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Aircard compatibility with Powerbooks?

B

Bangkok is Hot

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 10, 2004
34
5
Bangkok
Hi everyone...

I have become interested in getting a PCMCIA 'aircard' (like the 3G Edge system) to allow me broadband access (between 100-256kbps) with my Powerbook.

However, the products I'm finding in Bangkok are only listing PC compatbility (Sony-Ericsson for Edge, Sierra 555 for Hutch). There are currently four mobile phone systems competing here using various systems (Orange, Hutch, DTAC and GSM by AIS), if that helps at all.

Is anyone familiar with models of aircards that are OS X compatible?

Thanks much, for any help!
 
i do not have any ifo on these particular cards but i am sure it would be helpful if you told everyone what powerbook you have and what version of OSX you are running
 
Specs

Ah, good point...

It's a 17 inch 1.33 GHz Powerbook
1 GB RAM
OS X 10.3.6

I'm not having much luck at all tracking down any knowledgeable folks here. Am wondering if the card (GPRS) itself would work with the PB, but the perhaps the bundled software would not, but then again, there will no doubt be some sort of driver issues...
 
well its usually hard to say without real world experience with things like this, i.e. actually plugging it in and trying. Alot of times it wont get an OSX stamp because the bundled software isnt OSX compatible or maybve even a driver. Even the latter doesnt mean it wont work... but maybe missing out oncertain specialties of the card. Who knows! Good example is the bluettoth logitech mouse. Says its not compatible with OSX but actually works fine.. i believe you miss out oin a couple button functions though.
 
Hi ,

I'm also in Bangkok.

I have the pb 17" 1.33
OS X 10.4.2

Recently I bought a Sierra 775.

I am trying to use it with a DTAC EDGE data sim.

The Sierra site has a driver for mac, though not supported.


I have got the driver to work (though you have to run a script everytime you plug in your card)

But when it connects to the isp and , it has connected and icould open online content, shortly afterwards it (3-4 mins) it stops receiving data.

Otherwise it disconnects after trying to authorize.

Any body with any thoughts?

Thanks
 
If I were you, I'd just go ahead and buy an Apple Airport card. Since my Lombard isn't compatible with the actual Airport cards, I bought a Sonnet Aria Extreme and it uses the Airport driver in OS X, so it acts just like Airport. It works great and I definitely recommend it if you must have a PCMCIA card, rather than the official Apple Airport card.
 
FadeToBlack said:
If I were you, I'd just go ahead and buy an Apple Airport card. Since my Lombard isn't compatible with the actual Airport cards, I bought a Sonnet Aria Extreme and it uses the Airport driver in OS X, so it acts just like Airport. It works great and I definitely recommend it if you must have a PCMCIA card, rather than the official Apple Airport card.
Click to expand...


Unfortunately you can't put a SIM card in an Apple Airport card.

And you need this to use GPRS EDGE.

This is what the OP and me are trying to do.

I am very dissapointed Apple hasn't sorted this out yet.

Cheers
 
if you live in a dense city then you are better off just mooching off peoples wireless networks when you are out.
 
The Hamburger said:
Unfortunately you can't put a SIM card in an Apple Airport card.

And you need this to use GPRS EDGE.

This is what the OP and me are trying to do.

I am very dissapointed Apple hasn't sorted this out yet.

Cheers
Click to expand...

Oh, okay. I'm not sure what a SIM card is, but hopefully you and the OP will have some luck in finding one.
 
A sim card is the chip that you put inside a gsm phone so it knows what its no. is.

With GSM you are supposed to be able to have mobile wireless data transfer upto 216kb/s

I wish I could use other peoples wireless networks.

Unfortinately I want it to work in Northern Sulawesi.

This place has 1 city which is more like a big town and I doubt too many wireless networks.

On top of that I'll won't be in the city but on a boat on the sea. ;)

So GPRS seems the only economically viable way to stay connected.

To stay connected Yesterday I did something I thought I would never do again.

I bought a M$ based laptop! :(

I am really dissapointed Apple has not got its act together on this one. :mad:

Cheers

Burger
 
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