Connecting from imac flat panel to a PC wireless internet

[ikklejo]

Hi,
Just need to know if i need to buy anything extra getting quite confused now!! i want to connect my imac flat panel to my dads pc which he has connected to wireless bt broadband?
Do i need to buy anything extra and how do i do it will my mac find it automatically or do i need to find out setting etc?
Thanks for any help
Jo
x

 

[mad jew]

So do you have a wireless router? If you have a standard 802.11B or 802.11G wireless router then it should work well.

Otherwise, you might be able to connect to the PC with an ad hoc network and piggyback the connection. This second option may not necessarily work though because the wireless card on the PC may not be capable of connecting to two separate IP addresses.



Edit: I read flat panel as G5. On second thoughts it'd be a G4 and therefore it may need an AirPort card (wireless card). You can check whether it already has one in System Profiler.

 

[ikklejo]

Thanks very much, not infront of my mac at the mo so i will check tonight just wanted to figure some things out before i go home and possibly get very annoyed!!
Hopefully it will be nice and easy. My dad only set up the wireless internet about a month ago so hopefully eveything is new.
If i already have the wireless card inserted is it striaght forward to connect to the internet through my dads pc stuff?
Do i just use the same settings as he has?
Sorry i really have no idea what im doin do i??
Jo
x

 

[mad jew]

Yeah, if you have a router and an AirPort card then it should be very straight forward to connect your Mac to the 'net. Connecting directly to the PC will be more difficult but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

 

[ikklejo]

ok thanks,
he must have a router as he has internet (I think ) and hopefully ill have an airport card (fingers crossed), hopefully i wont need to connect to pc if i have these, ill check tonight and let you know how i go later.
Thanks Again
Jo
x

 

[ikklejo]

Once i have checked i have an airport card do i just go to my system preferences - network and choose airport - connect or will i need to configure?
Jo
x

 

[mad jew]

It should be a matter of turning it on in the Network pane and then it should find the network automatically. If needed, it'll ask you for a password. If the network isn't found automatically then click Assist Me at the bottom of the Network pane.

 

[ikklejo]

ok cool sounds easy As long as i have that airport card!!!
Will the password be the one on my dads internet settings?

 

[mad jew]

Yeah, it'll be the password he uses to connect to the network too.

 

[ikklejo]

i do not have a airport card in my imac G4, can someone point me in the direction of what to buy and what i do withit when i have brought it?
Thanks
Jo

 

[mad jew]

Okay well what sort of iMac G4 is it? The older ones use a regular AirPort card and your best bet for getting one of these is from eBay. The newer models use AirPort Extreme which can still be bought from Apple although of course you might find something cheaper on the used market. These cards are not interchangeable so it's important you buy the right one.

 

[ikklejo]

Well it is the one that has half a football base and moving flat screen!!
Imac G4 700mhz? Is that any help?

 

[mad jew]

700MHz. Hmm... I'm pretty sure that confirms it'll require an AirPort card (not AirPort Extreme). Might be time to start scanning eBay. Of course it might be cheaper to buy an access point for your current network and hardwire your iMac to that. The old AirPort cards can be quite expensive in some markets.

 

[ikklejo]

Im sure it is a airport card not an extreme one, dont think ill cope doin the hardwire to my network!!??
Do they sell the normal cards in the apple store are there different sorts or only 1? Does it just slot in the outside or do i have to take the mac apart to fit it??
Sorry to ask loads of questions.
Thanks
Jo

 

[ikklejo]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ORIGINAL-Appl...oryZ4601QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Would this be what i need?
Jo

 

[ikklejo]

Is there a way of converting my mac so it will accept airport extreme? Or other stuff i can get so i can use airport extreme?
Or will i have to settle with buying an old airport card?
Jo

 

[26139]

yes

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ORIGINAL-Appl...oryZ4601QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Would this be what i need?
Jo

Yes, don't go over $80 though.

Very simple to install...just take a few screws off the plate underneath, slide the card in the VERY obvious slot and reassemble. If you can work a screwdriver and know how to insert things in slots, it should take about five minutes.

 

[ikklejo]

ok lovely seems simple enough
I wont pay over the odds though as this is extra as we already have a pc with wireless broadband would be nice to have the mac online though
Thanks
Jo

 

[mad jew]

Nice find.

Just to reiterate, you cannot use an AirPort Extreme card. It must be a regular AirPort card and these are no longer produced or sold by Apple.

 

[26139]

Yep

And some enterprising (some would say unscrupulous, but hey, everyone is entitled to make a buck) people charged nearly twice face value for a while.

Good luck!

 

[ikklejo]

lets hope i can find a bargin!!?
Thanks for all your help.
Jo
x

 

[ikklejo]

Not sure i should have said about that card on ebay its suddendly gone up to £39!!!
May have to look else where!

 

[wwooden]

Not sure i should have said about that card on ebay its suddendly gone up to £39!!!
May have to look else where!

Yeah, they are not going to be cheap. The original Airport cards (like that one) are costing more than extreme ones because Apple doesn't make them anymore.

I know in the US they are typically $80 on eBay and such, while an extreme can be found for around $50.

Maybe I am wrong, but I thought that a 802.11b device could not connect to an 802.11g router. I know the reverse if possible, having a computer with 802.11g(extreme) that can connect to a 802.11b router because they are backwards compatible. If this is true, then there is no point in buying the AirPort card for the iMac as you won't even be able to connect to the network.

 

[ikklejo]

I have just read what you wrote and sadly means nothing to me
Can anyone confirm if this is true is there any point in me buying the card?

 

[mad jew]

Most routers are 802.11B and 802.11G compliant.