Wireless Dialup on the Cheap (ie no-AirPort)?

[soccerfan]

What's a good way to do wireless internet with dialup (yeah, yeah, that's all I can afford) for home application?

I understand you can do it a lot cheaper than Airport, but I'm not sure how it's done, or what works with dialup... Any help would be appreciated!

 

[itsumo]

You could get a couple of cheap USB wireless dongles, and share it peer to peer. That would cost about £60, if you don't have any wireless equipment at all to start off with.

 

[jknight8907]

You've got a couple of options assuming you have two computers in the house.

1. If you've got two wireless-equipped computers, create an ad-hoc network between them.
2. If you have only one wireless equipped computer, use a USB dongle or a PCI wireless card (If it's a desktop)
3. Get a cheap WAP and connect the Internet port of it to the LAN port on one of the computers and set up the computer so as to route the connection through to the WAP.

Hope one of those works.

 

[jimsowden]

Why? Whats the point of having wireless dialup? Your experience, if you find the internet interesting and value your mac, will be so much better if you just got cable and an airport.

 

[KingSleaze]

What's a good way to do wireless internet with dialup (yeah, yeah, that's all I can afford) for home application?

I understand you can do it a lot cheaper than Airport, but I'm not sure how it's done, or what works with dialup... Any help would be appreciated!

Are you referring to using a wireless (cell) phone to do the dialup? If this is the case, your phone and computer both need to be bluetooth compatible or you need a USB to cell phone adapter.
If you are referring to having your computer wirelessly 'talk' to the router, with regular dialup to your ISP, a now discontinued Airport base station with internal modem (or other company's similar product) would be required.

 

[jknight8907]

Why? Whats the point of having wireless dialup? Your experience, if you find the internet interesting and value your mac, will be so much better if you just got cable and an airport.

Well, some people don't have hi-speed available to them. Right now I'm using wireless DIALUP. Oh well maybe someday.

 

[jimsowden]

Well, some people don't have hi-speed available to them. Right now I'm using wireless DIALUP. Oh well maybe someday.

Yeah, everybody does. If you can't get cable or DSL, there is directway that now works for the mac, anywhere in the US.

 

[jsw]

Yeah, everybody does. If you can't get cable or DSL, there is directway that now works for the mac, anywhere in the US.

Lag is horrible for DirecWay. VPNs don't usually work with it. And it's friggin' expensive. Don't tell everyone who has dial-up that they should go to broadband. It's not an option for many, due to accessibility (DirecWay in an apartment with restrictions on dishes? er, no) or cost (DirecWay is a minimum of $60/month, and that's if you pay big bucks upfront for the equipment).

 

[jsw]

Well, I guess at least you could use the Airport Extreme with modem for $199. But you're looking for something cheaper, I know.

 

[soccerfan]

Why? Whats the point of having wireless dialup? Your experience, if you find the internet interesting and value your mac, will be so much better if you just got cable and an airport.

I PROMISE that if you pay the bill, I'll do it!

Look, I'm getting a PowerBook, and would simply like to be able to access my dialup account from anywhere in the house without dragging a cord around.

It's my only system.

And yeah, $199 is a bit steep for me...

Well, if anyone has a brilliant idea about how to do it cheaply, I'd appreciate it, otherwise... we'll I'll just have to plug'er in.