[dmm]

Hi All,

I have a G4 powebook 12" with an Airport Extreme Card. I'm looking to set up a wireless access point so I can use the powerbook thoughout my house, mostly for internet access and a small amount of file transfer.

I have a few questions. There weren't any specific answers in the archives for my situation, so I'm hoping you all can be of help!

1. Is there any compelling reason NOT to purchase one of the cheap access points by Netgear or others (some of the 802.11b are selling for as low as $35)? I've read conflicting reports about looking only for units with broadcom chips in them.

2. Is there any compelling reason that I should get an 802.11g unit?

3. In the next month, a half T1 line will be installed at my home office. Should the T1 go out of service, would having the backup modem port in the Airport Base Station be an advantage?

4. It would be out of the question to share bandwith with neighbors using just the Airport Base Station, right? It wouldn't send a far enough signal.

Thanks for your help!

[Scarpa]

Originally posted by dmm:
1. Is there any compelling reason NOT to purchase one of the cheap access points

Nope.

2. Is there any compelling reason that I should get an 802.11g unit?

If you have a local computer that you want to share files with wirelessly, then you will definitely want an .11g unit. If it's just for net access any wireless technology will outrun a half-T1.

3. In the next month, a half T1 line will be installed at my home office. Should the T1 go out of service, would having the backup modem port in the Airport Base Station be an advantage?

I guess, but it would be painful. In that case I'd just buy a 75ft phone cord and use the internal PB modem for a couple days.

4. It would be out of the question to share bandwith with neighbors using just the Airport Base Station, right? It wouldn't send a far enough signal.

It really depends on how close they are. Two friends of mine that live in apartments see (and occasionally use) other people's wireless networks.

[ghporter]

I concurr with Scarpa on most of your questions. I find that the large file transfer issue that 802.11g is supposed to be a real "gotta have" choice for, that a Cat5 cable is an even better choice. Direct connection with a cable goes about twice as fast as 802.11g, is more secure, and situations that call for it are infrequent enough that the cable is a better choice for me (and I think most people).

Sharing a half-T1 line isn't out of the question, depending on the equipment you get (some access points accept signal boosters, and there are high-performance antennas that can extend your range as well). You may want to see what kind of speed you get with one, two, then three computers all downloading files at once before you choose to share; at about 750kbps, a half-T1 won't be as forgiving of load as a full T1, fast DSL, or cable connection will be.