[Samuel_M]

Hello:

I did a search and nothing substantive came up, hoping that someone here can help me out....

I am in need of a wireless card for my older model G3 powerbook. I believe it is part of the Wall Street line, not too sure. Current specs are as follows:

Mac Powerbook G3 233mhz
192 MB RAM
2 GB Hard Drive
OS 9.1

I use this laptop primarily for basic web surfing and to check my e-mail and occasional word processing. I would like to know if there are any cards out on the market (802.11b) that are compatible with my powerbook? If so, which ones, how much, and where can I find them?

I had read somewhere on this forum that Lucent makes one, not sure really who else. I don't want to spend no more than $50 on a card. I plan on using this card with a first generation Apple Airport Base Station if that helps.

I'd really appreciate your thoughts as far as what you guys think is the best wireless card to meet my needs. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post and I look forward to hearing from someone soon!

-Samuel

[spiky_dog]

http://www.cdw.com/shop/search/Resul...Order=PRICEASC

[Samuel_M]

Hello:

Thank you "spiky_dog," I went ahead and checked out that link you provided. I went through several of the cards that were listed on that site, and it would seem that the "Proxim ORiNOCO Classic Gold PC Card" is the way to go...

That of course brings up a few additional questions:

1) Does anyone here have this particular card, and what are your experiences with it thus far? (it would helpful to hear from folks who are using it with a similar set-up as me)

2) Being that I am sorta new to the whole wireless networking scene, will this card interfere with my cordless phone(s) in my house (currently, a Panasonic 2.4ghz)?

3) If so, is there any way to minimize the interference? Does one card offer better protection against cordless phone interference than others?

Again, any help that you could provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!

-Samuel

[Macola]

I've been using a Lucent Orinoco Silver card on a G3 266 Wallstreet with no problems (OS 9), and it's recognized natively by Airport software. You can get them on eBay, which is where I found mine.

Edit: Panasonic phones are notorious for interference (802.11b networks operate in the 2.4 GHz frequency range, same as the phone). You can try switching channels, but if you have problems, your best bet is to get a 900 MHz phone (or 5.8 GHz, if you want a newer model).

Also, you should update to 9.2.2.

[Samuel_M]

Hello:

Gosh I'm beginning to love this forum more and more! Thanks to everyone here who has offered their thoughts so far. I really appreciate it.

"Macola," glad to hear about your experience and even more about the phone interference. I'll definitely keep that in mind as I move ahead here....

But what's the difference between the Silver and Gold cards that have been mentioned here? Is one better than the other?

Also, on a side note, I'd love to be able to upgrade to 9.2.2 but I was under the impression that it could not be done with my model powerbook. Am I wrong? If so, what do I have to do to make the jump from 9.1 to 9.2.2 (like where do I go to upgrade) and will it help me as I make the jump into wireless networking? Any advantages in doing so? Is the upgrade free?

Thanks again, and if anyone here has something else they'd like to add, please continue to feel free to do so. Sorry for the all the questions, I just wanna make sure I do this right.

The more info I have the better, as I'm sure there are others out there who stand to benefit from the information that is being shared here. You guys rock!

-Samuel

[Macola]

Review of Silver vs. Gold cards:
http://www.epinions.com/cmd-review-6...3A03AB0B-prod2

For updating to 9.2.2, you first need to download the update for 9.2.1:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=120030

then go to 9.2.2:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=75186

If your PowerBook is not supported, you should be okay staying at 9.2.1.

[Langdon]

Originally posted by Samuel_M:


But what's the difference between the Silver and Gold cards that have been mentioned here? Is one better than the other?

Also, on a side note, I'd love to be able to upgrade to 9.2.2 but I was under the impression that it could not be done with my model powerbook. Am I wrong?

The silver can only do 64 bit WEP. But I think the only diff between the cards is the firmware. There is a bunch of cards that work. Since your powerbook is aging you might just go for the least expensive one. Check out the XLR8yourmac.com database for reviews of all the cards that work.

And if your Powerbook is supported for OS X then it can do any version of 9.

[mpic]

Originally posted by Samuel_M:
Hello:

I am in need of a wireless card for my older model G3 powerbook. I believe it is part of the Wall Street line, not too sure. Current specs are as follows:

Mac Powerbook G3 233mhz
192 MB RAM
2 GB Hard Drive
OS 9.1
-Samuel

I have a G3 Powerbook lombard and I bought a SMC card and the IOxperts driver and it works great. Check them out they also have a list of other cards there driver works with. Also I almost bought an Asante wireless card.

[SVass]

I had a Wallstreet G3 powerbook with a silver card and the computer recently died (Someone spilled a coke on the keyboard while it was on!) Anyway, the card worked extremely well with Mac Airport software and the computer ran OS 9.2.2. The new version of this card is NOT mac compatible, so I suggest using some other card with a driver as suggested above. sam