Airport Stuff

I'm in ignoramus, I freely admit it.

I'm having a hard time understanding Airport, Airport Extreme and the Base Station in terms of what they are, how they're different and why. If I plan to buy a system and know ahead of time that I'll want a cable modem, how do I determine my needs? It seems that Apple's support site assumes that people with questions are already on Macs.

Any advice on where to find very simple explanations?

Gideon said:

I'm in ignoramus, I freely admit it.

I'm having a hard time understanding Airport, Airport Extreme and the Base Station in terms of what they are, how they're different and why. If I plan to buy a system and know ahead of time that I'll want a cable modem, how do I determine my needs? It seems that Apple's support site assumes that people with questions are already on Macs.

Any advice on where to find very simple explanations?

Click to expand...

Airport/Airport Extreme can be broken down into two basic parts. There is the Airport card, which is Apple's version of a wireless networking card. Then there is the Airport base station, which is Apple's version of a wireless network router. The difference between Airport and Airport Extreme is the speed at which data can be transmitted over the wireless network. Airport's maximum is 11Mbps, while Extreme's maximum is 54Mbps. As far as which you'll need, there isn't really an option. Certain Macs are compatible with Airport cards (like my G3 iBook), and others are compitible with Extreme cards. Regarding the base statino, Apple now only offers the Extreme version, which is compatible with both Airport and Extreme cards.

So to summarize, once you buy your Mac, you'll know if you need the Airport or Extreme card. You can then combine that with the Extreme base station, and you'll be all set with your wireless network.

I have a question, if you don't mind me poking in.. I just recently purchased an iBook G3 and was planning on integrating it with my current home network. At the moment, I am just using the ethernet port, and it works like a charm However, it would be nice to be able to surf from the living room, instead of tethered to the Router/Switch in the office. My question is that after I buy an Airport card, do I have to purchase the Apple Base Station, or will any 802.11b access point work? I would like to be able to just add something to my current router/switch setup instead of having to figure a way to replace it all if there is no other route than to buy the Apple Base Station.

Any info appreciated.

You don't need to buy the apple base station. Any old Wireless Router is fine. I currently use the Linksys 802.11b 4 port router/Access Point and it works great. You can get it for like 80 bucks or less

Thanks for all of your input. Regarding the router too. Amen-Moses mentioned in another post that he uses that as well (I just wasn't sure what it was at the time).