airport extreme connection problem ...

[johnny88]

Hello!

I just purchased a 12" powerbook G4 1.5/512 with airport extreme (and I love it!!) but I cannot connect to the internet. I live in an apartment, and my landlord has a wireless router downstairs that she lets me connect too (WEP password is disabled). With my old crppy PC laptop, I just had to go out and purchase a PCI card, i came home, installed the card, automtically it connected to her network....and voilla, I was surfing in 5 minutes!

With my powerbook, I can't figure out how to connect. When i open up airport, it doesn't seem to find any connections. I am on this connection right now with my PC, so I know it is working. Is there an easy way to do this?? I'm a new mac guy...



Thanks in advance....and great site everyone!

 

[Gee]

so you have no wireless networks listed in the airport menu when it's switched on?

 

[johnny88]

so you have no wireless networks listed in the airport menu when it's switched on?

Hi gee....thanks for the reply.

Yeah...it doesn't seem to locate any networks. But I know there are 4 or 5 in the area because my PC's PCI card picks them up, and I'm connected to my landlords router right now on my PC.

When I click on the airport icon on the top right toolbar, I get:

Turn airport off
other
create network
use interface robustness
open internet connect

 

[mowogg]

iStumbler

Try iStumbler. It's free on versiontracker or macupdate. It should see any networks available. Make sure Airport is turned on. Also, you might check and make sure your antenna is plugged into the Airport card in your Mac. That would be a reason for Airport being on, but not being able to connect.

 

[aristobrat]

FWIW, my Windows work laptop was able to see many networks that my PowerBook wasn't able to see. It wasn't a signal strength issue.

Even though my PB couldn't see them, I could manually join them. I had to enter in their name and then any encryption stuff (if necessary).

 

[mowogg]

Oops, I re-read your original post and see that it is a PowerBook not an iBook. Still, you might try re-seating the card.

 

[johnny88]

Also, you might check and make sure your antenna is plugged into the Airport card in your Mac. That would be a reason for Airport being on, but not being able to connect.

Still, you might try re-seating the card.

thanks for the reply, mowogg!

antenna and/or re-seating....sorry....how would i do this?

 

[johnny88]

UPDATE...

Well, after trying everything, I finally just walked the powerbook down to the front door of my landlords place, and whattya know...it picked up her network (barely). My PC picks up her network anywhere in my apartment!

Is it possible that my crappy $20 bottom-of-the-line PCI card is that much better than brand new airport extreme??? What gives?

 

[aristobrat]

Maybe.

Remember, the antennas inside your PB are inside of aluminum, so that limits what they can pick up to a degree.

I've never seen a *huge* difference, though. Any chance that your PCI card is just barely picking it up?

 

[Applespider]

UPDATE...

Well, after trying everything,

Everything including checking that the antennae is properly clicked into the card?

The only time I've seen such a drastic drop off in airport connection was when I installed an Airport card in an iBook (but principle is the same) and although I thought I'd connected the antennae, I hadn't pressed it in hard enough to set it. It meant that the Airport would pick up when right next to the router (or near enough) but when I went more than 10 feet away, it lost it entirely.

Opening it up again and reseating it made it work again.

It can depend on how far we're talking here - as mentioned, the AlBooks don't have great signal reception but if you're talking less than 50 feet, there's a problem.

 

[johnny88]

thanks for the replies, guys.

Applespider, we're talking the aprtment net door, so way less than 50 feet, and my PC picks it up fine. PB only picks it up barely when i walk it right to their front door which is probably a few feet away..

no I didn't check that the antennae was properly clicked into the card. I figured that powerbook comes with Airport already installed, and that it would be fine. maybe the antenna popped out? maybe i don't have an antenna? I did buy the PB used.

How do I check this?

 

[Applespider]

Have a look on the Troubleshooting Airport Performance on Apple's site and follow their links to the model that you have to see how to access your card.

For some models of PBs, it's accessed through the battery compartment. But I know that changed with some of the later ones.

 

[mowogg]

Applespider's right. It should be in the battery comartment. There's a little clear-plastic tad that you can pull and extract the card. Try pulling it an then re-seating it back in. Also check and see if you have the signal strength set low or interference robustness turned on. I had a 12" PB at work before my MBP and it had pretty poor reception. My iBook (with a plastic, radio-transperant case) is much better, and the MBP is pretty good too. You may also be able to set the PC with the PCI card up as an extender, adding a closer access point.

Phew! That's a lot I know. Good luck!

 

[johnny88]

Thanks guys....I will try and re-seat the card when I get home tonight..... gulp. Is the antanae a seperate piece to the actual card? So I should check for: A) the actual card is displaced, and B) the antanae is not atached to the card.


Maybe the card got displaced in shipping?

What a pain....

 

[mowogg]

The card plugs into the multi-pin connector and the antenna, so there should be no confusion. On an iBook, there are two separate connections to be made.

 

[johnny88]

OK...now I think I've tried everything.
I re-seated the airport card and the antenae..re-started, and still no connections!

Is it maybe Mac/PC thing?
Like maybe my landlords router isn't Mac compatable??
It's frustrating because I'm on my PC right now, and the internet is working FINE!

should I just give up, and take it into an apple store??

 

[Applespider]

should I just give up, and take it into an apple store??

Might be an idea. See how well it picks up the Apple network instore. If it's poor, then ask the Geniuses to help you out.

 

[SC68Cal]

Not to make things more difficult, but a Linksys WET54G wireless router that I had, gave good reception to my windows laptop, but absolutely sucked on my TiBook. I repaced it with a Netgear router and the reception issues went away, so I am almost going to say that some routers play better with Airport than others do.