First, I'd like to take a minute to mention the passing of the G3
iMac - yesterday, Apple quietly took it off the Apple Store
site, although it remains on the Education Apple Store
site.
To quote a Letterman, "We'll miss ya, buddy."
Okay, now on to this week's article.
Last Thursday, I ordered an AirPort card for my iBook in fears that
"old" AirPort cards might become scarce after the next iBook or 15"
PowerBook revision (whether titanium or not). I ordered it from the
Education Apple Store, so I got a few bucks off the $80 price tag.
Apple sent it FedEx Ground (it was free for me), although it was flown
from Taiwan to Indianapolis and then delivered to me by ground.
I received it on Monday and installed it that morning.
AirPort Not-So-Extreme
Ball State's campus will be
100% wireless next year, and right now it's pretty close. They're using
802.11b equipment, so AirPort Extreme wouldn't benefit me unless I
bought my own 802.11g base. Although I have ethernet in my room, I can
use AirPort to go outside or to other buildings where ethernet is not
available and surf the Web.
Installation
Installation was simple. In the tiny box, Apple included just what I
needed and nothing else (the special bracket/adapter to install the
card in iMacs and some Power Macs is an optional purchase now). Besides
a skimpy manual that pointed me in the direction of my iBook owner's
manual for installation information, there was a CD with AirPort 3.0
(although 2.x seems to be all you can download). It was a rather simple
procedure - slide the card in place under the keyboard, attach the wire
that goes to the antenna(s), and install the software.
Software
The software is easy to use and consistent with Apple's other
networking software.
Range
Although there's know way of knowing where the base stations are, as
they're hidden, I'm finding my range is better than some of my friends
have with Toshiba laptops with integrated WiFi. I'm guessing it's the
placement of the antennas in the computers.
So That This Isn't Just a Review
Enough of reviewing of it - AirPort of any variety is a great
invention, and it's easy to use. 802.11-anything, for that matter, is a
great technology. Many people do not order their computer with it, nor
do think it's for them.
When getting my iBook, I decided not to buy an AirPort card to keep
costs down; now I realize I should've had it from day one.
Many colleges, universities, libraries, and other public places are
installing WiFi access points and allow free (or next to free) access.
Not only does it allow people to carry less (just your laptop - no more
ethernet cables or anything like that), it ends the fighting over a
single ethernet port somewhere and eventually might replace the wired
form of ethernet.
Nobody provides a wireless solution as slick as Apple's, nor at such
a good price. Sure, Apple's base stations are rather costly, but they
are some of the best.
If you're debating whether or not to get a wireless system for your
laptop, see what's available (see Extreme Wireless for Older Macs for an
overview of 802.11g options), and if you can use it where you are, go
for it - it's worth every penny.
