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eMac G4 - wireless - URGENT

S

sillygoose1988

macrumors member
Original poster
May 4, 2010
38
0
Hello, just been given an eMac "1GHz powerpc G$" with 256 MB DDR SDRAM under Mac OS 10.3.9...
(that's it for specifications)
It obviously does not have wifi, so therefore i would be wondering if there was anything possible to get wifi on to that emac?
heard of "wifi usb sticks" (if you know what i mean)...
anyway...any tips would be more than helpful!
also, would softwares like iwork or more important skype work on that machine? if so which version do you recommend?
I'd like to get that machine in order as soon as possible because it is for my mother and i'm leaving home in a couple weeks.
Thanks a mil
 
sillygoose1988 said:
It obviously does not have wifi, so therefore i would be wondering if there was anything possible to get wifi on to that emac?
Click to expand...

The eMac has built-in antennas and expansion slot, you'll need a 54 Mbit/s AirPort Extreme Card which can be installed from the back and will give b/g wifi ability

The newest version of iWork should be compatible as well but only if you had 10.4.11, as for the latest Skype that should work in 10.3.
 
a built-in antenna? where? I never used an eMac before, i'm using a macbook pro myself...
also have you any link for the aiport card?
 
a built-in antenna? where? I never used an eMac before
Click to expand...

Normally around the display, perhaps somewhere in the back as well. All Macs at least from 2000 onwards have Airport wireless capability expect for Xserves.

Best bet is looking at sites like eBay. Apple stopped selling / making them after they starting putting wireless functionality in by default. I believe this is the card which you need:

http://www.ecobinary.com/ecart/images/airportextreme.jpg

Don't be confused by the smaller cards which are used in newer models like the Mac Pro
 
thanks i'll search for one on Ebay.
still trying to figure out where that antenna is? did google image search but no luck :-S
 
Thanks so much! i was actually looking for an antenna to pull out!
one last question...which do you think would work best...
buying an usb wifi dongle (that i'd buy at my internet service provide shop)
or finding a extreme airport card on ebay?
 
As I said if you got a way of getting OS X to use it then the USB is still an option.

Now I will ask a question that is gonna seem unrelated, what graphics chip is installed in your eMac? The answer will help me see what model eMac you have and if you have USB 1.1 or 2.0.

If you have the model with USB 1.1 then performance wise its gonna be better with the built in card.

zen.state said:
I never realized that was where the card went on an emac. Very convenient. Guess I figured it was behind a door on the bottom.
Click to expand...

I made the same error myself, all that experience with other models counts for nothing here :D
 
em once agin it would be handy if you could tell me where to see which graphic card i have...is it somewhere in system profile?
 
sillygoose1988 said:
em once agin it would be handy if you could tell me where to see which graphic card i have...is it somewhere in system profile?
Click to expand...

Correct, clicking the Apple Menu and selecting About this Mac then hitting More Info will open the profiler.

Info should be in the Graphics / Display section.
 
well is system profile i have hardware => PCI/AGP Cards.
so there is ATY, RV280
i'm not sure this is what you're looking for.
by the way, i sent you a PM
 
Thats the one

Seems you do have the newer model which has USB 2.0.

(ATY, RV280 is basically the ATI Radeon 9200 and with a 1GHz G4 that makes your eMac an education model)

OK

Just wanted to make sure. If you can get a hold of one of those Airport cards on something like eBay I'd recommend that method.
 
so any mac compatible wifi dongle should work on this computer then? i'll enquire through my internet service provider (orange livebox) but if you find anything cheap on ebay or such dont hesitate to send link to me (i'm in france at the moment)
 
Thanks for your help Darwin. i'll just check it compatible with 10.3.9.
if not then i guess i'll have to find a way to switch to 10.4.
 
The most trouble free solution would be to get an airport extreme card. It will have better performance, generally better range, and you don't have to worry about drivers. It might cost a little bit more than a USB dongle, but overall you will be happier.
 
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