Apple Powerbook wireless question

[rico]

Really want to get wireless on my laptop. It's a 15in G4 Powerbook (titanium one) and when I bought it I didn't spec airport as I had no use for it then and it saved a few quid. Now I regret it...

I've got a couple of wireless routers, one which came with a pcmcia network card. When I use this on my Powerbook the computer recognises the card. Should this work? I'm not a genius when it comes to networking etc so any Idiots Guides to setting this up knocking around?

Or do I need to get an Airport add-on or similar for my Powerbook if possible??

Many thanks

[The Dude]

rico said:

Really want to get wireless on my laptop. It's a 15in G4 Powerbook (titanium one) and when I bought it I didn't spec airport as I had no use for it then and it saved a few quid. Now I regret it...

I've got a couple of wireless routers, one which came with a pcmcia network card. When I use this on my Powerbook the computer recognises the card. Should this work? I'm not a genius when it comes to networking etc so any Idiots Guides to setting this up knocking around?

Or do I need to get an Airport add-on or similar for my Powerbook if possible??

Many thanks

The only problem I can think of is to do with the antenna on the Powerbook. The antenna is built in around the edge of the screen (well it was on the 12" ones anyway). The proper Apple Airport card has a little socket on it and there's a tiny antenna connector near the slot for the card which plugs into it, connecting it to the antenna.

One other thing. A friend has a 15" Powerbook and she too didn't spec it with an Airport card. When she later tried to get one she had real trouble as they only work with older cards - I think it might be that they don't work with the Airport Extreme cards or something, I'm not sure but I could check with her.

[avantone]

The Dude said:

When she later tried to get one she had real trouble as they only work with older cards - I think it might be that they don't work with the Airport Extreme cards or something

The older machines need the "original" Airport type card - they're not available through Apple, but there's always loads on eBay.

[thepassenger]

avantone said:

The older machines need the "original" Airport type card - they're not available through Apple, but there's always loads on eBay.

I realise this is an odd one, but ever come across a 'generic' card with OS X drivers that'll sit in the mini-PCI slot and give wireless?

[Sparks]

I may have a spare 11Mb card. I originally bought it with an iMac, so have the chassis for it too.
I used it without problem in my G3 iBook. When that died, the replacement came with a card.

I'll have a look for it.

Sparks

[rico]

Cheers Sparks. Mail me if you have any luck.

I'm pretty sure I'm just going to have the phone socket upstairs as my main one and run the router from that and have a wired lead. But then sitting outside with a beer and a laptop is tempting so still want wireless

[PJLarge]

The Dude said:

The only problem I can think of is to do with the antenna on the Powerbook. The antenna is built in around the edge of the screen (well it was on the 12" ones anyway). The proper Apple Airport card has a little socket on it and there's a tiny antenna connector near the slot for the card which plugs into it, connecting it to the antenna.

I would have thought Apple would have put the antenna and connector in anyway and just omitted the card? Certainly on some Dells which I bought for work which were supplied in error without the on board wi-fi, it was just a case of adding the card and connecting the antenna up - the wiring was already there. If Dell do it this way I'm sure Apple would do the same. A G4 would support Airport Extreme surely? It'll just be the 'old world' machines that need the original Airport card?

Edited by PJLarge on Thursday 17th August 19:25

[thepassenger]

PJLarge said:

I would have thought Apple would have put the antenna and connector in anyway and just omitted the card?

Aye. Just like Dell and other PC manufacturers even if you don't get the WiFi card as an option the antenna will be fitted as standard. It runs through the chassis and usually around the display so it's simpler to fit it in the factory rather than leave it up to field service/repair center to fit it and bugger up something

[The Dude]

thepassenger said:

PJLarge said:

I would have thought Apple would have put the antenna and connector in anyway and just omitted the card?

Aye. Just like Dell and other PC manufacturers even if you don't get the WiFi card as an option the antenna will be fitted as standard. It runs through the chassis and usually around the display so it's simpler to fit it in the factory rather than leave it up to field service/repair center to fit it and bugger up something

Yes they do. What i was suggesting (in a not very clear way perhaps) was maybe the connector won't be the same on the Airport card as it is on a "standard" PCMIA card. I've never had a wireless PC laptop (only Apple ones) with wireless so I don't know.

[tog]

The TiBooks are notorious for having very poor reception using the built-in Airport aerial. The Aluminium ones are a little better, but still not nearly as goo as the iBooks. If you can find a wi-fi card with the little external stick antennae that will fit in the PC card slot (I'm sure are available with Mac drivers), it might be better than the genuine Apple Airport card, though not as neat. USB dongles are available too for Macs I think.

[whittaker52]

I've been looking at this recently too, as we're currently looking at uppgrading our broadband to a wireless set up. I have a G4 iBook that is fully wireless, and an intel mac mini that is also fully wireless, But we have 2 systems that aren't - a G3 iMac, and a G3 iBook. I'm not so worried about the iMac as that doesn't move anywhere, but the G3 iBook i would like to be wireless. It appears that as has been said above you cant use the airport extremely cards, and you have to use the original airport card, which is now from what i understand, un-available from apple, so ebay is really the only route. I know my G3 iBook has the antenna pre-wired into the system, so its a simple case of just plugging it into the airport card. the pcmcia route may be the easiest and cheapest route, unless you can find a plug in usb wireless adapter.