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HippyShoes · Jun 17, 2004, 10:01 AM

Ok so I'm living down in South America for another year, and one of the ISPs here has just released an affordable Home Broadband package. It's a wireless connection to the house which is picked up by an antenna and then connects to the computer via ethernet .. (see diagram) ..

Anyway, so I've never had broadband at home before, or wireless. There's two macs in the house a G4 MDD and an iBook G3 700. I'd like them both to use the broadband connection at the same time and have the iBook connected wirelessly.

I have to do this on a tight budget. So obviously I'll need an airport card for the iBook, and I was looking at getting a AirportExpress for the wireless router, but I'm way confused about having the G4 connected at the same time as the router?? I have searched the board but I'm too stupid to understand the answers out there.

So what's the best setup for me?

PS. The broadband is connected with PPPoE?? And the ISP states that it'll only connect one compu at a time??

Thanks in advance

HS

turtle777 · Jun 17, 2004, 11:15 AM

Originally posted by HippyShoes:
I have to do this on a tight budget. So obviously I'll need an airport card for the iBook, and I was looking at getting a AirportExpress for the wireless router, but I'm way confused about having the G4 connected at the same time as the router?? I have searched the board but I'm too stupid to understand the answers out there.

So what's the best setup for me?

PS. The broadband is connected with PPPoE?? And the ISP states that it'll only connect one compu at a time??

AirportExpress won't work.
You can not connect the Ethernet upstream AND a the desktop downstream.

You'd need at least AirportExtreme, which has two ethernet ports
OR
AirportExpress and TWO Airport cards, one for the iBook and one for the G4.

Well, the cheapest solution, if you are hardware savy, is a third party wireless router. They come with additonal ethernet ports.
In the US, they start at about $ 25.

-t

HippyShoes · Jun 17, 2004, 12:07 PM

Originally posted by turtle777:
AirportExpress won't work.
You can not connect the Ethernet upstream AND a the desktop downstream.

You'd need at least AirportExtreme, which has two ethernet ports
OR
AirportExpress and TWO Airport cards, one for the iBook and one for the G4.

Well, the cheapest solution, if you are hardware savy, is a third party wireless router. They come with additonal ethernet ports.
In the US, they start at about $ 25.

-t

thanks for your reply .. thats cleared things up nicely. just two more questions:

- would another cheap-ish option be to have the broadband come in to the G4, buy an airport card for both, and use the G4 as a base station?

- probably not doable, but if the signal is arriving at my place wirelessly can't I recieve it directly with an airport card? (if so, can I receive it outside my house also - in the central city area covered by the service?)

HS

turtle777 · Jun 17, 2004, 01:59 PM

Originally posted by HippyShoes:
- would another cheap-ish option be to have the broadband come in to the G4, buy an airport card for both, and use the G4 as a base station?

Uhm, not exactly sure.
I think, it's possible, but someone else has to comfirm.
From what I recall, there is a setting that let's you broadcast from your Airport card.
I'm not at home in front of my iBook, so I can't try right now.
Again, I think it would work.
Go and search the forum for that...

Originally posted by HippyShoes:
- probably not doable, but if the signal is arriving at my place wirelessly can't I recieve it directly with an airport card? (if so, can I receive it outside my house also - in the central city area covered by the service?)

I don't know what system they are using to transmit the data.
I'm pretty sure that it is NOT 802.11 compatible.
802.11 wouldn't go far enough. It's only for short distances...

-t

JasonPro · Jun 25, 2004, 05:24 PM

Originally posted by turtle777:
I don't know what system they are using to transmit the data.
I'm pretty sure that it is NOT 802.11 compatible.
802.11 wouldn't go far enough. It's only for short distances...

I've seen ISPs that use 802.11 and highly directional antennas actually. However if this is the case, then no the iBooks airport card wouldn't be enough to pick up the signal. The directional antenna that would be provided by the ISP needs to be set up and aimed at the ISPs antenna much like a satellite dish needs to be pointed at a satellite.

--
Jason

Langdon · Jun 26, 2004, 12:17 AM

Originally posted by HippyShoes:
thanks for your reply .. thats cleared things up nicely. just two more questions:

- would another cheap-ish option be to have the broadband come in to the G4, buy an airport card for both, and use the G4 as a base station?

- probably not doable, but if the signal is arriving at my place wirelessly can't I recieve it directly with an airport card? (if so, can I receive it outside my house also - in the central city area covered by the service?)

HS

-That would not be cheapish since it would add about $40 more than buying a wireless router AND you would need to have the G4 on each time you wanted to use the iBook.

-I doubt the signal you would be getting would be 802 - I am sure it is some other freq that is made usable by something in that receiver dish or box.

HippyShoes · Jul 2, 2004, 08:56 AM

Thanks for your help everyone.

Just one final question .. the ISP states that the connection is with PPPoE, and that if I want more than one computer connected to the service I'll need a proxy server installed in my network?

I've bought an Airport card for the iBook and now looking at getting a wireless router which my MDD will plug into. Will that allow me to have both machines on the net with PPPoE at the same time?

Thanks again,

HS

ghporter · Jul 2, 2004, 10:16 AM

Originally posted by HippyShoes:
Thanks for your help everyone.

Just one final question .. the ISP states that the connection is with PPPoE, and that if I want more than one computer connected to the service I'll need a proxy server installed in my network?

I've bought an Airport card for the iBook and now looking at getting a wireless router which my MDD will plug into. Will that allow me to have both machines on the net with PPPoE at the same time?

Thanks again,

HS

All you'll need is that third party router. They allow you to connect a number of computers to a single broadband connection-that's their basic function. You won't really need a "proxy server" in this configuration, because the router handles the connection sharing.