Wireless router

Posted by: Alan Paterson on 13 July 2006

I currently have a mac G4 and a mac mini. I use a netgear dg834 to connect them both up to broadband. I am about to buy a macbook and want a wireless router that will allow me to use the macbook around my flat. I am thinking about the netgear dg834g which a friend has told me will meet these needs but does anyone else have a suggestion? I thought i only needed an airport extreme card for my G4 but have been told this is not compatable and would need an old airport card that is no longer available.
Posted on: 24 July 2006 by garyi
Alan you need to 'log on' to your router. Read the instructions and their will be an address you type into your browser, this will take you to the browser configuration pages.

In here you need to input your user name and password (Supplied by your ISP)

If your ISP is bt, then your user name will be something along the lines of yourname@btbroadband.com and usually BT do not require a password or at the most 'bt'

Usually the modem is able to work out the rest. Get that done first so you can get a connection then we will go through the wireless bit.
Posted on: 24 July 2006 by BigH47
Connected up my BT Home Hub today. Just wired connection at the moment.Has the extra internet phone line as well as being able connect PC(or even Macs non USB) wired or wireless. Only got 2.5 Gig internet service though,which is a bit disapointing.
Posted on: 27 July 2006 by Alan Paterson
I don't know what i have done but i have somehow managed to get the router working. I am typing this from my livingroom with my new macbook connected wirelessly. I have a friend checking my network later to make sure it is all as it should be.
I am currently sitting on my sofa with a cd playing while i do this, fantastic.
Posted on: 27 July 2006 by SteveGa
quote:
Originally posted by Alan Paterson:
I have ordered a dg834g ...


Alan I hope you have more luck than many Netgear users, me included - indeed there were so many complaints about the DG series dropping connection that Netgear on their forum that the whole forum has oddly vanished! Must have been bad for business!

As for www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk I would also recommend them to anyone in the market for bits and pieces. I bought a Terastation from them - great to deal with.

Steve
Posted on: 27 July 2006 by garyi
Excellent, if you set both macs to enable sharing in the network prefs you can access each others drives. Also set both itunes to sharing and you can access each others playlists and the same for iPhoto as well.

Wireless is cool!

Also get an canon ip5000r and stick it in a cupboard out the way. nice.
Posted on: 28 July 2006 by Alan Paterson
garyi

I will have to set this up and try it. I have around 50 odd gb of music on the mac mini in my loft.
Posted on: 28 July 2006 by garyi
All you need to do is in the prefs of each itunes is set to sharing, bare in mind itunes needs to be open though on each mac as each effectively becomes a server.

You might have to open the relevent port on your firewall in the sharing prefs on system prefs, this is very easy to do.
Posted on: 29 July 2006 by Alan Paterson
I will report back on how i get on.
Posted on: 29 July 2006 by garyi
Another handy thing is VNC. This will allow you to access your mac mini without having to go in the loft.

Download 'chicken of VNC' from macupdate.com

In your sharing prefs at the top is a space to name your mac, give it a name and allow remote access, in there you can set a password if you like.

Now on the iBook load up Chicken of VNC and connect by typing in the name you gave your mac, it will now load it in a seperate window. Its not the quickest thing on earth but will allow you to do various tasks. There is alos a little widget that will wake and sleep your mini as well.

Wireless opens up lots of very lazy possibilities.
Posted on: 29 July 2006 by Alan Paterson
Just a thought garyi but only my macbook has airport. Can i access the other macs through the netgear?
Posted on: 29 July 2006 by garyi
Yep.
Posted on: 29 July 2006 by garyi
Asumming of course the other macs are in some way connected to the netgear.