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The plan: Network Powerbook & Desktop PC

M

mojo2go

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 28, 2004
32
0
SE Wisconsin
I have a desktop HP PC running XP. Our internet connection is AOL Broadband - supplied via Time-Warner cable in our area (the very same people who provide the Road-Runner high speed service...using the exact same hardware.) AOL is our ISP.

The PC allegedly came with a network card installed (not sure of the ID) -- but we could never get a wireless router to successfully connect to my daughter's Dell PC in the room next to our office. We finally resorted to a wired D-Link DI-604 4-Port Cable/DSL Router, which seems to work just fine.

My plan is to network my G4 Powerbook, which is Airport-ready, to our PC, (specifically for the internet connection.) The guy at the Apple store assured me that all I would need to do is order an Airport Express & that should hook into the D-Link wired router - & with some simple configuration, I will be good to go.

Just got notice that the Airport Express will arrive tomorrow. So -- I'm just wondering....does anyone out there know if this will really work? Does anyone have a similar configuration? I'm a bit skeptical. & if it doesn't work, what are my alternatives for networking with my given equipment?

Thanks! :eek:
 
Assuming that, by "Airport-ready", you meant "contains an Airport card" as opposed to "can contain an Airport card", you'll be good to go once the AExpress arrives. If you don't actually have an Airport card in your PB, you obviously need one. I don't mean to insult you; presumably, you already knew that. If not, perhaps you have time to go pick one up!
 
Just let me see if I have this straight so that I don't say anything too inane - you've got 2 PCs, 1 PowerBook, and a broadband internet connection you want to share.

From what I understand, you've installed a D-Link wired router to which your two PCs are now connected and sharing an internet connection.

In order to connect your PowerBook, you're installing an Airport card to connect to the PC to share the internet connection.

If these are all true statements, then I'm pretty sure you're going to have some problems. First of all, your router is not wireless, so I'm not sure how you'll connect from the Airport to anything, unless you're trying to connect to the wireless card on your daughter's Dell for sharing her connection.

What I would suggest is grabbing a true wireless/wired router like the Linksys WRT54G, which works well with the Airport Express, or a D-Link equivalent (no experience with those). This will allow you to share your broadband connection with both wired PCs and with your wireless PowerBook.

It also provides some nice firewall protection for the PCs.
 
My understanding is that an Airport Express in en route to arrive tomorrow and to be plugged into the router, in which case he should be all set, assuming his PB has an Airport installed....
 
jsw said:
Assuming that, by "Airport-ready", you meant "contains an Airport card" as opposed to "can contain an Airport card", you'll be good to go once the AExpress arrives. If you don't actually have an Airport card in your PB, you obviously need one. I don't mean to insult you; presumably, you already knew that. If not, perhaps you have time to go pick one up!
Click to expand...

LOL - JSW: I'm not insulted -- It's an important point to check!

According to the specs, my PB unit has built-in Bluetooth, built-in AirPort Extreme, and built-in high-speed Ethernet.
 
emw said:
Just let me see if I have this straight so that I don't say anything too inane...
Click to expand...

So much for that...

...I misread. I read it as you're getting the wireless card for your Mac, not the Express Base Station. This should work fine, if as JSW says, you've already got the card.

One note is that I had a setup like that at home (wired network with an Airport Base Station), and it caused problems with accessing my VPN, etc., so I moved to the Linksys and I love it.

The Express is cool since you can connect to your stereo, etc., though, which is a nice feature.
 
You don't say what Powerbook you have. All of the current revisions of the Powerbook have an airport card (wireless card) built in. Only certain models of the previous revisions did. Assuming that you do in fact have a airport card and not merely airport ready, then you will be fine. You can connect the Airport express via ethernet cable to the router.

Just one quick point, you will need to go into the airport admin utility located in your utilities folder and go into configuration, select Network tabs and turn off distribute IP addresses as you are just using the airport express to pass though the connection from the router. If you don't do this the Mac and the PC's may have trouble seeing each other.
 
Sorry I was too slow typing my reply! I know see that you do have an airport card built in, so you should be fine when your airport express arrives.

Have fun. Going wireless is the only way to go!
 
jsw said:
My understanding is that an Airport Express in en route to arrive tomorrow and to be plugged into the router, in which case he should be all set, assuming his PB has an Airport installed....
Click to expand...

{Just a teeny side point...I'm a she, not a he :cool: }

EMW: Thanks for the suggestions about the wireless routers...although several others we tried did not work for our original networking project, I will keep them in mind if the above set-up does not work.
 
James: Thanks for the tip about the IP addresses.

Also - as this will be my first attempt at actually doing the networking myself, will the manual that comes with the Airport Express Unit walk me through all this? If not -- anyone care to give me a (general) play-by-play?
 
I just looked through the Airport Express Setup Guide (warning: PDF download), and it looks pretty simple. There's a setup wizard (Airport Express Assistant) to help you as well. I don't think you'll have problems. I don't own an AE, but I'm sure this forum could troubleshoot any problems you have.
 
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