[Dave N]

I'm getting a cable modem Friday and want to get set up for wireless networking on my G3 iBook (802.11b only). I would like to save some money and buy a 3rd party wireless router in stead of an Airport base, but after doing some searches on this forum and poking around the net, it seems that all I read about are people having trouble with 3rd party wireless routers and Macs.

I can get a "snow" Airport off eBay for about $100 shipped, so I'm wondering if it's worth the extra 50 odd bucks to pay for the Airport over a cheaper 3rd party router. I'd like something with a firewall, have 128 bit encryption, and be configurable from a Mac. Is there anything out there like this that works well with Macs?

[Captain Obvious]

Originally posted by Dave N:
. Is there anything out there like this that works well with Macs?

Netgear. Most 3rd party wireless routers work fine. I don't know why you think they wouldn't but the ones that use a browser to set up work just fine with Macs both in classic and OSX. Almost all now come with built in firewalls and anyone made in the last year will support 128 bit encryption.

[nJm]

I've got a Netgear, and have found its signal strength isn't as good as a friend's Airport Express. If you need ethernet ports, get a 3rd party router. If you just need wireless, get an Airport Express - that way you can also take advantage of the Airtunes feature as well. And with that in mind, if you do go for an Airport Express, get the cable internet provider to install it near your stereo, so you can plug the Airport Express into your hifi system.

[Dave N]

Thanks for the responses. Someone on the campus where I work is selling a Netgear MR814 for $15. I guess $15 is cheap enough for me to find out if this will work or not...

[aaanorton]

Originally posted by Dave N:
Thanks for the responses. Someone on the campus where I work is selling a Netgear MR814 for $15.

Buy it. That'll work just fine. I used one for years.

[Laurence]

I've been using a Linksys wireless router for years with no issues under OS 9.1->10.3.5. I don't use AppleTalk though and I've heard that AppleTalk will NOT work through many third party routers. Unless you really need AppleTalk then I would get the third party router. BTW, the LinkSys routers seem to have a better range than the Airport in my experience.

[ghporter]

Any standard-compliant wireless router will work. Any wireless router with an external antenna will work better than any without an antenna. Any wireless router with TWO antennas will work better than any with only one antenna.

The big question used to be "is it possible to set up this third party device with a Mac?" For a couple of years, the answer has been "Yes." You simply connect a cable to the box (always set up wireless boxes with a wired connection-really), and use your browser to get into the box's configuration pages. I don't know of any currently offered devices that require special software to configure them-except for AirPort devices, and at least Apple now officially supports Windows, though not Linux or any other OS.

The one problem we Mac users still run into is that the terminology Apple uses (in the AirPort Admin Utility, for example) is not the same as the rest of the world uses for wireless devices. For example, the Network Name is a Service Set ID or SSID. The password is the encryption key for the wireless security system (USE THE HIGHEST AND MOST ADVANCED ENCRYPTION YOUR EQUIPMENT SUPPORTS!). There are sometimes other differences that could throw you, but if you run into this sort of thing, just post the confusion here, and we'll explain it.

Happy (wireless) surfing!