do I need base station w/ modem?

[Nancyboy 2000]

i'm thinking about getting an airport base station and 2 AE cards for my home. i have a PB and an imac. i connect to the internet via dial up. do i have to have the AE BS w/ the modem port, or is that just to allow me to dial in from outside the house?

or to surf on the PB w/o having a phone cord attached, do i have to have the AE BS w/ modem?

thanks.

[Mudbug]

you'll need the modem if you plan to continue using your dial-up service, since the ABS will replace your current modem. Unless you're using the imac for internet sharing, then you'd set it up like:

wall - phone cord - abs w/ modem

wireless connections to the imac & PB

that way either the imac or the PB could dial up your ISP, and if you're using panther, then you can use (I think) the faxing options.

In a nutshell, yes, get the modem. Hope that helps...

[MoparShaha]

Yeah, you need the one with the modem. The other reason to get the model with the modem is that it has an antenna port. If you find your signal weak, you can plug in an antenna.

[LimeLite]

Getting the one with the modem port would be easiest. However, you could put an airport card in both computers, then dial-up from one computer and create an airport network from that computer to the other one.

[Mudbug]

Originally posted by LimeLite
Getting the one with the modem port would be easiest. However, you could put an airport card in both computers, then dial-up from one computer and create an airport network from that computer to the other one.

he's right - this would work

but

if the computer that's sharing the connection is off, then the other computer has no connection. the ABS would be on 24/7.

[random1]

Originally posted by MoparShaha
Yeah, you need the one with the modem. The other reason to get the model with the modem is that it has an antenna port. If you find your signal weak, you can plug in an antenna.
That's the reason I got the modem version, but you can hack an antenna into the other base stations if you're willing, thus saving you money.

[bousozoku]

Originally posted by Mudbug
he's right - this would work

but

if the computer that's sharing the connection is off, then the other computer has no connection. the ABS would be on 24/7.

If my experience is any indication, Internet Sharing dials in as soon as you start it and doesn't let go of the phone line. It overrides your "connect as necessary" preference.

[Mudbug]

Originally posted by bousozoku
If my experience is any indication, Internet Sharing dials in as soon as you start it and doesn't let go of the phone line. It overrides your "connect as necessary" preference.

well, that, too, is true, but only if the computer is _turned on_. If it's off, and it's supposedly the one sharing the connection, then you're SOL. I'd connect to the modem on the base station and use it as a normal router, sharing to the two computers.

As for adding an antenna to an ABS that didn't already have it, if you're posting a question about needing the modem, chances are you won't want to pop the casing and solder a lead on for an internal-external antenna - but I'm just guessing :D

[bousozoku]

I've not had my machines off by choice in something like 2 years, although Florida Power has been willing to stop them. Folding@home just doesn't run well on powered off machines.

Breaking into an older basestation to add an antenna lead? It doesn't sound like a good idea unless you play with solder regularly or have a lot of money to waste on a second basestation.