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TribeLeader · Feb 17, 2009, 05:22 PM

I wasn't sure what to search for so I decided to simply ask for your help. At home, we have a wireless network for my wife and my Mac PowerBooks. But at my workplace, we're setting up a wireless network, but I'm not exactly sure how to do it.

Here's what we have ...
- Cable modem
- The office secretary uses a PC (no wireless card that I know of; it's a bit dated) and so connects to the modem by way of a cable.

What exactly do I need to connect the cable modem to a PC AND to a router so that I (and others) can connect to the network wirelessly?

Thanks!

ibook_steve · Feb 17, 2009, 07:43 PM

You need a wireless router to connect directly to the modem. Then, the wired clients connect through ethernet to the router and the wireless clients connect through the wireless network created by the router. Any Apple, Linksys, Belkin, etc. wireless router will do.

Steve

TribeLeader · Feb 18, 2009, 11:31 AM

Thanks. I think I understand that.

Just to make sure, though, and to compare with my home network (DSL) -- I have a line in to the modem, then a line out to the wireless router (AirPort). If I were adding a wired client (as I will at the office), the line would go from the AirPort to the wired PC, right?

Thanks!

ibook_steve · Feb 18, 2009, 12:30 PM

Correct.

TribeLeader · Mar 24, 2009, 02:07 PM

(Ah, just realized that I recently posted this question in the wrong thread, one about my wife's office network. Sorry.)

Another question: If I go with a non-Apple product (e.g., a Linksys or whatever), mainly to save a little money, is it easy to set up on a Mac? I've only used AEBSs in the past. And, is it worth the money savings? :-)

I found this page. Is that what I need to follow?

Laminar · Mar 24, 2009, 03:10 PM

Every wireless router that I've used uses a web-based configuration utility, meaning that it can be set up using a Mac or PC. The page you linked to looks like a good how-to, assuming you buy the type of router it demos.

shifuimam · Mar 24, 2009, 10:16 PM

Originally Posted by TribeLeader

Another question: If I go with a non-Apple product (e.g., a Linksys or whatever), mainly to save a little money, is it easy to set up on a Mac? I've only used AEBSs in the past. And, is it worth the money savings?

Yes. In fact, I would recommend getting something other than an Airport for an office, since you can more easily swap out the external antennae for longer-range ones (if you need to).

I'm partial to Linksys, Belkin, and Netgear. I personally haven't had as much luck with D-Link products. Every router on the market uses a web-accessible configuration interface, so they're all compatible with everything (even your iPhone!).

When you set everything up, just make sure that you're using WPA encryption on the wireless network at your office. WEP is ridiculously easy to hack.

Cold Warrior · Mar 24, 2009, 10:35 PM

I'd go so far as to say WPA2. WPA has a known exploit enabling forward-channel cracking.

shifuimam · Mar 25, 2009, 07:02 AM

Just so long as everything on the network supports WPA2, then yeah, definitely.

TribeLeader · Mar 26, 2009, 11:52 PM

Thanks for the help!

TribeLeader · Apr 7, 2009, 05:56 PM

I'm sorry, but I *thought* I had this all figured out, but I'm confused again. :-/

If I go with the AirPort Express (with one ethernet port), how exactly do the connections go ...

Cable Internet line --> Cable Modem, Ethernet Cable --> AirPort Express

BUT, where exactly does the wired PC fit into this?

If there's an extra ethernet connection on the cable modem (haven't checked yet), would that go to the computer? Or would I need some sort of Y-cable (modem to router AND PC)?

Thanks again!

Cold Warrior · Apr 7, 2009, 06:11 PM

your cable modem won't have extra ethernet ports.

coax cable > modem, ethernet to > airport express. APExpress provides wifi only. You'll need to use an airport extreme or something like a linksys wired/wireless router to accomplish both wired networking (for the PC) and wifi.

Simon · Apr 8, 2009, 01:52 AM

That's right. If you want wired and wireless clients you need an AP Extreme. Refurbished units start at $135.

And go for WPA2. WPA can now definitely be considered broken. Don't even think about using WEP. Hiding your SSID (network name) and adding MAC address filtering are additional security measures, but they are no substitute for WPA2.

TribeLeader · Apr 8, 2009, 07:31 PM

Thanks for the replies. I actually thought I had asked about and confirmed the APExpress earlier but apparently I didn't.

ghporter · Apr 9, 2009, 08:07 AM

A lot of people (me included) get the Extreme and Express terminology mixed up. Extreme is bigger, and a full-service wireless/wired router, while the Express is a small, "rough and ready" wireless-only router with special hardware to let you stream your media through it. I repeat that here to help ME remember the differences!

While I personally prefer less expensive brands, the AirPort Extreme is a very capable router.

TribeLeader · Apr 15, 2009, 02:04 PM

Okay, thanks for getting me to this point. Today, I tried to setup the network using an AEBS but I had trouble connecting my PowerBook to the Internet (via ethernet cable from the cable modem).

The cable company connected my office's PC to the Internet; I have the username/password. Is there anything else I need from the cable company? I connected the ethernet cable directly to my PB but was unable to get connected. I tried everything I could think of (which may not have been enough, apparently!).

What might I be missing? Slow, step-by-step directions would be nice. :-)

ibook_steve · Apr 15, 2009, 03:33 PM

Originally Posted by TribeLeader

Okay, thanks for getting me to this point. Today, I tried to setup the network using an AEBS but I had trouble connecting my PowerBook to the Internet (via ethernet cable from the cable modem).

The cable company connected my office's PC to the Internet; I have the username/password. Is there anything else I need from the cable company? I connected the ethernet cable directly to my PB but was unable to get connected. I tried everything I could think of (which may not have been enough, apparently!).

What might I be missing? Slow, step-by-step directions would be nice. :-)

Umm, I thought we already mentioned that the connection should be:

cable modem -> AEBS -> wired machines

If what you are saying is that you are testing before adding the AEBS, then I'm not sure why you would need a user name and password since cable doesn't do something like PPPoE (usually needed for DSL; where on the PC were you entering a username and password?). Set up the ethernet connection on the Powerbook to get an IP address using DHCP and you should be good to go.

Steve

TribeLeader · Apr 15, 2009, 07:52 PM

Originally Posted by ibook_steve

Umm, I thought we already mentioned that the connection should be:

cable modem -> AEBS -> wired machines [...]

Right. The directions in the AEBS material said to connect directly first. I wasn't sure if I really needed to do that, but I did anyway.

But I also tried connecting via AirPort (using the setup you mentioned) and didn't get that to work, either. But I may have been trying PPPoE only.

Now that you mention it, the username/password was probably for my secretary's email account. She was there when the cable was installed and I just asked her if there was any info I needed; I have DSL at home so I didn't think anything about not needing a username/password.

So I give it another shot!

Cold Warrior · Apr 15, 2009, 07:55 PM

I've never seen a cable company in the US have user names or passwords. The modem just works but you can't hot-swap devices. You need to unplug (from the wall) your cable modem and leave it that way for several minutes.

TribeLeader · Apr 25, 2009, 12:47 PM

Originally Posted by TribeLeader

Right. The directions in the AEBS material said to connect directly first. I wasn't sure if I really needed to do that, but I did anyway.

But I also tried connecting via AirPort (using the setup you mentioned) and didn't get that to work, either. But I may have been trying PPPoE only.

[...] I give it another shot!

It's amazing how fast doing it the right way is!

Thanks for all of the help!