration is that you need to have a Wi-Fi adapter on both ends of your connection. The iMac has one built-in but not all Comcast modems have Wi-Fi adapters built-in. You need to call Comcast and ask if your Modem has Wi-Fi. If it does not, you can buy one to add to your modem. Apple calls its Wi-Fi connections “Airport” and you can buy an Apple Airport base station to get your Comcast connection turned into a Wi-Fi connection. Think of an Airport Base Station as a special faucet for your drinking glass.

The Airport Express Base Station is a good budget option and it is easy to use with your Mac.

Seeing as you are having connectivity issues, I will try to give you a few different things to try so you do not have to wait around for the next set of instructions. The first is centered around the Mac remembering trusted wireless networks. You can tell your Mac to connect to “any” network, without adding it to the Preferred Network list. That network list could be your problem. To make these changes, select System Preferences from the blue Apple menu. Now click on the Network section and double click on AirPort from the Network Status window. Under the Airport tab, change the “By default, join” popup menu from Preferred Networks to Automatic. Click on the big Apply Now button in the lower right corner and test it on the network. If that fails to work for you, can completely remove the default Airport settings and see if that change helps. The preference file is located here: /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.airport.preferences.plistDrag it to your desktop first and it will make a copy of itself for safekeeping. Now drag it again, but this time, place it in the Trash. You will have to enter your password. Now go back to the Airport System Preference section and change it back to Preferred networks. There should be no entries there now. Try joining a network and see if it works. If it still does not work, and networks you could join before don’t work, then you can copy the file on your desktop back to its original place.

The other possibility is that your Keychain is remembering the wrong passwords for some of the networks, or thinks it knows the network’s password, when it doesn’t actually have a password for the network. The Keychain is where OS X stores your passwords when you ask your Mac to remember them for you. You can look at your passwords through a utility called Keychain Access. It is in the Utilities folder inside the Applications folder. In the application, click on “All Items” in the left section of the window and then sort the list by kind. You can sort by any header category by clicking on the header (Name, Date, etc.). Delete anything that is an “Airport Network Password.” Try connecting now.

The only other possibility I can think of has little to do with your computer and more to do with the router being used. Most times we do not think about it, but Airport and Wi-Fi networks have channels just like TV. Wi-Fi is standard and around the world you can use channels 1 through 11 any place. Europe however, uses two additional channels in their Wi-Fi. These two channels, 12 and 13, are commonly used outside the US–but US-built equipment cannot communicate on those channels. It could be that you are trying to connect to a base station using channel 13 and your Airport card does not go that high. If you are able to ask someone in the know the locations where you’re having problems, check to see what channel they’re using. The only solution to this European router issue is to get a European-made Wi-Fi card.

When Apple switched its tower design from the G4 Plastic case to the all metal G5 case, they had to do something funky with the wireless antennas. Unlike plastic, wireless signals travel poorly through metal. So Apple solution was to route the bluetooth and Airport internal antennas to the back of the G5’s case. There are two antenna ports on the back connection panel above the optical audio jacks. The topmost plug is for a T-shaped Airport antenna that came with the G5s when they were new. The other lower-port is for a pin-shaped bluetooth antenna.

If you still have the original G5 box, the “T” shaped adapter could still be in it. Otherwise one can be ordered for you as an Apple Service part. A replacement antenna will cost $19.88 plus shipping. The free fix is to run your G5 with the side door off. The plastic airfoil will keep it running cool and the clear plastic will not stop the wireless signal like the metal door does. The “T” antenna is the best solution though.

The “T” antenna was often lost and Apple came to realize that it was a bad solution. Later on when Apple switched to the Dual Core G5s, they integrated the antennas onto the outside of the case in a plastic strip along the back.

A few things may be causing your eMac to forget what wireless network to join. The fist place to look is within your password keychain. In your Utilities folder is an application called Keychain Access.app that will allow you to view, edit, or delete your saved passwords. Search for “AirPort” in the search box located in the upper right hand corner of the Keychain Access window. Delete all entries you find for AirPort. Now when you try to connect to the network, you should be prompted to enter your password. Enter it and save it to the keychain. Test the eMac to see if it reconnects to your wireless network after sleeping.

If that doesn’t work, you can try deleting two preference files. One is found here: /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.airport.preferences.plist and the other is here: /Library/Preferences/com.apple.networkConfig.plist. Once you have placed those two files in the trash you will have to restart. After the eMac is running again, go to the Network System Preference and re-enable Airport.

Hopefully one of those two things should work for you and stop the tech support calls.

I have several Macs at home and I will often use the share features of iTunes and iPhoto to do what you want. This is done in the preferences of both applications. Look for the "Sharing" button on the top bar of the application preferences. Check the checkbox next to "Look for shared music" and "Share my music." Do this in iTunes and iPhoto on both computers. Now you will be able to access all your music and photos from any computer. It even works to play music from another computer and send that music to the AirTunes port on an Airport Express. Just look for Shared items in the left hand "Source" column of iTunes and iPhoto. 

I hope this functions as you wanted. There are other complicated ways to do this but this method will work best without constantly re-synchronizing.

Linksys makes many network products and there are a variety of ways to connect them to your Macs. If you are using the wired broadband router, you will have Ethernet wires running to your Linksys router from the computers and an Ethernet cable from the Linksys router’s "Broadband" port to your DSL/Cable modem. If you have a setup that looks like what I have described, just simply unplug the power from both the DSL/Cable modem and the Linksys router. Wait 60 seconds and then reconnect power to the DSL/Cable modem. After another 60 seconds, reconnect power to the Linksys router. Now try getting on the Internet from your computers.

You may also have a wireless Linksys router. It will have a single Ethernet cable running in between the DSL/Cable modem and the router. This router will also have antennas on it and your computers will connect wireless to this router. This setup should be powered down and then back up again as I described above, but there is an added step at the end. After everything has powered back on, go to your Airport icon next to the top right system clock on each computer. It looks like an arched triangle with grey or black bars. Click and hold on it to reveal a menu. Select your wireless network from that menu. When the Airport icon bars are black you should be connected to the Internet.

I hope that gets you connected again and if not write back with your specific model of Linksys router.

Apple no longer sells the tools you need to take your G3 iMac wireless, that’s why the Apple Store people could only offer you an extreme solution. You are perfectly right to think that a 600 MHz iMac will connect wirelessly. The original airport card that you mentioned will work, but you will also need an added part. Slot loading G3 iMacs like yours need something called an Interposer. The Airport card will slide into the Interposer and then get inserted into the iMac through the RAM hatch on the bottom of the computer. You need to remember to connect the antenna to the card before you slide the card into the iMac. Here is a link to instructions on installing the Airport card.

There is another solution to go wireless but it will only work in OS X. The Addlogi XWireless-G USB Network Adapter for Mac OS Xwill also work but it takes a little extra setup. Also, Addlogi Xwill not support OS 10.2.8 but I have tested it and found that if you use the 10.3 driver that it will work in 10.2.8.

Your WRT54G router should work fine, try running the setup utility from the PC and see if that fixes your problem. Also make sure that your DSL / Cable modem is plugged into the port marked as either Broadband, Internet, or WAN. You will want to also turn off the DSL / Cable modem before moving the connection to the wireless router. Then power up everything when the ethernet cables are connected.

According to Apple the only computers that support 802.11n connections are Core 2 Duo and Xeon based Macs, which of course is true for those Macs with Airport already installed from Apple. However, there is an unsanctioned upgrade option using Apple parts. We have performed some tests in the PowerMax lab and verified that you can replace the wireless card on older Intel Macs with the Apple 802.11n card. We used the Mac Pro wireless upgrade kit to replace the older 802.11b/g cards in MacBooks and Macbook Pros. It’s not easy work to open your MacBook Pro and exchange the wireless cards but it is a clean upgrade without the need for bulky cards hanging out of the computer.

The larger question is whether the 802.11n functionality is necessary for what you do. The 802.11n Airport Extreme Base Station is definitely worth the money even for non-802.11n Mac owners. It has printer/drive sharing and other cool features, but the best benefit is even without 802.11n clients on the network it offers extended range. The truth is that your cable or DSL modem is serving up an internet connection slower than even 802.11b speeds, so you really will not get any internet browsing speed bump with 802.11n connectivity. Also, when you have 802.11g and 802.11n clients on the same network, everyone’s connection speed decreases. All your computers would have to be 802.11n-enabled to get the expanded network speeds. I do recommend the new base station for all Mac users, but not primarily for its network speed.

All metal degrades wireless signals, that’s why your microwave oven does not cook you when it’s cooking your dinner. The wireless signal of 802.11b/g is the same type of signal as what is used in your microwave oven, and the oven has a metal housing to keep the cooking contained in the box. Apple knows this of course and has placed the wireless antennas behind rubber and not aluminum. I have an Aluminum G4 and find the wireless range to be exceptional, even compared to my plastic G4 iBook. Hope that helps!

There could be only a few things interfering with other accounts accessing your home wireless network without administrator approval. My best guess would be that you need to set your preferred network. This is how you can do it in Mac OS X 10.4 but it’s similar in other versions of OS X: When logged into the Administrator account go to the System Preferences. Select “Network” and change the “Show” pull down menu to “Airport.” You probably will have to click on the locked Padlock icon in the lower left hand corner to make changes. Enter your password when you are prompted and click OK. Now click on the Airport tab. Change the “By default, join:” pull down menu from Automatic to Preferred networks. In the window below you should see your home wireless network. If you do not see your home network, or you want to have more networks in that list, click on the “+” button. You can type the network’s name or if you are near the network you can select it by clicking the down pointing arrow to the right of the text box. Then enter the network password if you have one and click Ok. Before you close the Network preference window click on the options button. Make sure that the “Require administrator password to:” section has no checkboxes checked. Click the OK button to close the Options window and then click the Apply Now button to save all you changes. To be certain, you may want to repeat these steps for each account you have on your computer.Although other things could cause this problem of yours I think this will likely solve it. Let me know how it works for you.

900 feet is near three times the practical limit of ethernet, so your first option is out. That is, unless you want to place a ethernet switch every 300 feet to act as a repeater. Your other solution of going wireless with directional antenna is possible but probably expensive. Here is a link to a great antenna store which has a product called Q-Bridge (Link to Q-Bridge). This would handle your 900 foot network jump easily. Most wireless repeaters, like Apple’s WDS systems, will not work over this range without many midway hops between the two networks. In that case you may as well use the ethernet switches instead.Most professional network installers use fiber gigabit over fiber optic cable to span that distance. You would need to buy two gigabit switches that have a least one SFP port each. Then you would need to use two GBIC 1000BASE-LX FIBER SFP modules and 900 feet of 9 µm single mode cabling between them. This would be a pricey solution to say the least.If you try the Q-Bridge, let me know what you think about it or what you end up using.

For the most part, any computer with a G4 350 MHz or G3 500 HMz processor or higher, but with speeds at or below below 900 MHz will take a original Airport card (Used Airport Card). Also, most Macs with a 1 GHz or faster processor will take an Airport Extreme card (Airport Extreme Card). The Mirrored Drive Door G4 (MDD G4) is the exception to these rules. For the MDD G4 you need to know if it has FireWire 800. If it has FireWire 800 it will take an Airport Extreme card, and if it does not have FireWire 800 then you have to use an original Airport card. There are a few other exceptions to the rules but this will take care of 99 percent of the Macs out there.

Any Apple computer with Airport wireless capabilities can take the place of a base station. It is called an ad-hoc Wi-Fi network. This is a perfect solution for people who have a desktop Mac and a portable Mac. You will create the Ad-hoc network on your Mac with an ethernet or dial-up internet connection. From OS X you click on the Airport Menu near the clock in the upper right hand corner of your screen. From that menu select “Create Network…” From the window that opens you can name the network and chose a radio channel to broadcast on.. That is all that you have to do to start a wireless network, but you should consider password protecting your network. Click on the “Show Options” button and check the checkbox for “Enable encryption.” Then enter a password twice and you should be ready to go. If you have older equipment or a mix of PCs and Macs, first set up your ad-hoc network without a password to test the setup and add a password later. All you other computers will connect to your ad-hoc network the same as if there was a base station..

The Quicksilver can only accept a standard Airport card internally (Used Airport Card). Original Airport cards use different connections than Airport Extreme cards. You can always use USB wireless connections or other non-Apple solutions, but there are often advantages to using Apple Airport (Extreme) cards. The built-in antenna and automatic driver updates are just a few. Even though Airport is slower than the Airport Extreme, both wireless standards are faster than your internet connection.

You can use an Airport Express to bridge a wireless connection to a wired computer. You will have to have another Airport Express or Airport Extreme base station as your main base station. They both will need the latest firmware to support the secure WDS connection. Join your two base stations through WDS and then connect the Mac Pro to the ethernet port with any ethernet cable. The gigabit ethernet port on the Mac Pro will auto detect what kind of connection is on the other end of the cable and adjust to that. It is easiest to set up WDS when both base stations are setup together so if you encounter problems then reset them both to “Default” settings. Then set them up through the WDS tab in the Airport Admin Utility.Good luck… and I know the growl your girlfriend gave you from experience.

WPA wireless security is definitely what you will want for your mixed network. The main reason is that WPA is implemented with the same passkey system on both the Mac and Windows OS. WEP encryption is flawed and in mixed networks WEP often uses long Hexadecimal passwords that rarely work the first time you enter them. The largest Problem with WEP is that any kid with enough time can crack it. WPA is currently safe from Wi-Fi spying, and for business work that’s essential. If your wireless router supports WPA, then start using that instead of WEP and as long as your Macs are running 10.3.9 then you should be able to connect. Almost all wireless equipment is cross-platform, so there should be no reason to buy extra equipment. If all else fails, an Airport Express connected to the router will get you wireless quickly (http://www.powermax.com/product/Apple_Airport_Express_Base_Station_with_AirTunes/a-m9470ll/a.html).Hope that helps get you going without the cords.

The easiest way to go wireless on the Quicksilver G4 is with the original Airport Card (http://www.powermax.com/product/Used_Airport_Card/a-51540.html). It just slides into a special slot on the inside and a built-in antenna plugs into the back of the card. It is a very clean and easy install. As for the transmitting end: some DSL providers supply wireless routers but you can just buy yourself a Linksys wireless router (http://www.powermax.com/product/LinkSys_WireLess-G_BroadBand_Router/563043.html). That should get you wireless. For a cost-effective laptop, you could go with a previously owned G4 iBook, but also consider a MacBook. For as little as $1099.00 you could have a faster computer than your Quicksilver that can also hook up to your current display and keyboard. You could then use the MacBook as your main system and trade in your old computer.Perhaps that will work best for you.

Having a single wireless network comprised of multiple base-stations is one of the things that sets Apple wireless products apart from the rest. What you will want to do is set up “WDS” in your network. WDS stands for Wireless Distribution System and it’s what allows one base station to act as the primary connection to the internet, and every other base station in range to act as a repeater. With the latest version of Airport Admin Utility, connect to the Extreme base station. Click on the WDS tab. Check the checkbox next to “Enable this base station as a WDS” and set it to be the “main base station.” Next, select the “+” button to add your Express base station. It will have to be within 150 feet for this to work. Select your Express and then click the Update button. After everything resets, your two base stations will act as one network and each base station can support a printer. This is the best way to setup multiple base stations and you can keep adding Express base stations to the network as your needs grow.Have fun.Jacob Loeb

Mac-compatible USB Wi-Fi adapters will work with Apple’s Airport products. The only problem comes when you use WEP encryption on your network. Although Apple adhered to the 802.11b and 802.11g Wi-Fi standards, they implemented it using a slightly different method for encrypting the network. The Apple way was easier when using all Apple hardware, but it can become difficult when mixing hardware. It is only WEP that has a problem; WPA works the same on all hardware. Probably the biggest concern is that the USB options stick out of the computer and can snag on things. The Airport card is the cleanest solution, fitting completely inside the computer. You can still find original Airport cards used. Whichever way you go, just remember not to use WEP with the USB adapters.

This is a common complaint among FM transmitter owners. Particularly those who live in the city or near broadcast towers. The hum that you hear is caused by the iPods FM transmitter competing with static noise and signal bleed from other stations. Modern stereos use a static damper to reduce the static you hear when tuning your radio. The static is still there but just muted so you don’t blow out your speakers when scanning for stations. You still hear some static but not all of it like when we tuned radios with an analog knob. This dampening feature is great for tuning an FCC regulated station, but hard when trying to find an interference-free station. Car radios further complicate this problem by moving into and out off radio tower range. As a test, find a place you can park for a time. Try to find a place halfway between your most common destinations. Start playing the iPod and slowly change the transmitter frequency. Tune your radio to that station then pause the music and see if it hums. Keep working your way through the available frequencies, making note of the ones with the least hum. When you are done, you just need to choose the best of the best. In my experience, lower frequencies work best.

I hope that works to find an open channel in our over-packed airwaves.

The AirPlug is a versatile wireless upgrade. I’ve always been drawn to the USB wireless network devices because it is easy to move them from computer to computer and they will outlast the life of the computer they are initially attached to. The only problem with them has been that most vendors do not support their product’s use on the Mac.

But thanks to the great people over at Ralink Technology, Mac users can use certain USB wireless devices. Ralink makes most of the technology used inside the AirPlug and they try to support every OS they can, unlike the companies they sell to. On the Ralink web site is a huge selection of wireless drivers for many different operating systems.

I do admit that there are almost too many versions of drivers up on the Ralink site. Here are the direct links to the latest files but you should check back to see if there is an update if anything stops working.

For Mac OS X 10.3http://www.ralinktech.com/drivers/Mac/STA_2500USB%20OS-10.3%202005_11_18.dmg

For Mac OS X 10.4http://www.ralinktech.com/drivers/Mac/STA_2500USB%20D-1.1.2.0%20OS-10.4.X%202005_11_29.dmg

There are two sides to wireless Wi-Fi networking (aka Airport). One side is the client card, like your Airport card, and the other side is your network access point. Sometimes coffee shops provide access points or other times there are open public access points. Most often though, you will need to buy an access point and connect it up to your current Internet connection. Apple makes a few access points, of which I would recommend the Airport Express.

If you already have a wireless network that you want to connect to, then you are only a few steps away from getting connected. The Mac OS includes all the software you need to connect to a wireless network as part of the operating system. To activate a new Airport card, go to System Preferences under the blue Apple menu. Next click on “Network” at which point you may be told that a new network connection is available. You will be asked if you want to use it, to which you should accept. You should now see the Airport as an active network connection. Also a new icon will be added to the menu bar next to the clock. It will be a pie shaped icon. Clicking on it will show you a dropdown list of wireless options. Turn on Airport. Then look for networks available to you listed below “Turn Airport Off.” Click once on the network and enter a password if you need to.

I would recommend not using a wireless PCI card. Wireless drivers for OS 9 and earlier versions of the Mac OS are almost non-existent. Instead, I recommend you buy a cheap 10/100 Ethernet card and then use an Ethernet to Wi-Fi adapter to go wireless. Support for an Ethernet card is common in OS 9 and you may already have an Ethernet port. From the Ethernet port you could easily connect a Linksys WET54G Wireless-G Ethernet Bridge. It configures through a standard web browser and works without any drivers installed. I have used this option with great success.

Congratulations on getting that high-speed Internet connection. I have been on one every place I have lived since 1998. It may be a little expensive but I would recommend the Apple Airport Base Station. It will be easy to setup and administer from any of your Macs as well as support connections from your PC computers. It will also include two Ethernet ports. One Ethernet port is used for the DSL modem from Verizon. The other port is for the G5 without a wireless card. The Airport Base Station will have a few other features that will be of use. It has a modem in it in case you ever go back to dialup. The modem port could also be used so that you could dial into your home DSL connection when traveling. It will also have an antenna port on it. If you have parts of your house that you do not get any signal then you can add an extra external antenna.

Any Product that is a NAT router will act as a firewall. This includes the Apple Base Station as well as many other home Routers. The PC should have an antivirus but the Macs do not need any additional protection. If the Apple Base Station cost more then you want to spend than I would suggest one from Linksys. The 4-port Wireless G router would be a good fit but harder to configure.

I can understand your reluctance to buy the Airport Base Station. You would only be using one of its features. It would be your only option if there where multiple people in your house wanting to share a Dialup Internet account or if you wanted to print wirelessly, but if you just need to cut the phone cord it would be overkill. What you need is a wireless phone line. Some cordless phones will have modem ports in them but those are hard to find and bulky. Fortunately a company called Nebo Wireless (http://www.nebowireless.com) has just what you need. The Nebo Wireless base unit connects to your home phone line and the receiver unit plugs into your modem and USB port. The USB connection is only for power so there are no drivers. Your computer thinks it is hooked up to a regular phone line. The Nebo Wireless is only $49.99 and can be purchased directly from their site. I have never used this product but it looks to be the best solution for you.

All the dual-core based PowerMac G5’s use a new combo wireless card instead of the two cards used before. The card is similar to the combo Bluetooth/Airport card found in iBooks. The difference is that the card is attached to an adapter card before it is inserted into the G5. Additionally the two antenna cables have changed to the smaller standard used inside most Apple computers with built-in wireless.

Most people with basic mechanical skills could install this wireless kit into their G5 tower. The reason Apple does not consider it “User Installable” is that it’s a multiple part assembly in a tight space. We sell it because we feel people should have the option of installing it themselves. The only drawback to installing it yourself is that you will lose your Apple warranty on the wireless kit.

The slot that the assembled wireless kit fits into is the same mini PCI slot that Airport Extreme (APX) cards fit into. As a test, I installed an APX card into a dual-core G5 and it worked fine. Unfortunately the built-in cables will not work so you have to use an external antenna and cable.

So if you are confident with your hands, pick up one of those wireless kits.

That Airport Extreme Card (A-F8881LL/A-REF) is both 802.11b and 802.11g compliant and it will work with any hardware that supports those connections, like your SBC wireless router. Go ahead and open that up. The manual that came with your computer will have excellent instructions on how to install that card. Also Apple will have copies of those instructions at http://www.apple.com/support/manuals/ for you to print out.

Good luck and enjoy the wireless Internet.