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Honus Wagner · Feb 9, 2003, 02:31 AM

I am the proud new owner of a 12" AlBook with Airport Extreme. At my office, we have added a Linksys 802.11g router with excellent success. I have good signal strength on both floors of our offices. I have only been using it for two days, but I have yet to be dropped from the network.

At home, I have a Linksys 802.11b router that, prior to my introduction of the AE AlBook, has been working fine. I have had a FP iMac on ethernet and a PC laptop running Win2K Pro connecting wirelessly (with poor range and only 2mbps). With the AE, I have been constantly dropped and only able to use 40-bit WEP. Tonight I upgraded the firmware through the Linksys website, and I have been on the network for about 2 hours without being dropped. If I have any further problems I will post again.

BTW, I had to upgrade the firmware with my PC.

ghporter · Feb 9, 2003, 12:04 PM

Your experience is at least routine, if not typical. While the 802.11b standard is a standard, there's no standardized way of implementing it, and people run into problems sometimes when using equipment from different vendors. Particularly when Apple equipment is brought into the mix. It seems that Apple wants to make everything easy for the user (BRAVO!), but reduces some of the technical details a bit too far, making it more difficult for the user to connect with other vendors' equipment.

I'd be interested in finding out what model of Linksys router you have, as well as what version of the firmware you had to begin with and what version finally worked for you.

mikerally · Feb 10, 2003, 05:25 AM

While the 802.11b standard is a standard, there's no standardized way of implementing it

I take it you meant 802.11g, and that it is a draft spec.

BTW I never bothered to call AppleCare, I knew that would be their response, hell if it was my company, that's what I would say.

Anyway, I've decided on getting a Linksys 54G, those things have been reported as working fine with Airport Extreme (hell they should do, they're based on the exact same chipset).

And Puhleeasssseeee Please Please, can we keep this all going on one thread, I recommend you join the discussion at http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=144531 please report the model of your Linksys AP and firmware etc.

Honus Wagner · Feb 10, 2003, 05:58 PM

To follow up on my original post, the firmware upgrade appears to do the trick. I am using a Linksys BEFW11S4 - EtherFast� Wireless AP + Cable/DSL Router w/4-Port Switch. I upgraded the firmware with version 1.44.2 dated 12/3/02, which is the current version available for download on the Linksys site. I have had no connectivity problems in the two days since the firmware upgrade.

I'm not sure the firmware upgrade can be done on OS X, however. Possibly someone running Virtual PC could do so.

Bostic · Feb 11, 2003, 07:38 PM

Originally posted by Honus Wagner:
To follow up on my original post, the firmware upgrade appears to do the trick. I am using a Linksys BEFW11S4 - EtherFast� Wireless AP + Cable/DSL Router w/4-Port Switch. I upgraded the firmware with version 1.44.2 dated 12/3/02, which is the current version available for download on the Linksys site. I have had no connectivity problems in the two days since the firmware upgrade.

Do you have the original or ver.2 of the Linksys 4 port router? I'm going to be buying a 12" Powerbook as soon as I ditch my desktop P4 system but I want to make sure the AE on it will live happily with my Linksys ver.2

Honus Wagner · Feb 11, 2003, 09:08 PM

Originally posted by Bostic:
Do you have the original or ver.2 of the Linksys 4 port router?

I have the original version. I'm sure your ver.2 will work fine as long as the firmware is the latest and greatest.

ghporter · Feb 12, 2003, 05:17 PM

Originally posted by mikerally:
I take it you meant 802.11g, and that it is a draft spec.

Man! I hate it when I get all dyslexic! Yes, I meant "G" not "B."