[reemas]

I don't know much about airport extreme. I want to get a Powerbook, but what can I do with airport extreme? Who provides access to it, and is it free?

[ibook_steve]

Airport Extreme is Apple's product name for wireless networking, officially dubbed 802.11g. It provides up to 54 Mbps data transfer for local networks. Nobody provides it. You set up a wireless network to connect to local machines, and, with the help of a router and a connection to the Internet (DSL, cable, or dialup), use the Internet wirelessly.

Steve

[happyware]

Airport Extreme is nothing more than a fancy term for 802.11g. You can purchase Airport Extreme Cards for newer Mac Laptops (the very newest G4's and various older G4's have them included already) and allow you to connect to a wirless router.

While apple also sells an Airport Extreme BaseStation (aka 802.11g router). Their pricing is insane and a better option is a linksys or microsoft router which can be found for $40-60 easy.

Good luck and let us know if you need links.

[bbales]

Just to put in a plug for apple extreme-- the base station does allow wireless printing. I'm not sure a third-party product will. And that is very convenient.

I know -- mine is down right now and as fixing it involves shutting everything down, unplugging the base station for a few minutes then starting everything back up, I haven't gotten around to it yet. And it's a pain not to be able to print from the laptop, when you're used to being able to do so.

I do not know the price differences between the two. I just know my setup works.

[reemas]

does anyone know if there are free or other providers of wireless internet access in public areas? i use a modem at home, but wanted to go somehwere everynow and then to use the high speed access.

thanks!

[Daniel Bayer]

Check this out for hotspots:

http://www.jiwire.com/

[Tomster]

Originally posted by reemas:
does anyone know if there are free or other providers of wireless internet access in public areas?

Do a google on wardriving.

[NYCFarmboy]

*grin*

I've had this happen twice now:

2 friends have purchased powerbooks with airport cards in them.

They have both called me from the airport asking how to connect to the internet getting ready to fly off to whereever.

They just assume that having a airport card means they get free internet at the airport. LOL

I then explain how to turn it on and maybe they will have a network they connect to, perhaps at a hourly fee or whatever, but that the wireless card is just a wireless card.....nothing more.

very bad name. I'm sure this has happened to others.,

On access..depends on where you live. In my apartment building here in Manhattan I have my own network going which I use which runs off DSL and a Airport Extreme base station.

However the DSL is spotty (it went out for an hour last night..which is seems to do every few weeks...but thats another story...

anyhow there are 5 other networks shown on my airport finder just because I lived in a very populated high rise apt. complex. Of those 3 require passwords, and 2 don't. So I could hop onto one of those networks if I chose. (but I choose not to for security reasons as then all your passwords etc could be transmitted on that network etc).

but...in theory when my network is down I can hop on another network for websurfing etc. (in theory of course).

[Tomster]

Originally posted by NYCFarmboy:

very bad name. I'm sure this has happened to others.

Second worse name by Apple, the first being Filemaker Pro Unlimited.
"You mean it is not a site license?"

Originally posted by NYCFarmboy:

(but I choose not to for security reasons as then all your passwords etc could be transmitted on that network etc).

For 8.88 a month, you can be completely secure while surfing on other networks.

http://www.hotspotvpn.com/

Not that it would be right to completely leech of of a neighbor's connection.