### Index ###
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!! Introduction

This is a guide page for the use of Apple gear in a WiFi environment, including cross-platform issues in connecting with Windoze and *nix machines.  It is intended as a place for all users in Melbourne Wireless to add tips, hints, links and questions.  Shared resource, please use with care.

Open to all members using, intending to use, connecting to, or curious about:

* Apple Macintosh laptops, desktops, servers and clones
* Apple-branded ("Airport" or "Airport Extreme") 802.11 or WiFi hardware
* Macintosh operating systems, Classic and OS X
* Linux and Unix on Mac hardware
* Windows emulation on Mac hardware
* Newton and Apple eMate

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!! Airport = Wifi = 802.11

First question most newcomers have is whether or not their Apple Airport gear will connect to an 802.11b/WiFI network.  As mentioned in the FAQ, the short answer is yes.

Airport is simply Apple's brand name for their wireless equipment and software, much as Proxim market their wireless wares under the Skyline brand.  The data format and radio specs of the equipment is identical to other standards-compliant 802.11 products, and provided you have all your control panel settings sorted, you should experience no more complication connecting to a WiFi network than any other kind of cross-platform network </humour>

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! Tech Tips
* What's the [AppleMacMinimumSpecs absolute minimum] requirement for wireless access on a Mac?
* The newest drivers from Orinoco (see below) and (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=120097 Apple) will automatically upgrade your card to 128 bit WEP, turning your Orinoco/Enterasys/Avaya/Cabletron Silver into Gold
* Another (http://www.bookwormlab.com/research-paper-topics research paper topics) about upgrading an Orinoco Silver Card to Gold
* WEP keys entered into a (http://www.essaywriter.co.uk/power-point-presentations.aspx powerpoint presentation) the Airport control panel need a $ sign at the start to signify a hexadecimal number.
* (http://theregister.co.uk/content/39/34240.html This article) describes a security flaw with OS X which affects wired and wireless networks.
* Yes you can repair a dead first-generation "Graphite" Airport Base Station: details below under Advice and Howtos
* Some third-party cards can't connect to an Extreme Base Station in "Compatibilty" (.11b and g) mode: (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107427 Apple Tech Note).  The workaround is to drop back to .11b mode, and/or update firmware at both ends.
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!! Unsolved Problems
Put in a brief desription of your problem here, and maybe someone will come along and solve it for you.%%%

I can't get the PCMCIA/PCI adaptors that were on the TIB a few months ago to work.  They were the ones that had the Ricoh chipset.  I cannot find a driver for it anywhere (http://www.essaywriter.co.uk/services.aspx essay writing service).  I've tried it in a 7500/8500 and a G3.  No luck under OSX or OS9.  Anyone else tried this? - [RyanM]

Anyone had any luck getting Lucent cards (AirPort) to connect to Intel Pro/8211 AP's? I've had no success - regardless of the model of card or version of driver, they simply refuse to see the AP (slight variance: KisMac on a 466 iBook with AirPort will see the AP, but the AirPort software on the same 'Book will not). [Keith]

I've just installed the Orinoco drivers (7.2) for a Dell TruMobile card and got an old Powerbook 1400c (133 MHz) working with the card - rather slow, but works OK and even does the encryption. The machine has Mac OS 8.6. Now I want to repeat the exercise, but this time with a 166 MHz 1400c running Mac OS 8.0. I can do an upgrade to 8.1 or to 9.0/9.1, but I'd prefer to just leave the machine as it is. I believe the 7.2 Orinoco drivers won't work with Mac OS 8.0, but that some of the earlier (6.0?) drivers might do the trick. I can't locate any web site which currently has the drivers. Having said that - it looks as though there were compatibility problems with the 1400 anyway, using the older drivers - see the Solved Problems below, so I may have to upgrade to 9.x anyway. Does anyone know if earlier drivers are available, and what the compatibility problems were?
[dave2002]

* 8.0 was a slow, buggy dog of an OS - I would highly recommend upgrading to 8.1 at least.  As you note, 8.6 will let you use the 7.2 drivers, but if your 1400 has 32 megs of RAM or less stick with 8.1 if possible.  I wouldn't recommend 9.1 unless you have the full 64 megs of RAM and can strip down the extensions set for a minimal boot OS. 9.1 is the last version that will run on the 1400, 9.0 again is too buggy to bother with.  Both of the x.1 updates are free downloads from the older software page at Apple (links below) [Clae]

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!! Solved Problems

Some of the links for Orinoco drivers work now.

Orinoco (now Avaya) has released new Mac drivers for their client cards, which resolve the compatibility problem with older laptops such as the 1400.  Download version 7.2 via (ftp://ftp.wavelan.com/pub/software/ORiNOCO/PC_Card/MacOS/ FTP) or (http://support.avaya.com/japple/css/japple?PAGE=avaya.css.DocList&temp.groupID=142804&temp.selectedFamily=107552&temp.selectedProduct=143324&temp.selectedBucket=108025 HTTP).  Thanks to Jamie Lovick of Sydneywireless for the second link.

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! Links

!! Software, Firmware, Drivers
* (http://www.info.apple.com/support/downloads.html Apple Updates)
* (http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=120093 Airport Admin Tool) for Windows
* (http://www.merchantos.com/| Point of Sale Software)
* (ftp://ftp.wavelan.com/pub/software/ FTP directory) for Orinoco/Lucent/Agere/Avaya/Cabletron etc etc etc.  Includes Win/DOS, Linux and documentation.
** (ftp://ftp.wavelan.com/pub/software/ORiNOCO/PC_Card/MacOS/ Current Mac drivers)
** (ftp://ftp.wavelan.com/pub/software/IEEE/PC_CARD/APPLE/ Older drivers)  - may be useful for older Powerbooks
* (http://www.swimtownpools.com/above_ground_pool_filters_s/187.htm pool filters)
* There's also a link for drivers for System 7 at (http://www.system7today.com System 7 Today) under Software Index -> Hardware drivers
* AirportLinux - run Linux on your ABS or Lucent RG1000, a router minidistro designed for Seattle Wireless
* (http://wirelessdriver.sourceforge.net/ Wirelessdriver), an open source driver for MacOS X and Darwin This works with an Enterasys or Avaya Gold under Panther. I needed to install twice to get the client working as suggested in the wirelessdriver forum (exidyboy)
* IOXperts sell a Prism-2/Lucent chip set (http://www.ioxperts.com/80211b.html driver) for 2400, 3400, G3 and G4 Powerbooks.  (http://www.macworld.com/2002/12/reviews/inbrief/ MacWorld) says "... easy to install and use ... performs acceptably and stably.... no Keychain support or ability to save configuration settings for multiple networks."
* (http://www.houstontopdoctors.com/ Houston Doctors)
* (http://www.iwanttosellmydiamond.net Where can I sell a diamond ring)
* OS X driver for Atheros chipset cards (http://www.orangeware.com/endusers/wirelessformac.html driver) by OrangeWare - $US15 or free with any 3Com card
* Multi-card Newton (http://www.ff.iij4u.or.jp/~ngc/eng/newtwave.htm driver) $US10 shareware

!! Advice and Howtos
* (http://home.earthlink.net/~metaphyzx/Wireless.htm A definitive list) of wireless hardware and MacOS/driver compatibility.  NB the oldest OS mentioned is 8.6, but as see elsewhere on this page, some cards can be used with versions of System 7.
* Macwireless.com have a brief but handy (http://www.macwireless.com/html/help/index.html FAQ) including basic wireless networking information and a card/Mac model compatibility guide 
* (http://www.stopdesign.com/log/2005/02/07/secure-email.html Secure wireless email)  - an article
* (http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/library/wi-roam25/?ca=dgr-mw01NewMacWi-Fi IBM DeveloperWorks Article) on ABS and AX, setup, iTunes etc
* (http://www.applefritter.com/cgi-bin/YaBB/YaBB.pl?board=hacks;action=display;num=1064423468 Lots of links) to 802.11g cards that work in OS X
* (http://www.penmachine.com/techie/airport1400.html Brilliant article) on getting older Powerbooks working with wireless
* (http://www.binaervarianz.de/projekte/hardware/mactail/ Add a pigtail) to internal Airport cards on TiBooks - might work for some other 'Books
* (http://mywebpages.comcast.net/macdan/ti_antennae.html This guy) added an external antenna from a clamshell iBook to his TiBook - it's ugly, but it improves the range.
* (http://www.lowendmac.com/musings/03/0122.html Extreme Wireless for Older Macs) discusses third-party 802.11g solutions, compares with Airport Extreme.  Includes links to manufacturers.
* Positive (http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/archives/feb02/022202.html user reports) on expensive (http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/779/smbiz/netsolutions/find/wireless.shtml Cisco wireless hardware) with solid OSX and OS9 support
* (http://mcquitty.net/Thomas/projects/USBWirelessOSX.html How to) get unsupported USB wireless adapters to work in OS X
* (http://216.239.33.100/search?q=cache:cB2VkUGLJ04C:www.macwindows.com/airportpc.html+&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 Cross-Platform Wireless Networking) includes a fix for WEP+Orinoco+OS9 problem
* Airport Base Stations
** (http://www.vonwentzel.net/ABS/ General advice) including (http://www.vonwentzel.net/ABS/Evolution/index.html differences between models) comparison to other gear, config tools for Win/*nix/Java, (http://www.vonwentzel.net/ABS/Configuration/index.html config guides), (http://www.vonwentzel.net/ABS/Ventilation-Me/index.html cooling hacks), PoE, (http://www.vonwentzel.net/ABS/ExtendedGraphite/index.html external antennas) and (http://www.vonwentzel.net/ABS/Repair/ DIY repairs)
** (http://airport.tber.com/infopg.html#fixit DIY Repair kits) - $US 6.50 +postage
** (http://www.vonwentzel.net/ABS/InternalSupply.html 5V DC power supply) retrofit - down the page a bit
** (http://www.hermstedt.de/english/hardware/airshuttle.html Internal ISDN modem)
** (http://flakey.info/accesspoint/apple/airport/ Open Node In A Bag) mod guide to add a case-mounted antenna (omni, sector or cantenna) to an original APBS for use as an Open Node
* (http://slashdot.org/apple/02/05/03/1934243.shtml?tid=95 Wireless hacks for G4 Powerbooks) A Slashdot column
* (http://groups.google.com/groups?q=linux/ppc+pcmcia&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&selm=linux-ppc.140D21516EC2D3119EE700902787664401439FE2%40hplex1.hpl.hp.com&rnum=6 How to) add Wavelan/Airport/Cabletron/Enterasys PCMCIA support to Linux/PPC
* More LinuxPPC wireless info (http://groups.google.com/groups?q=linux/ppc+pcmcia+wireless&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&selm=39F497DE.7F9B0C68%40me.oulu.fi&rnum=2 here) and (http://groups.google.com/groups?q=linux/ppc+pcmcia+wireless&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1=linux-ppc.140D21516EC2D3119EE700902787664401439FDA%40hplex1.hpl.hp.com&rnum=6 here).
* Yes, you can use your Newton!  (http://www.deleet.de/ray/newton/802.11b-FAQ.html Newton Wireless LAN FAQ)
* Various Apple wireless projects (http://www.wwc.edu/%7Efrohro/Airport/Airport_index.html here), including adding Airport 1.2 to MacOS 8.6
* (http://home.earthlink.net/~gamba2/index.html Gamba's Homepage) - lots of useful info and downloads for older Macs, home of the (http://macfaq.org/index.shtml Low-End Mac FAQ), info on repair and dismantling, upgrading
!! Operating Systems
* Git yer older Mac System Software and boot disks (http://home.earthlink.net/~gamba2/syslist.html from Gamba) or (http://www.info.apple.com/support/oldersoftwarelist.html from Apple)
* LinuxPPC
* (http://www.americabyrail.net Train Tours)
* (http://www.yellowdoglinux.com YellowDog Linux) - a RedHat-like PPC port with a better(?) package manager, one of the most popular and better supported distros
* (http://portal.suse.com/sdb/en/2000/02/olh_ppc_machines.html Supported machines) for SuSE Linux - nb SuSE PPC doesn't seem to be available anymore
* OpenBSD
** for (http://www.au.openbsd.org/macppc.html G3/G4)
** or (http://www.au.openbsd.org/mac68k.html 68k)
* (http://lowendmac.net/linux/index.shtml Mac Linux links)
* (http://www.eskimo.com/%7Epristine/unix.html Mac Unix) - list of distros and basic descriptions
* (http://web.espy.org/apple-flavored-unix/ Apple Flavoured Unix) - ditto
* Search for all known Linux distros on any platform (http://www.linux.org/dist/list.html here)

!! Hardware
* (http://www.apple.com/airport/ Apple Airport) official site
* (http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/ Airport Express) nifty small 802.11g base station with audio streaming, speaker out, USB printer and broadband modem server
* (http://www.vonwentzel.net/ABS/BuyingGuide/index.html A Buyer's Guide) to some compatible third party hardware and antennae
* (http://store.macanywhere.com/ MacAnywhere) sell mostly antennas & range extenders for Base Stations, Powerbooks and desktops
* Dominion:  An Aussie retailer of (http://www.dominion.net.au/wireless/orinoco.htm Orinoco and Proxim gear)
* Lots of Mac-compatible WiFi gear is available from (http://eshop.macsales.com/Catalog_Page.cfm?Parent=756&Title=Wireless&Template=1 OWC) in the USA
* (http://www.ambrosecriminallaw.com Michigan Trial Lawyers)
* (http://www.welovemacs.com/monitors.html We Love Macs) also sell 
(http://www.welovemacs.com/monitors.html wireless hardware)
* (http://www.autocam-medical.com/capabilities.php medical machining)
* Proxim Skyline (http://www.proxim.com/products/all/skyline/pn476/ PCI carriers) and (http://www.proxim.com/products/all/skyline/pn476bld/index.html Carrier/Card bundles) for Mac
** Note the bundle will not work with some G3s.  [ProximMacProblem See here] for details
** (http://www.proxim.com/products/all/macintosh/index.html All) Proxim gear for Mac
* (http://www.macwireless.com/ MacWireless) make a range of wireless products for Macintosh funnily enough. (http://www.hidheadlightkit.com/ hid kit)
** Note their PCI .11b card has the same restrictions as the Proxim, although they do also sell a USB or an Ethernet solution for these and older models.
* (http://www.applefritter.com/node/view/4967 This user) claims he has been able to use a Belkin F5D6000 PCI-PCMCIA adapter with a Lucent Silver and IOXperts drivers.  Belkin generally seem to support Macs better than most network hardware vendors. 
* Expensive (http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/779/smbiz/netsolutions/find/wireless.shtml Cisco wireless hardware) with solid OSX and OS9 support
* (http://www.engeniustech.com/ Engenius) make wireless gear with Mac drivers, including PCMCIA cards with dual antenna connectors and 200mW output BTW this is a Senao (exidyboy)
* (http://macwireless.com/html/products/accessories/poe.html Power Over Ethernet) MacWireless Power Over Ethernet

!! Scanning Tools
* (http://www.binaervarianz.de/projekte/programmieren/kismac/ KisMAC) is the first stumbler application for MacOS X that puts your card into the monitor mode. This is the best stumber on any operating system. Subscribe to the mailing list for links to latest builds. (exidyboy)
* (http://homepage.mac.com/alfwatt/istumbler/ iStumbler ) is a utility for finding local wireless networks and services. iStumbler combines a compact Aqua UI with advanced wireless scanning and reporting. For OS X
* (http://www.alksoft.com/classicstumbler.html ClassicStumbler) works in OS 8 and 9 with Airport drivers.
* (http://www.packetninja.ca/apscanner.sit AP Scanner) 1.0 has just been released. Inspired by a random comment it is now available for the world at large.  OS9 only.
* (http://www.iwanttosellmydiamond.net How to sell a diamond engagement ring)
* (http://www.macstumbler.com/ MacStumbler) a wireless scanning tool for Apple Airport under OS X - Works wonders for finding Melbourne Wireless members when spinning the Galaxy.
* (http://www.dachb0den.com/projects/bsd-airtools.html dstumbler) is a wardriving/netstumbling/lanjacking utility for BSD operating systems that attempts to provide features similar to NetStumbler in a fast and easy to use curses based application.  It is part of the BSD-AirTools package released by Dachb0den Labs, which provides a complete BSD based tool set for 802.11b penetration testing.  Almost OSX ready. (http://www.rawlinspaints.com/Roof-Paint/c2/index.html/ roof paint)
* (http://www.essaywriter.co.uk/essay.aspx Essay)
* (http://www.essaywriter.co.uk/services.aspx Essay writing)
* (http://www.essaywriter.co.uk/dissertation-writing.aspx Dissertation writing)
* (http://www.essaywriter.co.uk/dissertation-proposal-writing.aspx Dissertation proposal)
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* (http://www.termpaperdom.com/ Term Paper Writing)
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No, you can't really hack this from a google link.

!! Title search for local apple pages 
### TitleSearch apple ###
### TitleSearch airport ###
### TitleSearch mac ###

CategoryHowTo