Applying AirPort-/Wireless connectivity to older Macs

If you ask yourself how to make older machines able to connect to WiFi-Networks there is a quite simple solution, sparing you to mess with internal cards, usb-adapters and other stuff that costs a lot of money and does not really result in fast connections.
surprisingly, the most simple and most effective way to add wireless connectivity to older macs is to buy an airport express station. Configure it as an extension to an existing network and connect it via ethernet cable to the "old" computer. i costs less than any internal card, you have a much faster connection and you don't need to mess with 3rd party drivers. I tried this on old G4 and G5 Macs and it worked brilliant.
i hope this is helpful to you

This will work with non-Airport capable G3 iMacs too

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Fix for Airport Wireless Connection Problem stating Self-Assigned IP and not wanting to connect in Lion OSX.

Fix for Airport Wireless Connection Problem stating Self-Assigned IP and not wanting to connect in Lion OSX.
Bought my girlfriend the newest Macbook Pro 13" and began experiencing problems with my wifi the moment we got home. Her Macbook would not connect to our home Wi-Fi while my old Macbook Late 2008 running Snow Leopard connected without a problem. Airport would say that it had a Self-Assigned IP address (168.x.x.x). Did not realize it was a Lion problem until after using her Macbook Pro and becoming jealous of the new OSX, I upgraded. Soon after I was unable to go online. Luckily I had my iPad 2 and I began to scoure the net for help. Ran into allot of suggestions but it was not until I tried the following all together was I able to share the good new, from my Macbook. Hope this works:
First go to Preferences > Network and click on the cog next to the + and - on the sidebar and click Set Service Order
     - Move Wi-Fi to the top and click ok.
     - Set location to Automatic
     - Click Apply
     - Click Advanced
     - Click the "-" on the selected Wi-Fi router you wish to connect to
     - Click Apply
     - Click Lock to Prevent Further Changes
Go to your Mac's harddrive, (Macintosh)
     - Go to Library > Preferences > SystemConfiguration >
     - Delete "com.apple.airport.preferences.plist" file
Turn off your computer
     - push and hold Option+Command+R+P
     - turn on computer
     - when the grey screen turns on you will hear the OS X "ON" sound (for lack of a proper term) and it will momentarily restart.
     - you will once again hear the "ON" sound, let go of all keys.
     - this resets your PRAM
Go to Preferences > Network > Advanced > + sign
     - click Choose a Network
     - Select your network and enter password
Viola!!! I tried this on my Macbook Late 2008 and my girlfriends new Macbook Pro 2010

     No you are clearly mistaken. The Self-Assigned IP address problem exists on many Macbook Pro models, including the current model, which I mentioned as being the original computer with the problem. While my 2008 Macbook is older it was working perfectly on Snow Leopard and didn't suffer issues until switching to Lion. So clearly the problem exists on the operating system and not so much the hardware.
     I called Apple Support and they had no fix for the problem and told me that this would hopefully be addressed in a subsequent update. It wasn't until I came accross the answer after trying many different methods that I got both of the Macbooks to connect to my router. Otherwise I wouldn't or could not have been surfing the internet for the last 4 months.
Cheers.

I got a new wireless connection for my mac and cannot figure out how to delete the last connection service I had. Everytime I shut the computer, the network goes back to the other one. I cannot find the file ANYWHERE

got a new wireless connection for my mac and cannot figure out how to delete the last connection service I had. Everytime I shut the computer, the network goes back to the other one. I cannot find the file ANYWHERE

Under Network Preferences, select the WiFi
click on "Advanced..." button
Select the network you want to delete from the list and click on "-"
Click "Ok"
Click "Apply"
Well done ;-)
You may also want to delete the wireless key from Keychain.
Open Keychain, seach for the old wifi network name, slect it and click delete

Can airport extreme connect using a mac mini. the base station is not recognized so i cannot configure it manually

can airport extreme connect using a mac mini. this airport extreme wont connect to internet via my cable modem. I cant set it to bridge mode because it doesnt appear as a base station in airport utitlity...help

First, is your AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBS) a 802.11n, 802.11g, or 802.11b model? Second, what is your primary goal for using this base station? Finally, is the AEBS the only router in your current network configuration?

E3200 - Dropping wireless connection on the Mac

Pros: Gig Eth switch, no front-facing indicator lights, familiar web interface...
Cons: WiFi Protected Setup doesn't belong. Continually drops wireless connections to my Mac Book Pro (but none of my other devices), which worked just fine on the E3000 this unit replaced and works perfectly on other WiFi networks. REALLY SLOW web interface - average time to move from one page to the next is something north of 9 seconds. Again, never a problem with the E3000 that this unit replaced. Price? I wouldn't complain about price if this thing actually worked as expected.
Other Thoughts: I'm hoping it's just a flaky/defective unit and not indicative of the overall quality of newer Linksys products. Firmware isn't the issue - it's running the latest one from Linksys' site.

First of all please verify that you have got a 802.11n card in your computer. New generation routers (i.e. E3200) speaks an entirely different language with 802.11g cards, so while those adapters can work with the E3200, but they are not optimized to provide good performance. It is like having to translate from one language to another in real time when going from N to G.
Well, there are few things you should keep in mind with regards to N routers:
1) For the best possible speeds, you need to be using WPA2-AES as your security mode. Any other security mode will see your speed/range capped.
Any G devices in your wireless network will tend to hamper the performance of your overall network.
Ensure that your router is running the latest firmware from homesupport.cisco.com The new firmware includes performance enhancements and fixes.
The router by default uses a channel setting of auto, which means that it would keep switching channels depending on the interference. I’d recommend you set it to a fixed channel. Usually, 1, 3, 6 and 9 give you the best performance depending on your environment of course. I’d suggest you try different channels, observing each for a while, to see which gives you the best performance. You can follow the link here on how to change channels.

Airport wireless deleted accidentally from mac

airport wireless deleted accidentally from mac, I try + to add WiFi in network settings but system can't allow WiFi in network in left side of network.

I read articles and watch videos on YouTube related to the issue in matter, they actually + add in network to allow WiFi but in my case after using + sign in there is no WiFi settings in either left or right side of network settings....

Mac mini and existing Airport wireless connections

Hi.
If i purchase the new mac mini duo processor...I can supposedly hook it up to my old iMac and run Tiger on it...correct?
I am using Airport extreme to connect wirelessly to the iMac, the iBook and my Powerbook. Which Airport would I use then for the iBook and Powerbook?
I also have a PC that I tried to hook up to the Airport using a special app but that did not work. Now, if I hooked it to mac mini, I could then connect wirelessly using the mini's Airport?
Is anyone else totally overwhelmed by how fast technology advances? Most of these discussions...I have no idea what you are talking about.
If the mini is easy, sure to work, will update my system to Tiger, will still run some of my old iWork, iTunes, iPhoto, iLife, iDVD, Photoshop applications...then I will be happy.
But it won't update all of them to Tiger? will it?
I think I need a Mac iPsychotherapist.
PowerBookG4, iMac, iBook, Blue & White G3 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

To upgrade your old iMac to Tiger, you will need to buy a retail copy of Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger). You cannot use the Mac OS X install disk that comes with your new Mac mini to update another computer.
If you want, you can move your iWork files, iTunes music, iPhoto pictures and other files & projects to your new Mac mini. The Mac mini will come with iLife '06, the current version, but you should be able to import all your files. The Mac mini comes with a 30-day trial version of iWork '06, you may need to buy a new, full copy to keep using iWork on your new Mac mini.
To answer your AirPort questions, let me first make sure I understand your set-up. You have an older iMac that is connected to the Internet with wires. Your iMac has an AirPort card inside and you're using that AirPort card to "share" your iMac's Internet connection with the other computers? Or do you have an AirPort Extreme Base Station and all three of your current computes are connected wirelessly?
If you have an AirPort Extreme Base Station, there's no reason you couldn't connect your new Mac mini to that network. There's also no reason you shouldn't be able to connect your Windows PC to that network.
-Doug

Do I need airport to connect my new Mac Book Pro to a wireless printer?

Do I need Airport to connect a wireless printer to my new Mac Book Pro?

No and you don't have to use the wireless card in your MBP either.
A wireless printer connects to your wireless router. Any other device (computer) that is connected to the router either by wire or wireless will be able to use the printer.

Creating a wireless connection on a Mac Pro with no airport card.

Hello
Forgive me if this has already been discussed but I am looking at all options to add wireless function to a mac pro with OS10.4 that does not currently have an airport card installed. My options so far are to either purchase a airport card, purchase a USB wireless dongle i.e.: D-Link DWA-140 (for which I am having trouble finding something that is compatible) or possibly using a airport express. The objective is to use it for presentations for lectures as I am using keynote and would very much like to use the keynote remote from my iPod touch (later with a iPad) so I can control my presentation wirelessly.
My question is this, will I be able to use an airport express, connect it via ethernet to the mac pro and create the wireless connection with my iPod touch? Will I require a wireless router? Or can anyone suggest an easy way to wireless control a keynote presentation with a non wireless mac.
Thank you so much.
Dave

This is not an exact answer to your question, but we had cable installed today (Virgin Media, UK) and the router is too far for my MacPro tower to connect. The engineer gave me a wireless dongle (the D-Link DWA-140) and said it would do the trick. After a few hours of searching online, I cannot make the dongle connect to the router, so I would recommend that you avoid this option for a MacPro. It may be possible to connect it but I'm certainly not finding it straightforward.

AirPort Time Capsule and older Mac?

I got an Airport Time Capsule as a gift. It will not connect with my older MAC with an operating sytem of 10.5.8. Is it the operating sytem or is it the TW cable high speed connect that needs adjusting or is this even a possibility to ever run? Need to know for possible return of equipment.

You need to use the airport utility v6 which requires at least Lion OS.
Or you can use the airport utility in latest iOS.
What modem is your TW cable using? Is it a full router with wireless?
I also tried to connect through my iphone, which has the latest software update and it wiped out the wi-fi on the phone.
When you try and setup the TC it will need to change to the wireless on the TC..
You need to have an ethernet cable from the TW modem to the WAN port of the TC.
And you then put the TC into bridge mode.. of late Apple seem to be trying to force the TC to take over as the main router which can be problem.

How do I wireless on my older mac mini

I recently purchased an older Mac Mini and it does not have wireless, is there anything I can buy to make it wifi compatible? I can use ethernet to connect to my internet service, I want to be able to use wireless keyboard and mouse.

There are USB Bluetooth adapters, but I wouldn't count on any of them to work reliably.

Wireless connection between two macs.

I have a Intel iMac downstairs and a G4 power pc iMac upstairs. The downstairs iMac has an internet connection, upstairs does not. What do i need to have a wireless connection between the two and how do i go about connecting the two computers?

Hi widge-
What you need will depend on which Macs are already wireless and which you will have to add.
There is a lot more information available here: AirPort + Time Capsule
Luck-
-DP

Photosmart 3210 wireless connection problems to Mac OS 10.7.5 on MacBookPro via Asus RT-N56 router

My 3210 is connected via ethernet to an ASUS RT-N56 router (new last year). My macbook pro connects via wireless. Also connected via ethernet are two windows PC's. Other family laptops connect via wireless.
All machines can ping the printer successfully, the network sees the printer OK
Everything was working OK for several years (with another laptop before I got the Macbook over 2 years ago) until recently, I think when the Mac OS upgraded to 10.7.5.
Now I have problems printing from the MacBook. When I first power up the macbook & the printer, usually all is OK for a short while, it prints OK. But then I get error message "the printer is not connected". At the same time as this message is showing on the Macbook, I can ping the printer OK from all machines, including the Macbook and print OK from either PC, but as far as the Macbook is concerned the printer is not connected.
Sometimes after a considerable delay, the printer seems to re-connect to the Mac for no apparent reason. Normally the only way I can restore printing is to delete the print queue, then power down the printer, and the router, wait 5 mins and re-start everything. It generally works for a few print jobs before the problem reappears.
I have tried deleting and reinstalling the printer. I've replaced the cable between the printer and the router.

I would recommend that you download the driver through Apple Software Update.
Before we do that, we want to uninstall any incompatible software you may have installed on your computer by running the HP Uninstaller located under Applications > HP or the Hewlett-Packard folder.
After you do that, we will want to download the drivers. The drivers for your product are available through Apple Software Update.
Before you do anything, temporarily unplug the printer's USB cord from either the printer or the computer. Next, check for any available HP Update's by clicking the Apple icon and then Software Update.
If no updates could be retrieved, download the full HP Printer Drivers v.2.14 from Apple:
http://support.apple.com/downloads/DL907/en_US/HPPrinterDrivers2.14.dmg
Once you have completed the installation you will want to plug your printer back in. After the printer is plugged back in, go into your print settings under System Preferences > Print & Scan. To add the printer, click the plus sign. You should see your printer listed here. Select it. If underneath the printer you see "Use:”. Make sure that says the name of your printer and not AirPrint. Click Add down in the bottom right hand corner.
Best of luck,
Kyle
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Good wireless cards for older Mac Pros

I have a Mac Pro Dual-Core Intel Xeon 2.66 GHz at work that we are trying to get online wirelessly. A couple of months ago, we bought a Hawking Hi-Gain Wireless-N USB Adaptor, which was working fine until a recent update was performed. Since then, the computer crashes almost immediately if the wireless adaptor is plugged in, but runs fine when it is taken out. I am curious if anyone else has run into a similar problem when using a wireless adaptor. I also wanted to know if anyone had a recommendation for a different, reliable wireless card for an older Mac Pro.
Thanks in advance.

I have almost the exact same situation.
Same system, a d-link wua 1340 usb wireless adaptor.
Worked fine for several weeks or so until i updated to snow leopard.
Now frequent system crashes, grey screen and the box that tells me to use the power button to shut down.
I tried going back to 10.5 and still the same problem.

Slow wired and wireless connections on new Mac Pro

I have a new 6-core Mac Pro with 64GB RAM that I seem to be having major network issues with. When I restart or first switch the machine on it's fine but after a few minutes the network (web browsing) become painfully slow - when I run a speed test it come out at ~2Mbit/s. This is the same whether I connect on a wired or wireless connection. I've tried various connections including a complete bypass of my time capsule to a direct wall connection that should be giving 100Mbit/s. When i run a speed test on my iPhone connected to the time capsule via 5GHz I comfortably get >60MBit/s.
Is there a bug in the latest OS 10.9.4 my MBAir also seems to require a lot of restarting to keep up even basic web browsing???

Your Macs are always looking for a better connection. To that end, they are evaluating every possible way to get to the Internet.
It is very important that you limit those choices to only the ones you actually want to connect to, and indicate that the other are "off the list", literally.
For example, to test your wired network connection, Ethernet must be at the top of the list AND WiFI must be OFF. (Otherwise, your Mac will be checking WiFi to see if it seems to be getting a better connection over WiFi. In the screenshot below, Ethernet is at the top of the list, so it is likely to be used, but since WiFi is still ON, it may be used instead.
To check YOUR WiFi connection (and not your neighbors' connections), you need to BOTH check that the "ask to Join new Networks" box is checked:
and that the Networks you wish to join are shown in the order you wish to join them. All extraneous networks should be removed from this list:

Applying AirPort-/Wireless connectivity to older Macs

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