Phait Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 This is one of a few things I don't know about computers: networking. I am planning on sharing Yahoo! DSL between a desktop PC and a Mac Powerbook. What will I need? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggus Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 Grab a router that also has a wireless access point (DLink and Microsoft make em)also you will need a wireless PCMCIA card for your laptop. If you want to just share a DSL connection for hardwired machines, get a router (w or w/o wireless access point), and make sure your machines have NIC cards. Most routers come with the necessary software to set up the hardware (mine did, at least). Oh, and once you're up and running--GET A FIREWALL!!! "You can't enjoy yourself unless you're having fun." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dementia13 Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 Most wireless routers will have a firewall built in. There are different kinds of DSL setups, it sounds like you're talking about the kind where the modem won't sync on its own without the PC being on. If that's what you have, and you probably don't get much choice of which kind of modem setup to use, you need to get your DSL out of the PC and into the Mac, and you need software to tell the PC to route the Mac's web surfing. Windows, starting I think with 2000 and ME, has internet connection sharing built in, but I've never tried it with a Mac. (I used to share a connection this way, but the PC was running Linux.) The built-in connection sharing puts all its settings on a floppy, which you then take to the other computers on the network. You can't do that with a Powerbook, so you probably can examine the contents of the floppy and copy those settings to the Mac's network preferences. If this doesn't work, you need to hunt for software. This type of software is called a "proxy server", and there is (was?) a free one from AnalogX. The one I used with Linux was called "Squid", it may be available for Windows but takes some heavy experimentation to get the settings right. Zone Labs' "Zone Alarm" is a good free firewall. I don't know that there are any wireless NICs that give you the ability to transmit from computer to computer without a router. If you're talking about a new laptop, it has the AirPort Extreme card built in. That's faster than the previous version; the extra speed is useful if you do file sharing between the two computers. So, if you could skip the router step, you could just put a wireless NIC on the PC and be done with it. I don't think you can, so you would need a 10/100 NIC (don't spend a lot, maybe a $10 or $20 Netgear model) for the PC which will feed into a router. Apple makes the AirPort Extreme, but there are other options which may be cheaper. The card in the Mac works on the 802.11g protocol, so get something that matches that. (The "g" part gives you that extra speed that the new AirPort cards have). Mac World recently reviewed some wireless access points, their website may have some reviews. Dealmac.com is a roundup of best prices for all manner of products and is updated daily (hourly?), it's a good source for the cheapest prices on things. So is pricewatch.com, you have to be a little careful with those cheapest dealers there, but I've had good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Zeger Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 There are people who know far more than me on this topic. But I have a little experience. I have an AirPort card for my G4 tower to access the 802.11b Wi-Fi network and DSL in my wife's PC based home office. I thought it would be a typical Mac "plug and play" experience. I had to enlist help from a computer tech to get it running, but it works well. (I needed help installing her Wi-Fi network, too.) An original AirPort card will work with any 802.11b base (Linksys is a popular choice). If your Powerbook accepts the AirPort Extreme card, it will work with a faster 802.11g base (it also works with an 802.11b base, but not at the faster transfer rate). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted September 11, 2003 Share Posted September 11, 2003 I use a linksys router and a linksys wireless access point. I have 3 PC laptops, 2 PC desktops, 2 Macs, and 1 powerbook. The PC laptops, one of the G4's, and the powerbook are all running wirelessly. It works fine with Yahoo DSL, and the setup of the router is browser-based, so I can configure it on any of the computers. My router also has a built in firewall. email me when you're ready to go, and I'll send you links and a step-by-step. It took less than 15 minutes to get up and running. Yahoo!DSL is very Mac friendly...you should have no problems. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phait Posted September 12, 2003 Author Share Posted September 12, 2003 Wow, thanks guys. And thanks 09, I'll keep that in mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 BTW, depending on the Powerbook you get, you may already have wireless built in. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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