help with wireless and bluetooth

[BiggeeC]

Hey everybody. Problem here, hope you all can help.
Ok, here we go. I have an 700mhz ibook, OSX v.10.1.4
I live with three people who all have PC's. They are all wireless, and I want to go wireless too. My one friend said he talked to a guy at a computer store who said I needed a Bluetooth D-Link thing to go wireless. So I got it, (DBT-120). The instructions say to go to Apple.com and download the software. Ok, here is where things go weird. On the website, the download is for Jaguar, and also the D-link thing isn't the one I have. Also, when I try to do anythng with the software I downloaded, nothing happens. Can anyone tell me what I need to do to gowireless? Thanks

Chris

[strider42]

what kind fo wireless are you talking about. If youa re talking abuot wireless internet, its probably got nothing to do with bluetooth. More likely you need an airport card in that case. it depends on what kind of wireless setup you are using. So the question is, what exactly are you trying to accomplish. "go wireless" is a very broad term.

[BiggeeC]

Ok, here's what I mean. My friends bought a wireless thing for our cable modem. they all run their internet off of that. Currently, Ihave to connect an Ethernet wire up to it inorder to go on-line. I want to use the same cable modem they do, yet with using the wire. Does that help?

Thanks
Chris

[amnesiac1984]

You need an airport card! Bluetooth is for connecting to peripherals and is very slow and not used for networking. Get an airport card installed by your local apple reseller, will cost about $99 i think. Then you will be wireless like those PC guys.

[BiggeeC]

Ok, so basically you're telling me that the device I have is pointless, and I need an Airport card. I don't need to get the base station, do I?

Chris

[amnesiac1984]

Shouldn't need an airport base station, you just need to check that the base station that your PC mates use is 802.11b compliant which is the standard for all wireless networks (except the new airport extreme which is 802.11g but its backwards compatible)

[encro]

You would have definately been better off purchasing an Airport Card.

Edit: I re-read your post. Bluetooth is a different wireless standard. It's a good little thing which will come in very handy in the next couple of years. Keep it if you can afford it.

(I'll leave this here in case it helps somebody else) - Try this 3rd Party 802.11b Driver and see if it works: Wireless Driver (http://wirelessdriver.sourceforge.net/faq.html)

[zimv20]

Originally posted by amnesiac1984
Get an airport card installed by your local apple reseller, will cost about $99 i think.

apple dropped the price on the 802.11b cards to $79 when they announced the 802.11g cards.

BiggeeC, airport card installation on an iBook is trivial. you can do it yourself. oh, if it's not already clear, the card you need is the 802.11b one (Airport, not Airport Extreme).

[BiggeeC]

I got the Airport card, downloaded an update, set it up, and was wireless in 15 minutes. Thanks for the advice everybody. I love my ibook so much more now than I did before. THANKS!!

Chris

[buffsldr]

Originally posted by BiggeeC
I got the Airport card, downloaded an update, set it up, and was wireless in 15 minutes. Thanks for the advice everybody. I love my ibook so much more now than I did before. THANKS!!

Chris

Glad to hear you are online. I am also using airport with a cable modem. It is great to use the internet anywhere in your pad.