Which WiFi for my Ti ??

[El CaMOTe]

Am thinking of getting my 667 TiBook (not the DVI type) to be 'WiFi' enabled ??

Hope you guys can help me answer these questions. Thanks !

1. Should I get a built-in Airport card, a USB, or a PCMCIA type?? What are the advantages of each i.e., Signal strength, price, interconnexion problems w/ Airport, Netgear, Linksys wireless units??

2. Would that be the Airport 802.11b or the AE 802.11g type ?? Will probably just surf the net with it at my home LAN (all wired in , but to be set up and populated ) with minimal Mac to Mac file exchanges !

3. I have a yecchy Globelines DSL with a USB modem !! no ethernet !! Does anyone know of an ethernet modem that will work on the Globelines DSL ???

4. Live in a big "C" shaped bungalow type house on one side, but would like to surf even if I am in the opposite far side. Made out of cement and wooden walls !!

Phew !! What a list !! But, what do I do ?? Appreciate any help I can get !!

[assdoc]

1. Should I get a built-in Airport card, a USB, or a PCMCIA type?? What are the advantages of each i.e., Signal strength, price, interconnexion problems w/ Airport, Netgear, Linksys wireless units??
A usb or pcmcia wifi has a signal strength advantage because of its external antenna. For a time i was worried that an internal airport card may have a very limited range but it seems it can do its job to my satisfaction. I have tried a Senao long-range pc wifi and it worked beautifully. Just got tired of having to insert it every so often just to surf wirelessly, so I bought an airport card instead. Never been happier. Also, you will have to get 3rd-party drivers for the pc card wifi as the included drivers are for Windows only. As for which brand, IMHO I think that they are all the same except for price differences and aesthetics. Airport is pricier, but is a more elegant way to go wireless.

2. Would that be the Airport 802.11b or the AE 802.11g type ?? Will probably just surf the net with it at my home LAN (all wired in , but to be set up and populated ) with minimal Mac to Mac file exchanges !

No choice here-if you go the airport route only the 802.11b will do for your Tibook. If you want a g type, you have to use a pc card or usb wifi.

3. I have a yecchy Globelines DSL with a USB modem !! no ethernet !! Does anyone know of an ethernet modem that will work on the Globelines DSL ???

Ask Adel, Don't have an answer for you.

4. Live in a big "C" shaped bungalow type house on one side, but would like to surf even if I am in the opposite far side. Made out of cement and wooden walls !!

The cement walls may pose a problem and may limit the range of your wifi. When I was in the US and Canada, signal strength was good even when I was in the basement or the 2nd floor or out in the yard. Of course, walls there are made of wood or particle board.

[Adel]

On question #1: Regarding wifi options for a TiBook, I have personal experience with the situation. I had an Airport card that I eventually swapped for a PCMCIA ethernet adaptor (with penmanila). Because of the poor antenna design for the TiBook-Airport setup, it really doesn't cut it. The PC Card option is way better. Cheaper, just as compatible. Better signal.

On question #3: I'm not an expert at all, and was just venturing opinions on another thread. I do know that if your feed is cable, you'd need a cable modem, and if its DSL, you need ...a DSL modem. There are no ethernet modems, for one thing. The ethernet is the cable that leads from the modem to your computer - in Globelines it isn't ethernet, its USB, which throttles and strangles the throughput to poor levels. I believe you need to purchase a a DSL modem with an ethernet out.

For the other questions - Henjie might be more knowledgable about them. :P

[Henjie]

Originally posted by Adel
On question #3: I'm not an expert at all, and was just venturing opinions on another thread. I do know that if your feed is cable, you'd need a cable modem, and if its DSL, you need ...a DSL modem. There are no ethernet modems, for one thing. The ethernet is the cable that leads from the modem to your computer - in Globelines it isn't ethernet, its USB, which throttles and strangles the throughput to poor levels. I believe you need to purchase a a DSL modem with an ethernet out.

For the other questions - Henjie might be more knowledgable about them. :P

About Globe DSL, Globe is saying that the supplied USB DSL modem is the only one compatible with its service right now. I find that hard to believe though 'coz if they're using PPPoE like everybody else (everybody meaning PLDT, Sky, etc.), then a regular non-USB DSL modem should work. I guess we'll never know for sure until somebody tried. ;-)


On question #1: I agree with Adel. PCMCIA/CardBus is still the best option for TiBooks. You're basically solving two issues at once: signal strength and 802.11g/APE.

There are a number of CardBus 802.11g/APE cards for TiBooks, all compatible with AP/APE and OS X. There'll be no problems connecting to Linksys, Netgear, D-Link, etc. WiFi routers either. All follow the same 802.11x standard anyway.

Buffalo AirStation 54G for $80.
Sonnet Aria Extreme 54G for $74.
MacWireless 11g CardBus for $79.


On question #2: IMHO, it's always a good idea to go for the fastest option. 802.11b CardBus cards are cheaper, but you never know when you'll need the extra 43Mbps bandwidth 802.11g provides. ;-)


~Henjie

[El CaMOTe]

Any chance these Cardbus models are available locally ??

Thanks Assdoc (my wifey is a MMC babydoc!),
Thanks Adel, ...thanks Henjie, as usual, good & timely help from you guys !!

Just complained (nicely) about my GlobeDSL, I wonder if they will give me a 'rebate' for a 384 subscription plan when I am getting only 128 or less ALWAYS !!! or a proper modem ?? :dry:

[Henjie]

Originally posted by El CaMOTe
Any chance these Cardbus models are available locally ??

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure they're not. The only ones available here are the Linksys and D-Link models, both without OS X support.

Just complained (nicely) about my GlobeDSL, I wonder if they will give me a 'rebate' for a 384 subscription plan when I am getting only 128 or less ALWAYS !!! or a proper modem ?? :dry:

The GlobeDSL system requirements only say that you need a "high-powered" USB port. "High-powered" does not equal USB 2.0 so yeah, you have grounds for a complaint. :-)


~Henjie

[nemcy]

I should have asked pala muna bago ako bumili ng AIRPORT card for my precious...

I'm planning to get my Precious "ready" when I get back home sa wireless connection there... but it seems I made a mistake in buying an airport card :wound:

What do you think should I do guys? Any suggestions?

[directX]

Although I am not 100% sure but Globe may be using PPPoATM, which is not entirely compatible with most of the available Cable/DSL modems and routers - hence their claim that it is the only one compatible.

However, if the software that you are using to connect (via their modem) is PPPoE, then I agree with Henjie, Globe is simply b***sh***ng you!

As for the choice of interface card, the built-in one is very convenient. However, the PCMCIA ones have stronger signal strength due to the fact that you can extend its antenna. My recommendation is getting one that has 802.11g if the price difference is not that significant.

[Maverick]

i noticed how weak the signal of my airport extreme card here at home in Manila was. The last time I came home and used my Dell D600 LT, I was able to surf almost all throughout the house, pool area, garden. Now, I could barely get one or two bars. Even if I were half the distance I was from when I used my D600's built in card.

I'm curious, I have a Linksys 802.11 G PC Card. Would this work with my Albook? Does it need drivers or something or will Panther recognize it ?

[Henjie]

Originally posted by Maverick
I'm curious, I have a Linksys 802.11 G PC Card. Would this work with my Albook? Does it need drivers or something or will Panther recognize it ?

Unfortunately, Linksys doesn't have an OS X driver for the WPC54G so it's not compatible as is. It's also not supported by third-party drivers like those from IOXperts.

But if you don't mind doing some tweaking, seems like it's entirely possible to use the WPC54G with OS X. That is, as long as you have the time to digest all the "hacking" instructions found in this page. :-)

Good luck! Tell us how it goes. ;-)

Originally posted by nemcy
What do you think should I do guys? Any suggestions?

How about buying one of the OS X-compatible 802.11g CardBus cards listed in this thread and just have Ditoy sell your AirPort card for you when you're already here? :-)

Originally posted by directX
Although I am not 100% sure but Globe may be using PPPoATM, which is not entirely compatible with most of the available Cable/DSL modems and routers - hence their claim that it is the only one compatible.

Yup. Seems like Globe decided to use PPPoA instead of PPPoE. Weird choice considering that almost all ISPs in the US are now said to favor PPPoE over PPPoA, and word is that PPPoA is a b*tch to deploy.


~Henjie

[Edited on 5-10-2004 by Henjie]