Out of the box

[msmidge]

One thing that I'm less psyched about with my new Powerbook already is that it's being kind of a wiener about AirPort. Your choices are either an AirPort network or ethnernet for internet access, as if non-Apple wireless options don't exist. It didn't pick up on my wireless router on its own, which RIP-Tungsten-C did with no trouble at all.

Comments

[sanpaku.livejournal.com]

It should pick up on it... is it WEP protected or something? I've never had problems with it. Maybe it's WiFi-g instead of b, or whatever?

[msmidge.livejournal.com]

I haven't had a chance to read through all the manuals yet, but their sales pitch says that all G4 Powerbooks have Airport Extreme built in, which is 802.11g. From what I read some time ago, 802.11g is backwards-compatible with 802.11b, so that shouldn't be the problem. I will have to look into this WEP thing you mention.

[cos]

Your new powerbook should be able to get on any standard wireless net.
Some wireless routers have trouble with some wireless cards, though - so there may be a particular brand of router that won't work so well. But that seems to have been getting rarer in the past couple of years.

[cos]

Any new Powerbook from the past two years should do both b and g.
They're not inherently backwards-compatible, IIRC - it is possible to have a card that only does g and not b. But I don't think Apple sells any like that.

My August 2003 12" PowerBook does b and g.

[msmidge.livejournal.com]

I'll take it to Emory's library tomorrow and see if it picks up their wireless network, which covers the entire building.

[sanpaku.livejournal.com]

I think you're right. I doubt it's WEP because it would show up on your list of possible networks (under the antenna-signal icon) and then when you tried to join it would ask about WEP. So I'm out of ideas -- though, again, I've never had any trouble getting all sorts of signals anywhere/everywhere with my iBook.