WiFi, Woohoo!

Experiencing the Joys of a Wireless Connection

by David Lang (Posted: 9/21/02)

 
A couple of months ago, I finally broke down and got cable internet access, and I've been happily zipping along the world wide web ever since. While I'm hardly a heavy internet user, the broadband connection has enabled me to do things I typically avoided with my dial-up connection, such as downloading System updates and software, or uploading files to my iDisk.

As with most new toys, however, the cable access answered some needs (or is that wants?) while creating new ones. Because my "office" is a corner of our bedroom, and because my wife doesn't want her bedroom to look like an office, I have all my computer equipment--with the exception of my PowerBook--cleverly concealed within a computer cabinet. An ethernet cable running from the iMac in the cabinet to the PowerBook on my desk has enabled me to transfer files between the computers and print from my PowerBook, but now that ethernet port on the iMac had to be connected to the cable modem. Add to that the fact that I also wanted cable access on the PowerBook, and I now had a problem.

My initial solution was to run two ethernet cables from the cabinet to the desk. One was a broadband cable that let me hook the PowerBook up to the cable modem. The other was a crossover cable that let me network the two computers. When I wanted to use the internet on my PowerBook, I had to disconnect the cable modem from the iMac, and connect the cable snaking along the wall to my desk. I also had to unplug the cable modem's power supply and plug it back in again to get the modem to realize it was no longer attached to the iMac and was now connected to the PowerBook. Admittedly a minor inconvenience, but enough of a hassle to keep me from wanting to do the cable-switch routine too often. A similar routine was required to network the two computers, which meant that I only transferred files and printed from the PowerBook when absolutely necessary. Something needed to be done.

While riding to a meeting with coworker and fellow CMUG member Greg Ward, I told him my "troubles," and he informed me that what I needed was a Cable/DSL "router." Basically this thing is just an ethernet hub which enables you to share a high-speed internet connection between two or more computers. I had seen one such router in a Mac catalog the night before for about fifty or sixty bucks, and I thought, "Great, a solution I can afford."

But Greg didn't stop there. He began telling me that what I really "needed" was a wireless router, so that I could connect to the internet from anywhere in the house. Essentially, this is what Apple's Airport Base Station is, but Greg was quick to inform me that I could get a third-party wireless router that would do the same thing for a little more than 100 dollars. Of course, for this wireless router to actually be useful, I would also need to install an Airport Card in my PowerBook, which would set me back an additional hundred bucks. At this point, I laughed and informed Greg that he was suddenly becoming very free with my money! But he continued to sing the praises of wireless networking and to tell me that it was well worth the expense. The seed had been planted.

I now had a choice to make. I could go wired for about $50, or wireless for over $200. I talked it over with my wife, and she encouraged me to go ahead and get the wireless set-up if that's what I thought I needed. Still I wavered. Two hundred dollars is no small expenditure, at least not for us, and I mulled the decision over for weeks. I knew that a wired solution would be adequate, but I kept thinking about all the flexibility a wireless network would provide. What finally tipped the scales in favor of wireless was the thought that as I upgrade my computer in a couple of years, and my wife inherits the G3 PowerBook, and the kids get old enough to start using the internet, the wireless network would be more capable of handling additional computers without a lot of wiring headaches and cable confusion. That's what I told myself, anyway, as I called up MacMall and took out my credit card!

My wireless router and Airport card arrived yesterday afternoon. Making the actual physical connections was easy. I just plugged the cable modem into the appropriate jack of the router, and connected a cable from the router to the ethernet port of the iMac. I could have installed an Airport card in the iMac, but since the iMac and router both reside in the same cabinet, and since I'm not in the habit of lugging the iMac around the house, connecting the two via ethernet was the most sensible solution.

I then took a deep breath and prepared to configure the iMac to work with the router. If I had spent the three hundred dollars for an Airport Base Station, I would have had no cause for fear. It seems only natural that such a setup would be plug-and-play. But I was astonished when I realized that the iMac was automatically accessing the cable modem via this third-party router. I didn't have to do a thing! I didn't have to touch the network settings or add any drivers or do anything more than plug all the hardware together. It was truly plug-and-play, and I was delightfully surprised.

Of course, that was the easy part. I still had to install the Airport card in my PowerBook and get that to recognize the third party router I had bought. Installing the Airport card was surprisingly easy. I didn't have to disconnect the daughter card or anything hairy, I simply had to lift up the keyboard, remove the heat shield (which involved removing two screws), plug the Airport antenna into the card, and slide the card into the slot! Piece of cake!

I started up the PowerBook and immediately noticed the little AirPort menu in the menu bar. I'm not totally clear what I had to do next, because it was all so incredibly painless. I'm not sure of the exact sequence, but I know I had to turn Airport on in the menu. I also know that I opened up OS X's Network Settings, and a message appeared saying that a new network port had been detected. I selected Airport from the pop-up menu, and clicked the Airport tab, but I don't remember actually changing any network settings. All I know is that it just worked, and that once again I was amazed at how easy Apple had made it.

Since then it's been playtime at the Lang house. I printed a document from the PowerBook to the printer attached to the iMac. I sat on the couch in the living room and surfed the web. I connected to the iMac and transferred files . . . while sitting outside watching the kids play on the swingset! Woohoo! WiFi has made my PowerBook truly portable!

Greg was right, going wireless was worth the added expense. I have now experienced the joy of surfing the web while sitting on the john, and I seriously doubt I'll ever take a magazine in there again!

Aside from enabling me to surf the web while otherwise occupied, going wireless has freed me to do anything I need to do from anywhere inside (or outside) the house. And when you work at home with four small kids and a homeschooling mom, the ability to pick up and move to another room is more than just a luxury--it can be a key to survival! So to Greg I say a heartfelt, "Thank you," and to those of you who "need" to share an internet connection among multiple computers or to set up a truly flexible home network, I say, "Go for it!" It's well worth the added expense.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to upload this article. Let's see, should I lounge on the bed? Sit at the kitchen table? Go outside and get some sun? Decisions, decisions . . .