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Can I use airport w/ cable modem or how to move imac

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Pink Stucco

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 24, 2003
2
0
Hi,
I have my imac connected to a cable modem Time Warner provided (Toshiba PCX1100 connected to ethernet port). I'd like to move my computer to another room, where there is presently no cable. I have airport card/station but have never used them - and might need help configuring if that is an option. Is there a simple solution to my dilemma, or do I have to call and have them put another hole in my wall and have cable in that room? If not possible with airport - is there another easy solution (short of just having a longer piece of cable)?

Thanks!
Holly
 
Re: Can I use airport w/ cable modem or how to move imac

Originally posted by Pink Stucco
Hi,
I have my imac connected to a cable modem Time Warner provided (Toshiba PCX1100 connected to ethernet port). I'd like to move my computer to another room, where there is presently no cable. I have airport card/station but have never used them - and might need help configuring if that is an option. Is there a simple solution to my dilemma, or do I have to call and have them put another hole in my wall and have cable in that room? If not possible with airport - is there another easy solution (short of just having a longer piece of cable)?

Thanks!
Holly
Click to expand...

Yes, you can get longer cables. I am using a 25 foot cable running from the router downstairs into my room through the balcony. Until I get a wireless router.

But I am almost positive that you can use a cable modem with Airport. Cable modems use an ethernet line to connect to computers/routers/adapters/etc. just like any other type of broadband connection. So I don't see why it shouldn't.

As for not using your Airport card/station, that seems like an awful waste.
 
more info

Thanks - I agree it's a waste not to use the airport! Hopefully I can with some help :)

More info - I have a blueberry imac, running OS 9.2.2. The airport is a Graphite, and the software is v1.2. I'm pretty good with the mac itself - this is my 4th one, just not so well-versed with peripherals/networking kind of stuff.

thanks!
Holly
 
Re: more info

Originally posted by Pink Stucco
Thanks - I agree it's a waste not to use the airport! Hopefully I can with some help :)

More info - I have a blueberry imac, running OS 9.2.2. The airport is a Graphite, and the software is v1.2. I'm pretty good with the mac itself - this is my 4th one, just not so well-versed with peripherals/networking kind of stuff.

thanks!
Holly
Click to expand...

First of all, does your iMac have a slot for the Airport card or does it require an adapter? You might need to purchase one of those.
 
she said she had a card, methinks.

yeah, this will work great. i am on a wireless network with a cable modem right now, hehe.

some questions i would ask you though: when you turn on your cable modem, is it just "connected" automatically, or do you have to give a logon password before you can connect to the internet? if not, this is probably as simple as plugging your modem into the "uplink" port on the airport base station. then you can put in your wireless card/turn it on or whatever, and you should be on the internet simple as that. if you do have to log on, then you'll have to run the airport admin tool and configure the base station to log itself on, and i am not sure how you do that at all. give it a shot though, you got nothing to lose.

good luck!
 
Generally, AirPort works with almost anything, as it's got a PPPoE client installed. The AirPort setup assistant is very helpful, and guides you through all these perils.

I'm using my AE as a dial-in station, so I can access my local network when I'm away.
 
If you have more than one compuer to connect, you might want to look at a wireless router.
My cable modem allowed only two IP addresses. I had three computers on my network and the order of powering them up caused me many problems. My solution was to install a router. I think a basic router can be had for <$100 now. To the cable modem it appears to be one computer, on the other side I can have upto 253 computers (IP addresses). a router is somewhat of a firewall, this is good if you have Windows machines.

So with a regular router and a wireless access point (AP) and an airport card in your computer, you should be connected.
 
Your mileage may vary, but this is what I did: (Note, my service does not require the username/password)

* Install your airport card into the computer first, and plug in the airport (don't necessarily need to connect the base station to anything yet, but make sure your computer is still connected to the cablemodem).
* Access the airport through the airport administration tool, and set it up. Go through software update to make sure you have the latest firmware for the base station.
* Move the computer to the other room and make sure you can still connect to the base station (pretty useless if there's significant interference!)
* Power down both the cablemodem and the base station. (let them sit for 30 seconds), plug the ethernet cable in between the cablemodem and the WAN port. Power them back up. (Some cablemodems such as the surfboards and the com21s do not like to change what machine they're talking to without a reboot.)
* Connect the mac using Airport :)
 
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