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frankmcma · Mar 10, 2008, 12:51 PM

I know this is an FAQ, it seems I need to order the AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth Combo Card 661-3692 to give my G5 wireless capability.

However..is there something I can get at my local Best Buy or Circuit City? Maybe a USB plug or card? Ideally wireless N (I have the Airport Extreme router/network) but looking for something I can get locally that will work with the Extreme unit that I can plug into the G5. Will any wireless USB add-work? What are some that do?

Thanks!

Frank

Big Mac · Mar 10, 2008, 01:15 PM

Avoid USB devices for networking needs. You'll want an ethernet wireless bridge, something like this:

Amazon.com: Belkin F5D7330 802.11g Wireless Ethernet Adapter: Electronics

Note that a reviewer indicates that that Belkin unit may need some PC configuring to properly connect to a secure network. I chose to give you that link because it's the highest rated wireless bridge I could find (most only get 3 stars on Amazon), but you'll want to look around to see if you'd prefer a different one.

As for bluetooth, most any USB bluetooth dongle works. (But you can't add built-in Apple bluetooth to a G5 after the factory.)

frankmcma · Mar 10, 2008, 01:21 PM

Avoid USB because? Too slow? Ideally a plug and play is best and USB is easy.

The ethernet bridge..let me understand...so its a wireless unit that plugs into your ethernet port? And picks up any wireless network?

My network is locked..so I am not sure how on a Mac I would configure. But this one looks well rated.

Any other options out there? Especially any that work with macs?

Big Mac · Mar 10, 2008, 01:37 PM

There's this D-Link that explicitly lists Mac compatibility, but it's lower rated:

Amazon.com: D-Link DWL-G810 Ethernet to Wireless Bridge Adapter, 802.11g, 108Mbps: Electronics

USB seems like the easy solution, but it's not designed for networking. USB networking products have been particularly problematic on Macs. People experienced all kinds of problems when their ISPs insisted on giving them USB DSL modems a few years back (and I haven't heard of USB modems in recent times). Few USB WIFI products are listed as Mac compatible, and the ones that are most likely rely on poorly coded, poorly supported drivers. Besides, the idea is that you generally want to try to match peripherals to the ports designed to work with them. WIFI is the wireless ethernet standard, so if you don't have WIFI built-in you probably will want to go with an ethernet bridge for best results.

kikkoman · Mar 10, 2008, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by frankmcma

Any other options out there? Especially any that work with macs?

Airport Express can be configured to works as a bridge. It works great w/Macs too

Big Mac · Mar 10, 2008, 02:23 PM

Good to know, kikkoman.

frankmcma · Mar 10, 2008, 03:33 PM

Really? I was going to buy an Airport Express because I initially thought that would work.

Do you know how it hooks up to the G5? Via ethernet? What is the best way to use it to get my G5 on my network? How does it work as a bridge?

Thanks

Frank

frankmcma · Mar 10, 2008, 03:41 PM

So I was looking at Apple - Airport Express Let me know if this sounds like it should work:

Downstairs I have my network, Airport Extreme base station
Upstairs I have the G5 - upstairs I plug in an Airport Express - plug an ethernet cable from the Express to the G5 - and connect to the internet/network

Is this how it works?

Frank

kikkoman · Mar 10, 2008, 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by frankmcma

So I was looking at Apple - Airport Express Let me know if this sounds like it should work:

Downstairs I have my network, Airport Extreme base station
Upstairs I have the G5 - upstairs I plug in an Airport Express - plug an ethernet cable from the Express to the G5 - and connect to the internet/network

Is this how it works?

Frank

You must configure the Extreme and Express as a WDS network. The Extreme should be the main base station and the Express should be remote station. You should also set the Express to Bridge mode.

eyadams · Mar 11, 2008, 11:25 AM

I went with the Linksys WRT54G. It doesn't have N, but I'm leery of buying a third party N router until the spec is finalized. The Linksys has a web based admin tool that lets you set up everything, but you do have to know what you're doing.