[schalliol]

In Apple's AirPort FAQ (http://www.apple.com/airport/faq/) it indicates that you can use multiple AirPort base stations to extend the range of an airport network.

My question is: Can you do this with an 802.11b router (if you care it's UMAX MaxGate UGate-3300) and a G4 (running X.2) to support a PowerBook running AirPort software? I don't think there would be an issue for the router, but I'm wondering about the G4 if operating in software base station mode.

Wired Wired
Wi-Fi G4
Router in soft base station


Wireless Mobile Powerbook

Thanks! Jon

[Camelot]

No. Neither Apple's Base Station nor the Software Base Station will act as a wireless relay station.

It will only accept traffic on the wireless card and relay it upstream over the ethernet (or other physical) connection. It will not bounce the traffic back up to another wireless base station.

Some vendor's base stations (such as Cisco's) will do this, but Apple's won't.

[schalliol]

Please let me clarify:

What I am referring to is a station that plugs into the network and allows what is called "Active Roaming". Apple does support this on their base stations and through the Airport Software (see: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58596).

So, my question is, could I do this from a software base station in my PowerMac G4 in conjunction with my WiFi Router? I belive that this is done with coordination of the software, so I think it will work, but I'm wondering if anyone knows for sure before I buy some new hardware. Thanks!!

[Camelot]

Sorry, I misunderstood your original post in that you were trying to use your (untethered) G4 to extend the AirPort range

Apple's base stations do support roaming and I believe the software base station does too, so you shouldn't have a problem.