10-14-2008, 08:29 PM

Okay, so there may be a simple answer to this question but I do not know it, so please help me with this. I just bought a new Macbook and I want to make it wireless, at the moment I have a PC in the other room that is running Windows Vista, it is hooked up to a cable modem via Ethernet cable. Now I was thinking of investing in the Airport Express from Apple, and this is where I get confused, if my cable modem only has one ethernet jack, how do I connect it to the Airport Express without losing the internet connection on my PC? Please help me with this because I am completely lost.

10-14-2008, 08:37 PM

You don't need an AirPort Express to use a MacBook wirelessly. Any 802.11x "WiFi" router will do the trick. Many excellent and less expensive alternatives exist. Personally, I use a D-Link DIR-655 and it's awesome.

To answer your primary question, your cable modem plugs into the Internet or WAN port on the router. Your PC will then plug into one of the four Ethernet ports on the rear of the router. Then your MacBook will connect wirelessly. If you choose, you can connect up to three other network devices to your router.

10-14-2008, 08:43 PM

So something like a Netgear Wireless G Broadband Router will work for me?

10-14-2008, 08:45 PM

Originally Posted by Igor39

So something like a Netgear Wireless G Broadband Router will work for me?

Yes, although I don't generally recommend Netgear products. Linksys and D-Link generally make the best network gear IMO.

10-14-2008, 08:48 PM

I'll definitely look into those, thanks for your help.

10-18-2008, 08:23 PM

I am similarly puzzled: I have an I Mac G5 currently running on Comcast cable Internet service in a house with a MacBook Pro and 2 Dell PC laptops.
I have an Airport Extreme that's a couple years old and wondered if it would be possible to network them all through the Airport...?

10-18-2008, 11:11 PM

yea, any wireless router will work great, one benefit of having the airport express is the USB port. You can hook a printer directly to it, and have the printer become wireless on the network.

but if you use a Linksys/Dlink/Netgear or equivilent router, you can still have the printer wireless through printer/file sharing on the windows computer. (needs both WIN and MAC drivers installed on the WIN Comp)