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ndtechie05 · Jan 1, 2003, 07:20 PM

the AirPort card is prolly the best thing i did for my ibook. it works wonders n ilove it, im using a d-link di-614+ with it! cost less then $200 for both them, thats less then the apple base station by itself

-Brett

Ricky · Jan 1, 2003, 07:45 PM

Airport's ease of use really is one of Apple's best kept secrets. I use it myself with my iBook and G4 Cube. My girlfriend is switching to an iBook just so she can use my Airport basestation.

dreilly1 · Jan 1, 2003, 08:28 PM

I always tell people that the one computing advance in the past ten years that has truly changed how I use computers is wireless networking. I consider it the "Killer App" for home computing, if a hardware advance can be a killer app. Every other hardware advance is just making things faster or more robust, but WiFi gives you an added dimension. Especially now that the iBooks are dirt cheap, there's no reason for your computing experience to be tethered and immobile anymore.

It also has a high Wife Acceptance Factor, as I can surf the web and tweak my Linux box while still being in the Family Room watching movies. "The Princess Bride" is on right now as a matter of fact. (Mawwiage is what bwings us togethar today.)

(Of course, the TiBook w/AirPort that she got for her birthday has a high WAF, too!)

pimephalis · Jan 1, 2003, 09:33 PM

I have to agree with the other respondants to date. I've shown many different people my wireless set up, and whenever someone new comes over they're always bewildered and then impressed that I can email, surf the net or whatever while in the kitchen cooking or while watching the idiot box. I liken having a wireless setup to moving your home to broadband internet. It seems like a good, but not cheap, idea before you have it. However, once you install an ADSL or cable modem and begin to experience the 'net at real speed, you not only can't imagine going back, but change the way you use the internet. The same transformation happens when using a wireless card. After a week of moving around the house with a laptop, you will no longer be able to imagine ever having used a portable computer without it.

And besides, it's hard as all hell to wardrive while throwing cable out your car window ...

sillyrabbitt · Jan 1, 2003, 10:01 PM

Originally posted by pimephalis:
I have to agree with the other respondants to date. I've shown many different people my wireless set up, and whenever someone new comes over they're always bewildered and then impressed that I can email, surf the net or whatever while in the kitchen cooking or while watching the idiot box. I liken having a wireless setup to moving your home to broadband internet. It seems like a good, but not cheap, idea before you have it. However, once you install an ADSL or cable modem and begin to experience the 'net at real speed, you not only can't imagine going back, but change the way you use the internet. The same transformation happens when using a wireless card. After a week of moving around the house with a laptop, you will no longer be able to imagine ever having used a portable computer without it.

And besides, it's hard as all hell to wardrive while throwing cable out your car window ...

AMEN!!!!!!!! rock on airport

just set the wep and mac# as a security precaution....its not foolproof not even close but it does keep honest people honest (like maybe your next door neighbor who has a wifi card as well)

SeSawaya · Jan 1, 2003, 10:23 PM

yah I'm really thinking about going wireless (I have a cable modem) but the airport is just WAY too expensive for me. In the next few months when I have $150 to mess with, I'm going to look hard!!!

SupahCoolX · Jan 1, 2003, 10:24 PM

iBook + Airport + Cable modem + patio, couch, bed= Best Thing Ever�

sillyrabbitt · Jan 1, 2003, 11:30 PM

i am sure you all know.... you do not need to buy an airport base station. i use a netgear access point and router they were like $150 total.

it is the best thing ever!! to be honest the TV doesnt go on anymore i sit on the couch and surf away.

vvedge · Jan 2, 2003, 12:41 AM

Originally posted by sillyrabbitt:

it is the best thing ever!! to be honest the TV doesnt go on anymore i sit on the couch and surf away.

Why discriminate when you can do both?

hehe, ultimate couch potato...

sillyrabbitt · Jan 2, 2003, 12:58 AM

Originally posted by vvedge:
Why discriminate when you can do both?

hehe, ultimate couch potato...

you are 100% right you can do both...but i am so amazed to sit on the couch or and surf that i find two weeks have gone by and i forgot to even turn the tv on!!

kcmac · Jan 2, 2003, 12:23 PM

I used my iMac as a software base station for my iBook. Worked great all over the house. Could even go outside onto my deck since it is close to my iMac.

If you're distances are relatively short, I would consider going that route.

splode · Jan 2, 2003, 12:44 PM

Hell,

Even without a basestation, it's a must have. I can't rationalize spending $200+ for an ABS without a fast connect at home, but use the Airport card all the time at various free access points, like at the University library, UC and assorted buildings. Nevermind various coffe shops.

splode

pimephalis · Jan 2, 2003, 01:33 PM

Just to follow up on some other comments, it's true that you don't need an Airport Base Station. The only reason I could possibly imagine for spending the extra cash for one would be if you still have dial up -- it has a modem as well as an ethernet card, so you can use it to share dial up or broadband. Personally, at home we have the ibook with an airport card, a Dell desktop with a phoebe USB wireless adapter, a Dell laptop with my old linksys wireless card and the linksys WAP. The linksys router is now running for $199 CDN (which is like pocket change for you yanks, right?), and doesn't require any software -- all configuration is done through a web browser, so it's mac/linux/unix/amiga/os 2/AtheOS/Commodore/Atari/NeXT/VAX/VMS/Microsoft Bob friendly. I couldn't be happier.

fnj · Jan 2, 2003, 03:46 PM

I absolutely must concur. I recently bought an iBook with an Airport card to go with my WinXP box and Linksys wireless router. The thing has changed computing for me forever. I would love to have several iBooks scattered around the house so that folks could just grab one and use it from the comfort of the couch/deck/toilet/bed.

One thing I am still struggling with is getting my Canon S800 printer working with it. The printer is hooked up to my WinXP machine and printer sharing is available. I've followed all of the directions, but I can't seem to come up with the pinter's network name. Anybody have any thoughts as to how I find it?

Thanks!
Fred

sillyrabbitt · 04:57 PM

Originally posted by fnj:
I absolutely must concur. I recently bought an iBook with an Airport card to go with my WinXP box and Linksys wireless router. The thing has changed computing for me forever. I would love to have several iBooks scattered around the house so that folks could just grab one and use it from the comfort of the couch/deck/toilet/bed.

One thing I am still struggling with is getting my Canon S800 printer working with it. The printer is hooked up to my WinXP machine and printer sharing is available. I've followed all of the directions, but I can't seem to come up with the pinter's network name. Anybody have any thoughts as to how I find it?

Thanks!
Fred

i have a printer hooked up to my pc xp box and i am printing through tcpip because my hp printer doesnt have drivers. i am not an expert on this but i did get it to work. my situation is probably different then yours so i hope i am not complicating things but here is what i did:

i downloaded gimp print (which had a ton of drivres and one of them worked for me)

i then setup printing through samba on the mac side.

but this thread might help you out better then what i am saying:

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/rema...cdsl~mode=flat

solvent211 · Jan 5, 2003, 02:27 PM

Originally posted by fnj:
...The printer is hooked up to my WinXP machine and printer sharing is available. I've followed all of the directions, but I can't seem to come up with the pinter's network name...

Thanks!
Fred

On the WinXP box, select START | Printers & Faxes. Right click on your printer's icon and choose properties. Click on the "Sharing Tab". The printer's name will be in the "Share Name: " field.

snerdini · Jan 5, 2003, 10:29 PM

Originally posted by vvedge:
Why discriminate when you can do both?

hehe, ultimate couch potato...

LOL...guess what I'm doing right now!

funkboy · Jan 6, 2003, 02:50 AM

Wi-fi is the new killer app in computing right now. Laptop sales will explode even more than they currently are once more people get to try it out, and get to try it more than just as a novelty at some demo. Having it in your home, being able to read news at the kitchen table, check email right before dinner, or while watching a TV, is the biggest revelation since the internet itself.

I think Apple should have pushed this much harder when it was first available, especially since then they almost had a price advantage... now, a lot of things are cheaper, though none probably match the ease of use of Apple's hardware. And thank Apple for integrating AirPort on *all* new Macs, desktops and notebooks alike. Sliding my Airport card out of my iBook into my iMac was laughably easy, and I could get onto the internet right after plugging in my iMac into the wall outlet. Too cool.

My only hope is for future iBook LCD screens to be switchable from backlit to reflective displays, so I can switch a little hardware switch to reflective (like a Game Boy screen) when I go outside into direct sunlight. I want to be able to use my iBook in my backyard under a tree, not be scrambling to find dark dark shade so I can sort of use it.

mkral · Jan 11, 2003, 10:45 AM

I also have a wireless setup, but don't know much about routers, etc. I have an ibook & a powerbook on my network, and I bought an airport card for each of them, and an airport 2 station, so that we could share the printer through the 1 ehternet jack. I was extolling the virtues of wireless networking to a friend who just acquired a tibook. He would like to do it, but he also has 2 imacs in the house with this cable conncetion, so an airport would obviously not meet his needs. Can anyone offer me some idea of routers that would work with both wireless (Tibook) and have at least 2 ethernet ports for his 2 imacs. I'd like to steer him towards one that is less expensive than the airport, but also rather easy to set up,

thanks for the help,

ndtechie05 · Jan 11, 2003, 03:27 PM

tell him to get the D-Link DI-614+. It works with airport and has 4 ethernet ports on the back. He can get it for around $120 at Best Buy. It's all configured over the web so any OS can use it if he has OS or OS X. I recommend turning on the WEP to 128bit encrypt.

-Brett

mkral · Jan 11, 2003, 06:28 PM

nd,
thanks for the advice

SOLIDAge · Jan 11, 2003, 09:57 PM

i can't imagine what my house would be like w/o my airport...
my father's VAIO surfs w/o a problem
My mom's iBook works w/o a hitch
my sister's HP Desktop works ALLL the way across the house
and when i come home from school I bring my powerbook home and as soon as i walk in...bamm

gotta love wifi

Raidiant · Jan 13, 2003, 05:40 AM

Hearing this post, I installed an airport into my ibook. It's amazing there is a free access point near my house, so I don't need to pay for broadband now lol.

Especially here in Hong Kong, everywhere I go seems to be internet ready, browsing internet in your car is amazing.

Airport's range is much far from my own prediction, you can scan all the buildings around your ibook.

ShotgunEd · Jan 13, 2003, 05:47 AM

Will it be possible to use aiport extreme with iBooks? Is airport extreme just a different airport card? Or is the slot different?

ndtechie05 · Jan 13, 2003, 08:13 AM

It is a totally diff slot. It uses a mini-PCMCIA slot I believe that is only ava. on the new PowerBooks. All new MAcs coming out now will have that slot in there for the extreme.

-Brett

Uisce · Jan 13, 2003, 09:57 AM

"just set the wep and mac# as a security precaution....its not foolproof not even close but it does keep honest people honest (like maybe your next door neighbor who has a wifi card as well)"

I love my neighbor's wireless network! Be sure to change your admin password too - admin/admin is pretty easy to figure out.

Chimpmaster · Jan 13, 2003, 11:23 AM

Ive been running airport for over 3 years now.

Ive got an indigo ibook and a g4 imac running off it.

Im soon to buy a wireless device that plugs into my xbox, and ill be running that off the base station too

My wife also loves it (the airport, not the xbox that is lol

Gee4orce · Jan 13, 2003, 12:14 PM

I chuckly smugly to myself when I hear people boast about how they spend the weekend wiring up a LAN in their home.

Amen to the transflective LCDs !