12-27-2006, 12:09 PM

Ok, here's my problem:

I have a Mac mini in my living room which is connected to my Comcast cable modem. I have an iMac in my bedroom that has no internet connection. Rather than get a wireless card installed in my iMac and getting the Airbase, my friend said it would be cheaper if I bought a Linksys wireless router and a wireless usb adapter to plug into my iMac. I bought the Linksys router and the usb adapter but now I can't get it to work. Is there anyone out there who can give me step by step directions on how to set it up correctly? I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

12-27-2006, 12:21 PM

i had a linksys router for years and it worked great, until i got my macbook. it was then that i was starting to have trouble with the linksys and my macbook. finally to make a long story short, my father went out and got a d-link wireless router and it has been working fantastic with every computer in my household, all the windows pc/notebooks and my macbook

12-27-2006, 12:24 PM

I dunno about the step by step instructions, but I can tell you that your imac, if it is G5 or later should definately have a built in wireless card. Thus, you shouldn't need to buy an external linksystem usb receiver. Well, we have a netgear router and it came with a CD that contained drivers and a setup program. Going through the software assitant that came on the CD it was relatively easy to set up. Try using the CD and see if you can get some results.

If the CD doesn't work with a mac, you could use it on a windows based computer to set up the router. Once the router is set up and transmitting a signal, it won't matter wether you use mac or windows. You will still be able to browse the internet and connect to the network on your mac.

Also, check the manual.

Good luck.

12-27-2006, 12:43 PM

I can't give you step-by-step directions including the USB wireless card, but I can give you some directions using a Linksys router and the built-in Airport from my Mac Mini.

What version iMac do you have? You may have built-in Airport, which would save the hassle of a USB wireless card.

I'll get back to you shortly when I have a few minutes to walk through the steps to get you setup.

12-27-2006, 12:44 PM

I've never had much luck with the Linksys stuff and many people report that the WRT54G has problems with the Mac. However, if you want to keep trying to get it to work, make sure you have the latest firmware update for it.

I use a Belkin router and it works wonderfully.

12-27-2006, 12:46 PM

that isnt entirely true. the moment i started to run into problems with my linksys router was when my father had just updated to the latest firmware. it worked great with my macbook prior to updating it

12-27-2006, 12:50 PM

I have a Linksys WRT54G and have never had any problems with it connecting to my Windows PC, G4 Desktop, G4 Laptop (wireless) and my Linux server. I have to reset it once in a while because I tend to bog it down with high data transfers, but other than that it works great.

As for your iMac, it should have an Airport card already installed if it's a G5 or newer, as Arichards has pointed out.

12-27-2006, 01:50 PM

I'm using an older Linksys BEFW11S4 802.11b router, and it's working fine.

Setting everything up to run wireless shouldn't be that difficult. Ensure that your router is setup properly (ie. if you have WEP enabled, ensure that you write down the key). To check this, you need to be connected to the router (most reliable is via Ethernet cable). In the address bar in your browser type 192.168.1.1. It will ask you to login, the username and password should be admin/admin. Towards the bottom of the page you should see your wireless settings. If you want WEP security (password in order to join your network wirelessly) select Mandatory, and click on the WEP Key Setting button. Ensure that it is set to 64 bit, and that the default TX key is 1. Write down the first key, and move to the computer you want to connect wirelessly.

Disconnect all network media from the computer you want to connect wirelessly. Doing this will prevent confusion for you and your computer. Next, go to your system settings, Network. In the Show drop-down menu, you should have either Airport or a third party option, along with Bluetooth, Firewire, and built-in Ethernet. Select whichever one is your wireless (either Airport or third party).

Next you should select "Assist Me" then select Assistant. This will bring up the Network Setup Assistant, which should detect your wireless network and prompt you for your WEP key. When you input your WEP key, ensure the WEP type is set to 128 bit hex. If not, you will have errors and be unable to connect to your network, no matter how hard you try.

Hopefully this works... it may not be 100% accurate depending on your hardware/software configuration, but should be close.

12-27-2006, 02:23 PM

i know from friends that linksys isnt always very good reliability wise. But i have never had one my self. We have a dlink wired router which provides the net for some wired macs and one pc and then it also feeds the airport extreme which 1 pc is running off.

12-27-2006, 03:55 PM

Routers are OS independant and will work with any computer.

12-27-2006, 03:59 PM

If you haven't purchased your router yet, and your choices are Dlink or Linksys, I'd recommend Dlink, they are more reliable and have a much greater wireless range, with higher average connect speed.

12-27-2006, 05:09 PM

Originally Posted by punkr0x0r

I have a Linksys WRT54G and have never had any problems with it connecting to my Windows PC, G4 Desktop, G4 Laptop (wireless) and my Linux server. I have to reset it once in a while because I tend to bog it down with high data transfers, but other than that it works great.

Ditto here. I have the same Linksys and works fine with my iMac Intel, and PowerBook G4.

What's with the resetting because it tends to bog down?

12-27-2006, 05:22 PM

As D3v1lB0y said, routers are not dependent on any particular OS. Any apparent incompatibility could be caused by all sorts of things. My Linksys WRT54G (v5) works just fine. The router should be the last place to look.

USB wireless adapters, however, are appalling. Many routers come bundled with a 'free' USB adapter that isn't worth the extra cost. They suffer from problems in the USB hub is overloaded with data or power draw, and the drivers tend to be flakey.

The worst thing is, I know so many people who buy laptops or iMacs or whatever with built in wireless support, but then assume that the router will only work with the bundled USB adapter. They then install the dodgy USB drivers and end up breaking their built in adapter's drivers in the process, ending up with a frantic call to me (or whoever their IT literate relative of choice is) to come fix it.

12-27-2006, 05:43 PM

Linksys get my vote too.

I have a Linksys WAG54G router which works great with my MacBook and also my PCs

12-27-2006, 08:36 PM

Originally Posted by D3v1L80Y

Routers are OS independant and will work with any computer.

what db said...

i've got a WRT54G and a macbook and comcast high speed.

works super well.