Wireless Broadband Internet -- Advice Needed

[bobber205]

Out of all the computer things I've done in my short life so far, I've yet to set up a wireless network. Should be easy, I know, but I do have a question.

When my mom called our new internet company in Oregon (we're moving) she got us !! 7 Meg !! connection speed Internet.

I am ordering my MacBook so it's there when I get there. What an idea...

Do we need to have a wireless broadband router too?
Is there anything special I need to buy to get wireless broadband?

 

[BigMacUser]

with broadband you will have a modem...that modem will need to be connected to a wireless router....and then you must set your airport card to that router...and then you have wireless broadband!

 

[DMPDX]

Out of all the computer things I've done in my short life so far, I've yet to set up a wireless network. Should be easy, I know, but I do have a question.

When my mom called our new internet company in Oregon (we're moving) she got us !! 7 Meg !! connection speed Internet.

I am ordering my MacBook so it's there when I get there. What an idea...

Do we need to have a wireless broadband router too?
Is there anything special I need to buy to get wireless broadband?

Congrats on your move to the wonderful state. Where are you moving to? What you need is a wireless router to connect to the modem that the ISP gives you. (im assuming comcast since its in oregon)
-dsm

 

[bobber205]

A northern suburb of Klamath Falls! (Right by Oregon Institute of Technology)

 

[Ugg]

I've got an Airport Express, it took about 3 minutes to set up. Just plug the cable that normally goes into your computer into the AE, follow the online instructions and voila! It's cheaper to get a non-Apple product but it can take more time to set up.

 

[dkozi]

the sky's the limit!

just to clarify that we are talking about the same thing:
wireless broadband actually refers to an aircard arrangment and separate internet access, and doesn't utilize your factory installed airport card - thus far only sprint and verizon offer such connections(shame cuz i live in canada);
wireless networking is, i think, what you're after, and does make use of your airport card.
as for advise, the other posters are all correct. it is easily doable, and while the apple hardware would be easiest to set up, the process isn't that hard using another brand of wireless router (ie. linksys, dlink, belkin, netgear, etc.)
almost all routers use an IP based utility program for initial set-up, which can be accessed through any browser, so don't be affraid to save yourself a few bucks and get something cheaper and better. many reports have concluded that the non-apple branded options yeild faster transfer speeds, mostly due to the internal antennas of the apple products. the highest rated being the USR options.
in the mac wireless world 9/10ths the battle is getting a card that works with the mac. you got the card(internal airport), now go out and get the router of your choosing, and enjoy!
once you get your gear, if you need assistance getting it set-up drop me a line.

 

[macsrockmysocks]

Dude, 7 Megs, now that is what I call fast! I bet it's not cheap is it?

 

[bobber205]

Dude, 7 Megs, now that is what I call fast! I bet it's not cheap is it?

I have no idea what it costs exactly, but I know it's not too horrible.

512K or so is considered dialup.

 

[McGiord]

What about the wireless connection speed?

As I understand the apple stuff are up to 54 Mbps (IEEE 802.11g wireless standard) Airport Express and Airport Extreme.

Are these Apple wireless adapters fast enough to take advantage of the 7 Megs of the broadband connection?
Those with more knowledge could elaborate on that?

Thanks

 

[NJuul]

As I understand the apple stuff are up to 54 Mbps (IEEE 802.11g wireless standard) Airport Express and Airport Extreme.

Are these Apple wireless adapters fast enough to take advantage of the 7 Megs of the broadband connection?
Those with more knowledge could elaborate on that?

Thanks

I believe that with 7 Megs the OP means 7 Mbps, not 7 megabytes per second. As the Airport Extreme/Express are 802.11g they can (theoretically) handle 54 Mbps. Actual max data transfer rate is somewhat lower, about half I believe. Still more than enough.

 

[Saluki Alex]

just to clarify that we are talking about the same thing:
wireless broadband actually refers to an aircard arrangment and separate internet access, and doesn't utilize your factory installed airport card - thus far only sprint and verizon offer such connections(shame cuz i live in canada);

Actually, if you were to do a Wikipedia search, Wireless Broadband refers to WiFi, which is what he's talking about.

But personally I agree with you in your assertion of what Wireless Broadband is, seeing as I have wireless broadband, and by that I mean I have an antenna on my house that receives broadband internet from a transmitter on our local water tower. This is the only way to get broadband in my area (rural midwest). But this is not from Verizon or Sprint, it's from a local company.

Here's a link to a Wikipedia article on Wireless Broadband like mine:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadband_wireless

And here's a link to my ISP:
http://www.lazernetwireless.com/

 

[SC68Cal]

Make sure that you have some sort of security policy for your wireless network.

Wether it be encryption, MAC address filtering, etc....

Personally, I prefer to use MAC address filtering because it's less troublesome when adding/removing devices such as printers and guests with laptops.

 

[DMPDX]

Dude, 7 Megs, now that is what I call fast! I bet it's not cheap is it?

Through comcast I get 7mbps for $39.99 a month because we subscrie to digi cable which gives us a discount. You can however purchase a higher connection (a buisness line via comcast? I think its called) that is 10 or 15 mbps for around $80.00 a month.
-dsm