Please help me make my mac pro wireless!!!

So after a few weeks of trying I haven't been able to get my mac pro connected to the wireless network at the house.

After speaking with apple who confirmed I cant just stick a airport extreme card in and away I go, they said I need to send my computer away to a specialist to have something done... costing in the region of £100-200 ($200-400)

I did a bit of searching and found an article (see below) where a guy used a D-link DWA-140 USB network adaptor. Unfortunately, I have had no luck with that either.

macosxhints.com - Add AirPort Extreme suport via a wireless USB adapter

So I am rather stuck, as I dont really know how the airport works on the mac I am un sure what steps to take next. The only option I have is to either send it away and spend heaps of money on it. Or just run a silly long cable from the front room up the to office so I can connect.

Please tell me there is another way!!

Thanks

Joe

You might want to shoot totallybonkers a PM. He has some experience with getting Belkin USB 802.11n-based adapters working with Macs. That might be a viable workaround for you.

Thanks CWA, ill drop him a line.

Another idea - a company called QuikerTek makes several Mac-specific wireless adapters that will work in either Desktop or Notebook models. Check these out.

Not sure if they ship to the UK though but thanks for the heads up. I have found a few that claim they are mac compatible, but as I am un sure how airport works and what i need to do, I am not sure if they will work:

Macsense AeroLite 54G USB Wireless Client Adapter for Mac OS 10.3/10.4/10.5+: Electronics & Photo: Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.co.uk: Safecom 802.11g Wireless G USB Network Adapter,Compatible with Win98 / 2000 / XP / Vista / MAC / Linux, includes easy setup: Electronics & Photo

joe.morgan said:

Thanks CWA, ill drop him a line.

Click to expand...

Don't waste your time with Belkin routers. They are crappy and they're not compatible with MBP's unless you don't care about srufing the net without security.

Try the Lynksis N or DLink routers.

MACadocious said:

Don't waste your time with Belkin routers. They are crappy and they're not compatible with MBP's unless you don't care about srufing the net without security.

Try the Lynksis N or DLink routers.

Click to expand...

We're not talking about a router, we're talking about a network adapter. And before you make an assertion, do provide something to back it up. Although I'm no fan of Belkin's routers, your claim that "they're not compatible with MBP's unless you don't care about srufing the net without security" [sic] is patently incorrect and demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of 802.11x technology.

joe.morgan said:

Not sure if they ship to the UK though but thanks for the heads up. I have found a few that claim they are mac compatible, but as I am un sure how airport works and what i need to do, I am not sure if they will work:

Macsense AeroLite 54G USB Wireless Client Adapter for Mac OS 10.3/10.4/10.5+: Electronics & Photo: Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.co.uk: Safecom 802.11g Wireless G USB Network Adapter,Compatible with Win98 / 2000 / XP / Vista / MAC / Linux, includes easy setup: Electronics & Photo

Click to expand...

Most wireless adapters use Broadcom or Atheros chipsets, as long as they claim 802.11x compatibility and provide Mac-friendly drivers, they should be fine.

if the airport card was optional, that makes it sound to me like you could possibly put one in yourself. i would investigate that. another option would be to get a router and set it up as a bridge and then wire your MacPro to it.

How about getting an Airport Express for the office and wire the MacPro to that? Will that not work?

There is this also. Install an Airport Extreme card yourself.

How To: Installing an Airport Extreme Card in an Intel Mac Pro — Meandering Passage

There are other tutorials. I will post them if I find them.

Places to order the AE card for the Mac Pro.
Apple Airport Wireless Card for Mac Pro - Network adapter - 802.11b,…
PROVANTAGE: Apple MB363Z/A Airport Wireless Card for Macintosh Pro

when I first looked into going wireless I was going to buy the airport extreme card and install it myself using the first link travis provided. However I saw a post on the apple website from a customer claiming it doesn't work on his mac pro. So i called apple and they told me its not compatible with my mac pro and that I will have to take it to a specialist to have something done.

Roger - Would that work? If i purchase the AirPort Express Base Station can I just plug that into the wall then hard wire my mac pro to the station? Or like fearless mentioned, get another wireless router, bridge the connection and hard wire my mac pro to the 2nd router?

I apologise now for my lack of knowledge when it comes to networking, especially with macs

after looking at the FAQ's and Manual for the Airport Express, you can not use it as a bridge for data. Look for somthing like THIS!!!

I know of someone who installed the card and it worked great. I wish I could remember who it was. It's not the standard Airport Express card but the one for the Mac Pro in the URL's at the bottom of my post.

Whatever happens, good luck.

joe.morgan said:

Roger - Would that work? If i purchase the AirPort Express Base Station can I just plug that into the wall then hard wire my mac pro to the station? Or like fearless mentioned, get another wireless router, bridge the connection and hard wire my mac pro to the 2nd router?

Click to expand...

Not sure since I have never used it mysef, but sinnce it can bee used for extending a wireless network and it has has an ethernet port it should be possible. Hopefully someone with more experience with this than me can confirm if it will work....

EDIT: Seems as if fearless is the one with the exeperience saying that it does not work

I think I might try a usb network adaptor that claims they are compatible with mac.

I went to my local apple store today but they weren't much help - they just said try and find a usb stick that is compatible

the safecom usb adaptor arrived today and I am finally up and running. Its very temperamental, I had to disconnect and plug back in the usb adaptor twice to write this message but at least I am getting somewhere!!

Unfortunately, I spoke too soon.

For some reason whenever iDisk tries to sink, it kills my internet connection and I have to restart the machine and setup the wireless connection again. The internet will work fine, then idisk tries to sync and it stops again.

Any suggestions?

*EDIT* - Its actually whenever I go to download anything or put any form of strain on the connection that it goes down. I can view basic webpages but thats it??

Have you checked the documentation to see if they have a support website? Perhaps see if they have a newer driver?

ive sent their support team an email and tried the latest driver, so will hopefully get an answer from them