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dcube · 10:08 AM

Hello!

I just purchased a 12" powerbook G4 1.5/512 with airport extreme (and I love it!!) but I cannot connect to the internet. I live in an apartment, and my landlord has a wireless router downstairs that she lets me connect too (WEP password is disabled). With my old crppy PC laptop, I just had to go out and purchase a PCI card, i came home, installed the card, automtically it connected to her network....and voilla, I was surfing in 5 minutes!

With my powerbook, I can't figure out how to connect. When i open up airport, it doesn't seem to find any connections. I am on this connection right now with my PC, so I know it is working. Is there an easy way to do this?? I'm a new mac guy...

Thanks in advance....and great site everyone!

dcube · Jun 5, 2006, 08:37 AM

UPDATE...

Well, after trying everything (except checking the actual card), I finally just walked the powerbook down to the front door of my landlords place, and whattya know...it picked up her network (barely). My PC picks up her network anywhere in my apartment!

Is it possible that my crappy $20 bottom-of-the-line PCI card is that much better than brand new airport extreme??? What gives?

Is it possible that the card was un-seated during shipping?
How would I check this?

ghporter · Jun 5, 2006, 09:39 AM

What's more likely is that your brand new AirPort Extreme card isn't properly or completely connected. That little antenna connector is a bear to get fully plugged in sometimes, and it goes in farther than it may look like it will.

Open up the PowerBook and look at the antenna cable where it goes in the card. Push it firmly but carefully STRAIGHT IN. It should look like it's almost burried in the card.

dcube · Jun 5, 2006, 10:10 AM

Originally Posted by ghporter

Open up the PowerBook and look at the antenna cable where it goes in the card. Push it firmly but carefully STRAIGHT IN. It should look like it's almost burried in the card.

Thanks for the reply, ghporter.

Is this easy to do yourself, or does it need to be done by a Mac technician?
Is there a online step-by-step manual (I wouldn't know where to begin!)

Thanks!

ghporter · Jun 5, 2006, 09:08 PM

Originally Posted by johnny88

Thanks for the reply, ghporter.

Is this easy to do yourself, or does it need to be done by a Mac technician?
Is there a online step-by-step manual (I wouldn't know where to begin!)

Thanks!

Check Apple's knowledgebase. There should be COPIOUSLY ILLUSTRATED instructions for installing an AirPort card in your particular model (here's one for example though yours may be very slightly different).

dcube · Jun 5, 2006, 10:44 PM

OK...now I think I've tried everything.
I re-seated the airport card and the antenae..re-started, and still no connections!

Is it maybe Mac/PC thing?
Like maybe my landlords router isn't Mac compatable??
It's frustrating because I'm on my PC right now, and the internet is working FINE!

should I just give up, and take it into an apple store??

ghporter · Jun 6, 2006, 05:45 AM

Networking is completely agnostic-there's no such thing as a standard network, wired or wireless, that's not Mac compatible. I think you may have an AirPort card problem-particularly if you've made darn sure that the antenna is fully connected. You could stop by an Apple Store and see what kind of help they could be, but first I'd stop by a place with a wireless hotspot just to see what kind of signal level you got at varying distances.