Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

You are here: MacNN Forums > Enthusiast Zone > Networking > Does it really matter?

Does it really matter?
Thread Tools
Stevil
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Apr 2004
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 20, 2004, 03:11 PM
 
Does it matter if a router or adapter says that it supports Mac OS or not? If the router is broadcasting an 802.11b/g/a signal and I've got the adapter to support it, shouldn't it work? Sure I won't get all the extras because the drivers are for Windows only, but I'm right aren't I?

Any specific brands that you've found this to NOT be true with?

Thanks.
     
larkost
Mac Elite
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: San Jose, Ca
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 20, 2004, 05:26 PM
 
Should... yes. There are more and more flakey wireless routers commig out (although it is not just Macs that they have problems with. The ones that say they are Mac compatible tend to be so because they follow the standards (go figure). Often the problems are in bad implementations of the security protocols, turning them off can get the job done (with reduced security).
     
Stevil  (op)
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Apr 2004
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 20, 2004, 05:44 PM
 
Is that only true of routers? What about adapters? I need to get a PCI adapter for my G4 and a PCMCIA card for my PowerBook and finding inexpensive adapters that list as Mac compatible is really hard.
     
larkost
Mac Elite
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: San Jose, Ca
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 20, 2004, 11:45 PM
 
On the adapters side you have to make absolutely sure that you can find drivers for that chipset, and there are not many out for MacOS X. The problem is that Apple has been so successful with their Airport cards that no one is bothering to write the drivers. It is not hard, just not profitable.

MacWireless.com does a decent job of finding the available cards. I am not sure that they are %100 complete... but there is not much more. IT might well be cheaper to get a wireless bridge.
     
   
 
Forum Links
Forum Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Top
Privacy Policy
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 10:09 AM.
All contents of these forums © 1995-2017 MacNN. All rights reserved.
Branding + Design: www.gesamtbild.com
vBulletin v.3.8.8 © 2000-2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.,