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mattyd · Oct 4, 2003, 12:37 PM

anyone have experience with 3rd party 802.11b/g base stations they can recommend? i was going to buy an airport extreme but it seems like there are more economical choices out there. are they all basically just as easy to set up and configure?

thanks a lot.

matt

h00ligan · Oct 4, 2003, 12:58 PM

linksys is good, netgear is good too.

i prefer the linksys over the netgear.

i use one with my pb and have no problems. yes the airport station is a bit pricey, however, it does offer a wireless print server for that money.

spalding12 · Oct 4, 2003, 01:00 PM

there are many others and are apples are smart enough to work well with them.

netgear has the highest rated ones out there right now with linksys following closely behind.

get thet netgear and it'll work fine

BUT..........
by buying the more expensive airport extreme with the antenna port, you also get a built-in modem that can be used wirelessly when your DSL or cable modem goes out.

i like my APE... BUT i alsol got the Dr. Bott directional antenna booster for another $150.00 because i have a 50 year old house with plaster walls and i need all the penetration of signal i can get.

hope that helps

greg

aapljack · Oct 4, 2003, 01:10 PM

I have the Netgear 4port 802.11g wireless router and it works great. I have it plugged into my desktop G4 and it serves my dsl to both my desktop and my laptop. I also turned on printer sharing, so I can use my inkjet hooked to my desktop from my laptop.

The Netgear router was immediately available right when I turned on my Powerbook for the first time. I selected it from the airport menu and started surfing. I get great reception to. I sit here in the living room and have a full airport meter. The router is sitting on my desk in the other room (about 30ft away) next to my computer and behind my cinema display. I was very surprised at how good the range is.

The Netgear is also easy to configure, all done with your browser to connect to it. And it was much cheaper. I got it for about $100.

-b

forcelite · Oct 4, 2003, 01:19 PM

the best config is linksys g with the powqer booster. This provides a very nice distance. Both can be had for under $220 (better than airbase station) and provides the best distance out of any combination.

Force

mmintler · Oct 5, 2003, 12:09 AM

Thanks for the info...I 've also been wondering about this . I did a price search and found the netgear for $99 +free shipping+$20 mail in rebate=$79

I'll be ordering one...

http://www.computers4sure.com/produc...ductid=1588582

shabbasuraj · Oct 5, 2003, 06:09 AM

i own a Netgear WGR614 and have no probs...

does anyone know how many wireless connections this router can support?

checked around the website and have not easily found the answer...

BTW if you own this same router you should upgrade the firmware on it or make sure you are running the most recent firmware... as a new version was released a few weeks ago....

lates...

fate · Oct 5, 2003, 06:38 AM

I a few days I want to order the netgear WG602 AP. The only thing that worries me is the reception. As I have ferroconcrete walls there might be a problem with the reception. It's important that 2 rooms next to mine have also good reception and one room right beneath mine.
Anyone experiences with ferro. walls?

nobitacu · Oct 5, 2003, 07:10 AM

Airport Extreme is what I'm using, with Dr. Bott as well since I live in a 80 years old house during both college semesters. However, I am only using the $100 Dr. Bott Omni, not the $150 one.

Ming

mattyd · Oct 5, 2003, 02:07 PM

nice! that's a full $100 cheaper than an airport extreme bs.

Originally posted by mmintler:
Thanks for the info...I 've also been wondering about this . I did a price search and found the netgear for $99 +free shipping+$20 mail in rebate=$79

I'll be ordering one...

http://www.computers4sure.com/produc...ductid=1588582

EvanV · Oct 5, 2003, 02:13 PM

Originally posted by h00ligan:
linksys is good, netgear is good too.

i prefer the linksys over the netgear.

i use one with my pb and have no problems. yes the airport station is a bit pricey, however, it does offer a wireless print server for that money.

Whats the advantages/disadvantages of the Linksys over Netgear? I am still deciding what to get. I am leaning towards Linksys b/c they have it in stock at my Future Shop so I dont have to order online and wait for Netgear.

This is the one I've been looking at:

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pro...=&newdeptid=18

MusicalTone · Oct 5, 2003, 05:15 PM

I am using the AE base station with my TiBook and it works as advertised. No surprises there. I have used my PB at my sisters hous and she has a linksys wireless router and that worked fine too. I dont think there is a lot to it so you should be fine whatever you choose. Having said that, I am very happy with the customary Apple excelence and ease of use with my AE base station, and that the system can grow with my future needs (external atenna, networking other base stations together, etc. ).

nagromme · Oct 6, 2003, 01:54 PM

One of the best features of AirPort is wireless printing to (many) USB printers. Not all base stations have a USB port and support for that.

Plus the Apple base station has Apple's utility software to go with it.

I'd be tempted to choose the Apple one. But luckily I'm not going wireless yet so I don't have to decide!

A modem IS important to me... and until AirPort has V.92 (can put your connection on hold to let a call through) I won't buy one for sure.

ucsbdude · Oct 6, 2003, 02:10 PM

How easy is it to configure the firewall on these routers (the linksys and netgear). I have the rev a airport and i am looking to upgrade to a g solution. I need to open a lot of ports for various web serving, vid conf, and filesharing. I know how to do this on the airport bs, is it just as easy to configure on these other brands? Is there any problems with doing it on an apple rather than using a pc to configure?

Thanks,

Chris

videian28 · Oct 6, 2003, 02:35 PM

I have been using the same netgear for about 2 years without a hitch, have 2 wired machines and 3 wireless

mainemanx · Oct 6, 2003, 03:24 PM

Originally posted by videian28:
I have been using the same netgear for about 2 years without a hitch, have 2 wired machines and 3 wireless

Same here ... a UGate/MaxGate just crapped out, but the NetGear is going strong.

Sept. 30th ordered a WGR614 802.11g from Amazon ($90 - 25 rebate = $65/free shipping) ...

PowerMatt · Oct 19, 2003, 05:46 PM

I have the NETGEAR WGR614 like many of you have but I have major problems. Usually I would write this off to defective product or incorrect configuration, but my brother also has a NETGEAR 802.11b wireless router and has the same problems.

When i first set up my wireless router and PB, everthing worked just fine. After a while, when the PB would wake from sleep or boot up, i could not get any network or internet activity (my desktop worked fine) on the PB, but I could see the router and the router could see the PB's APX card. I usually have to run the Airport Setup Assistant 5-10 times to get things to work. My brother has identical problems with his 802.11b router. We both have brand new 1.25Ghz PBs and do not live in the same house (which could cause interference).

Here are the settings I have:
Name (SSID): XXXXXXX
Region: United States
Channel: 11
Mode: b and g

Enable Wireless Access Point (ON)

Authentication Type: Automatic
Encryption Strength: 64-bit

Beyond this page, I have not configured anything. Someone please help me.

mmintler · Nov 21, 2003, 01:34 PM

I've been waiting to buy one due to my powerbook still being at apple for the white spot issue.....

But I'm glad I waited because IOGEAR just released an 11G wireless router with a print server and usb port.

You can get it for around $100
I'll let everyone know how it works when I get it and my PB comes back from repair- hopefully next week.

mark

Guy Kuo · Nov 21, 2003, 01:59 PM

I had the same problem with a new Netgear 802.11g wireless router. My PB would lose its connection after several minutes. Only pressing the router's reset button would reallow connection. Even a new firmware update didn't work.

Eventually returned that and picked up a Buffalo brand wireless. Works great. Has actual Mac support and documentation. It also passes Appletalk packets - something really nice for Mac users.

My Linksys, Belkin, and Netgear wireless routers won't pass Appletalk. Buffalo is harder to find, but is actually intended to be Mac friendly.