Increasing wireless range by upgrading airport card?

I have had my powerbook G4 1.5 GHz for a little over 3 years and its been great for me except for its wireless range is somewhat lacking. When i have little or very limited connectivity people next to me with the new mac books have full reception. Now i know that their computers have new hardware and possibly better antennas but i was wondering if there was any way to increase the range of my powerbook by upgrading some of the internal hardware. I have seen other posts and people have shown products that are external but i feel that would be a last resort since they have a better chance of being broken. Is there any way to increase the reception by installing a new airport card or better antenna?

Hi, El M. Since the day it was new, my son's Aluminum Powerbook with Airport Extreme card has had less than 1/3 the range of my Titanium Powerbook with original Airport card — and the Tibook's range isn't great. If you really want better range, a third-party CardBus wireless adapter is the way to go. Some can use optional auxiliary antennas to extend their range even more, but the card alone will give you a dramatic improvement.

Similar Messages

MacBook wireless issue (ongoing) & DIY airport card replacement

Hello,
With reference to the ongoing MacBook/OSX (10.5.3) Leopard intermittent wireless issues discussed in this forum has anybody gone ahead and taken matters into their own hands and purchased and installed a new Airport card for their MacBook from www.ifixit.com?
Further details at: http://www.ifixit.com/MacBook-Parts/MacBook-Core-2-Duo-Santa-Rosa-Penryn-802-11n -Airport-Extreme-Card/IF186-062
If so, did it resolve your intermittent Airport issues?
It seems to me that when the MacBook is running on battery power only the Airport card does not realise that the MacBook has come out of sleep sometimes and therefore does not always function correctly. Maybe the Airport card does not receive sufficient power when the MacBook comes out of sleep mode whilst running on batteries only?
Typically when I run the MacBook connected to power the intermittent wireless problem does not occur.
This issue has been a recurring problem for me for 6 months now and unfortunately I have not seen Apple address this issue.
My MacBook is 6-months old and is a black MacBook using a 2.2GHz processor running Leopard OSX 10.5.3.
Cheers,
treaders

Visit Apple Store and replaced the Airport card.

Can I increase the range of an AirPort Extreme by a router other than AirPort Express?

Im using an AirPort Extreme as my primary wireless router extended by an AirPort Express at home. We are primarily using macs at home and I'm overall satisfied with the quality of the product. However a lot of online reviews (including pcmag and cNet don't list the extreme or the express) amongst the list of top 10 wireless routers. The ones listed are much cheaper and has received very positive user reviews as well. However I need to setup a new network at my new office and I have some questions regarding setting up a wifi network in regard to AirPort Extreme:
1) Can I extend the wireless network setup via AirPort Extreme Base Station by another wireless router other than Airport Express?
2) I've heard of many cheaper alternatives (Cisco and NetGear being chief) to AirPort Extreme. I've also heard that the network set up by the AE is not as compatible with a windows based environment (which could be an issue as I'm going for an IBM server). In that case which would be the best wireless router for me?
3) Any other specific reason for which I should prefer AE over any other wireless modem?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

1) Can I extend the wireless network setup via AirPort Extreme Base Station by another wireless router other than Airport Express?
Apple appears to have designed their "extend a wireless network" feature using proprietary software, so it would be extremely unlikely that a router from another manufacturer would work with the AirPort Extreme....if you are trying to extend wirelessly.
In that case which would be the best wireless router for me?
That depends on your requirements, and whether you are going strictly for specifications rather than features, or even ease of installation and use. In any case, I can't answer that question.
If you subscribe to industry publications with test reports on products, there always seems to be a new "best" product, so expect that whatever you buy will be superceded by another "best" product within a month.
As far as use with a PC, I've had no issues using several PCs with Apple routers.
3) Any other specific reason for which I should prefer AE over any other wireless modem?
Apple routers are for mom and pop at home. While the product would provide basic functionality in an office, the product was not designed, nor does it have the type of features that most businesses would require.
For example, if I were using a business router, I would expect it use a high grade firewall for security purposes, and for the router to provide reports that track Internet use for each computer, along with a record of what Internet sites were being visited by each employee. Apple routers won't do that.

WRT54GS2 as second router to increase wireless range

All-
I have a primary Linksys router, WRT110 that works great. I am trying to set up a WRT54GS2 as a downstairs wireless to increase range. I have a CAT5 running from the WRT110 to the WRT54GS2 and is connected from LAN to LAN and have them configured as follows:
Primary WRT110:
I.P: 192.168.1.1
Subnet 255.255.255.0
Start I.P: 10 to 50
DHCP enabled
Wireless mode : mixed
Band: Auto 20/40mz
WPA2 security
=================
WRT54GS2is configured as follows:
I.P: 192.168.1.2
Subnet 255.255.255.0
DHCP Disabled
Advanced Routing / NAT:Enabled
Wireless network = Mixed
Channel = 6 = 2.437mz
============
On both routers I have the same SSID and same security key.
On the Status page of the WRT54GS2 I have the following:
Login Type: DHCP
I.P and Subnet Mask are blank.
Any ideas where I erred? I've read quite a few posts relating to this and can't seem to find the problem.
Thanks!

Is the SSID broadcast enabled on both?
Is the device "within 15 feet" connected to the first router or second router? What happens if you switch off the wireless on that computer and then switch it on again?
What happens if you disable the wireless on the first router completely? (Wireless network mode to Off). Can you see the signal of the second router?
You could also use a network sniffer like Netstumbler http://www.netstumbler.com/downloads/ to scan for networks. It should show you the signals of both access points.
What are your full and exact Wireless and Wireless Security settings on both routers?

Time Capsule Wireless Range Extended with AirPort Express

I recently was able to (finally) get my Time Capsule working with my previous 2WIRE modem/router (DSL through ATT). This took hours, but it was worth it! Time Capsule is now my primary router with it "bridged" with the 2WIRE device which is now only a modem. Back up is working fine with our three Apple laptops. However, the wireless signal is weaker than when it was set up with the 2WIRE alone. Our signal strength upstairs was weak making internet connection VERY slow and frustrating. I got an AirPort Express to see if I could use it to boost/extend the wireless signal from the Time Capsule unit. Set up was simple, and it is working great! I have it plugged into a wall outlet between the Time Capsule and the stairs leading upstairs. The wireless signal is now "full" everywhere in the house!

Wired Ethernet from the TC to the AirPort Extreme will result in much better performance. It sounds as if you are not configuring the AirPort Extreme correctly.
Please try the following steps carefully:
Unplug the Ethernet cable from the AirPort Exteme if it is not already unplugged. With the AirPort Extreme powered on, hold in the reset button on the Extreme for 10 seconds and release. Allow a full minute for the Extreme to restart
Connect the Ethernet cable to the WAN "O" port on the Extreme.
Click the AirPort icon at the top of the Mac's screen and wait a few seconds for a listing of New AirPort Base Station to appear. Just below that, click on AirPort Extreme.
The example below displays an AirPort Express. You will see AirPort Extreme.
AirPort Setup will open up automatically and take a minute to analyze the network, then announce that the Extreme will be configured to extend the Time Capsule network.
Enter a device name that you want to use for the Exterme and click Next
Wait a minute while AirPort Setup configures everything for you. When you see the message of Setup Complete, click Done.
That's it. Pretty simple. Things should be working fine now.

Instructions needed for setting up Linksys WRE54G (wireless range entender)

Hello all,
I've got an SMC Barricade Wireless Broadband Router (SMC7004AWBR, 802.11b, 11Mbps, WEP 128-bit encryption) with a range that I need to extend.
I've purchased the Linksys WRE54G which is supposedly compatible with any 802.11b or 802.11g wireless device as well as compatible with Macs.
Of course I can't use the "Set up Wizard" provided with the WRE54G since that only works on PCs. However, the WRE54G is supposed to be able to "use the Web-based Utility to configure the Range Expander, then connect the Range Expander to your network. Open the web browser of a networked computer, and enter the Range Expander’s IP address, 192.168.1.240"
I tried this, i.e. typing in 192.168.1.240 into Safari with the following combinations:
my Mac's Airport card "linked" with the WRE54G;
my Mac connected via ether net cable to WRE54G;
my Mac's Airport card connected to the SMC Barricade which was supposedly linked to the WRE54G wirelessly;
my Mac's Airport card connected to the SMC Barricade which was connected t0 the WRE54G via an ether net cable;
my Mac connected to the SMC Barricade with an Ethernet cable which was connected to the WRE54G via an ether net cable;
all of these combinations had no luck (Safari just spun) and I could never load a page to configure the WRE54G.
I've seen that other people in these discussion groups have used the WRE54G with success. Could one of those people please give me some hints or instructions on how to get things working?
Many thanks in advance.
Jim

While I was unable to get my Lynksys WRE54G router to function (I’ll explain why in a minute), I did learn some things that may be of benefit to others trying to get this little beast to work.
Most importantly, your base station (whatever the brand) must have “Wireless Distribution System” or “WDS” capabilities, and that functionality must be turned “on” before attempting to auto synch the WRE54G. For Macintosh, there will be a tab on the AirPort Admin Utility (after launching the application, click on your base station, then click “Configure”).
Surprisingly, it appears that many base stations do not have WDS capabilities. AirPort “Graphite” and “Snow” do not; AirPort Extreme and Express do. (Of course, my AirPort is a Graphite, so I was SOL).
However, this experience did point something out to me: Mac people (like me for 21 years now) are used to simply plugging something in and having it work. We don’t understand what’s “behind the curtain” and, when we have to work with that “stuff”, at least I get lost very, very quickly.
A couple of years ago I spent many frustrating hours getting a Lynksys access point to work with an early iMac (it would not accept an AirPort card and thus I had no other choice for wireless networking). Now the WRE54G. I am done with non-Apple gear like this -- it’s just not worth the frustration to save a few dollars.
TiBook 1ghz Mac OS X (10.4.7) proud Mac user for 21 years
TiBook 1ghz Mac OS X (10.2.x)

871w wireless range

have a 871w in small business aplication. What is the best way to increase wireless range for laptops used with-in the office?

thanks for getting back to me. The offices are in a converted barn around a court yard, 25m square, so the area is quite obstructive. There is also a further workshop where I use my laptop whilst working on the bikes (I'm a motogp chassis consultant). Across the courtyard opposite the main office is signal is ok'ish, but can drop off at times. Keeping blinds etc open helps, but in our current winter isn't always an option! So, was just after something that would increase the strength of the current signal. I've seen the optional antennae for the rear of the unit, or the remote antennae to put around the offices, but don't want to waste time & money on getting something which isn't going to help.
Regards,
Mark

LEOPARD LOST AIRPORT CARD

Hi All, I am at my wits end with Leopard and my airport connection to airport extreme. All worked perfect under 10.4 but now disastrous. Apple technician cannot understand it and I await their call.
Wireless Card Type: AirPort Extreme (0x14E4, 0x4318)
Wireless Card Locale: Unknown
Wireless Card Firmware Version: Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (4.170.25.10)
Current Wireless Network: wireless network not available
AirPort Card Information:
Wireless Card Type: AirPort Extreme
Wireless Card Locale: Worldwide
Wireless Card Firmware Version: 405.1 (3.90.34.0.p18)
Current Wireless Network: Mick's Network
Wireless Channel: 6
Leopard setting at the top, 10.4 at the bottom, cannot get my head around it.
Any ideas much appreciated, Mick.

There are cases where Leopard acts as if you no longer have Airport hardware in your computer, but I've not heard of a report like this where it simply misinterprets the Airport hardware.
For the cases where System Profiler says "No information available" when you click on the Airport Card line, there are two solutions:
1) Apple has a Knowledge Base article that says this can be fixed by booting the computer once in "safe mode" and then immediately rebooting normally. To boot in "safe mode" hold down the "shift" key while booting. Be patient, it takes a while. Eventually the log in window will appear with a notation that you are booted in safe mode. Log in as your Admin account and immediately Restart the machine -- which will cause it to boot up normally. Apparently safe mode booting does some maintenance stuff in the background that can fix this problem.
2) Before Apple put out that notice, it was discovered on the forum that this problem could also be fixed by removing an outdated kernel extension file that shouldn't have been there. Go to your hard drive / System / Library / Extensions. Look for the file AppleAirPort2.kext. If you find it, move it to the Desktop (this will likely require and Admin password). Do not fiddle with any other files -- in particular leave the similarly named AppleAirPort.kext alone if you find it in there. Now reboot.
And as always with system configuration problems, it is a good idea to try resetting the Parameter memory (PRAM) where the system stashes copies of certain settings for fast access. To do that, shut down the computer. Locate the Apple-Option-P-R keys. Hold down all 4 of those keys continuously while pressing and releasing the Power button. Keep those 4 keys pressed down. You will hear a startup chime and then, about 10 seconds later, another startup chime. You may now release those 4 keys. The computer will continue to boot up normally.
--Bob

Configure internal airport card

I've been using my powerbook with a Verizon Westell wireless network for a while now...and I was very pleased at how painless it was to set up
That said, I recently bought a Cube but it has no Airport card ;-(
So I dragged out an Airport Express that's been gathering dust (bought while I was road-warrioring) and have been playing around.
Sadly, it seems I can't set up a WDS with the Westell wireless DSL modem and get my cube connected that way...too bad. (Though http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=36&threadid=1513386&frmKeywor d=&STARTPAGE=1&FTVAR_FORUMVIEWTMP=Linear%20 has an interesting discussion of wireless bridging that seems to indicate bridging that isn't WDS can be accomplished)
But, after all that, here is my question... While the Airport Admin program does a good job of setting parameters for BASE stations, there seems to be no equivalent way to fiddle around with settings of the powerbook's internal Airport card....other than the Unix command line Airport configuration commands, which don't have a simple format, and don't have specific commands to set up a software base station, much less a software WDS base station that would let me at least link my laptop to the cube with the AX, never mind pass through internet access from the westell DSL router. Anyone here that can point me further down the road, besides "get a WDS compatible wireless router or an airport card for the Cube?" Thanks

You could use OS X's Internet Sharing feature to share the wireless Internet connection of your PowerBook, via Ethernet, to the Cube.
The network configuration would be something like the following:
Westell router > (wireless) > PowerBook [Ethernet port] > (Ethernet cable) > [Ethernet port] Cube
The basic set up would be...
Enable Software Firewall - PowerBook
System Preferences > Sharing > Firewall
- Click Stop to start the software firewall
Setup Port Order - PowerBook
System Preferences > Network > Show > Network Port Configurations
- Verify that "AirPort" and "Built-In Ethernet" are enabled.
- Verify that "AirPort" is at the top of the list, followed by "Built-In Ethernet."
- Click "Apply Now."
Configure the Internet Connection - PowerBook
System Preferences > Network > Show > AirPort > TCP/IP
- Configure IPv4: Using DHCP
- Configure IPv6: Automatically or Off
Enable Internet Sharing - PowerBook
System Preferences > Sharing > Internet
- Share your connection from: AirPort
- To computers using: Built-In Ethernet (checked) (Note: Uncheck all other entries in the list.)
- Click Start

AirPort Card: Networking & AppleShare Access?

What I have:
5 computers all connected via Ethernet that are accessible to one another via AppleShare. One is a G4 Titanium PowerBook with an AirPort Card installed, but not yet in use. All need to and still do run OS9, yet OSX capable and loaded. Stuck in OS9 for matters I will get into another day.
What I did:
Just bought a wireless router, configured it via an ethernet connected computer. Set up wireless settings with minimum security settings.
What happened:
Was unable to access internet via AirPort card until I changed security to None. Ok, now able to access internet, but when I open AppleShare in the Chooser control panel none of the other computers appear. Thus I am unable to access my database and unable to utilize wireless set-up for intended use.
Is it possible to do what I what to do, not just access the internet but actually run a wireless router using my AirPort Card and be able to network with the other computers?
Thanks,
Marcantonio
PowerBook G4 Titanium Mac OS 9.2.x also have OSX, maintain office of 5 computer network
PowerBook G4 Titanium Mac OS 9.2.x also have OSX, maintain office of 5 computer network

Yes more than one device can use the 'Airport Software Basestation' that you are running.
I am not sure what the actual limit is though, having never reached it, I have used three devices at the same time with no issues with my old iMac G4.
Ian

Airport Card no longer has acceptable range

Ever since the early days of OS 10.4, my airport card range became incapable of connecting more than about 6 feet whereas previously it was able to make a reliable connection 40 feet away through several interior walls. My router is a D-Link DI-624. The problem also exists with another router at a different location, thus I have concluded that it is my wireless card that is the problem and not the router.
Does this sound like a hardware problem or a software problem?
Is there a diagnostic procedure that I could use to determine the cause of the problem and how to fix it?
G4 1.25 PowerBook running OS 10.5.5,
Wireless Card Type: AirPort Extreme (0x14E4, 0x4E),
Firmware Version: Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0 (4.170.25.8)

The only real way to test is to swap out the card with a known good one. If everything is fine with the known good card then you know that the original card isn't working well.
I would speculate that it is more likely to be an antenna problem rather than a card problem. Either the antenna connection to the card has come loose or the antenna wire through the hinges has become damaged.

I bought the Airport Extreme because I thought it would increase the range of the WiFi signal in my house. I have a DSL modem (also Wifi) and there are parts of the house that do not seem to have a strong Wifi signal.

I bought the Airport Extreme because I thought it would increase the range of the WiFi signal in my house. I have a DSL modem (also Wifi) and there are parts of the house that do not seem to have a strong Wifi signal. The Airport Extreme does not seem to be increasing my Wifi signal strength? Any thoughts on what I could be doing wrong? I am able to connect to it, etc. Just thought the strength would be better.

The broadcast power of all wireless routers and devices is limited by law.....and all manufacturers run their routers full blast.....so the relative signal strength of wireless routers from one manufacturer to another will tend to be remarkably similar.....despite the fancy advertising claims.
You may want to consider adding another AirPort Extreme to "extend" the signal strength in your home. If you decide to do this, the "extending" Extreme would normally need to be located at a point that is approximately half the distance from your "main" AirPort Extreme and the general area that needs more wireless coverage.

HELP!! AirPort card not detecting any wireless networks?!?

hi, i just had an AirPort extreme card installed in my PowerBook G4, and so far, everywhere i try to access wireless, all it says is "no AirPort networks in range."
I have AirPort turned on, and AirPort and "automatic" and "DHCP"selected in Network preferences, and i have the little icon with the gray bars in the top menu bar, but the lines are always gray, even when everyone around me is getting wireless just fine.
I don't know if this matters, but i don't have a base station or anything at home - i only got wireless to use at cafes, etc, or on university campus where they have wireless. at home i just have a free dialup service, so i use a modem.
Also, i'm really confused reading these posts - everyone's talking about "naming" networks, and passwords, and IP addresses, but the apple guy said that once the card is in and AirPort is on, it should just "pick up" whatever network is available. is that true?
if it's working, does the "name" of the random, supposedly "open" and available network in the cafe/hotel/school building just magically "appear" on the menu? Or do i have to do something or configure something each time to set it up? i just really don't understand and no one seems to be able to help. and i just spent a lot of money on this card. can anyone please help???!!?!?
I even opened it up again and checked to make sure the little cable was clicked firmly into the card, and it sure looked like it was.
thanks!!!!

Double check that the antenna cable is FULLY seated into its socket on the Airport card - doing this properly takes a fair bit of force.
If your Mac's Airport interface is working properly, indeed all you need to do is click on the Airport menu item. A list of all in-range wireless networks will be shown, and you can simply click (to connect) on the name of the network you wish to join. Just like magic!

IMac 10.4 w/ Airport Card loses wireless connection

I just upgraded an iMac w/ Airport card to 10.4.6. Was running 9.2.2 w/ Airport card and it worked fine on home wireless network. Now, the signal stays on for 5 seconds, goes off for 1 second, and then comes back. iMac is in same location as before. 2Wire, the wireless modem maker, says I need to update Airport card driver? Can anyone please help?
iMac Mac OS X (10.4.6)

brawleymorgan, Welcome to the discussion area!
Not to worry. If you have applied all of the AirPort updates via Software Update, your AirPort card has all the updates that are available.

Airport Express to extend wireless range?

Just received an Airport Express for Christmas and wanted to use it to extend my wireless range. I have an Asante FR1004AL wireless router connected via ethernet to DSL modem and a Titanium Powerbook using OS 10.3.9 and an original Airport card. I am interested in finding out how to make the AX extend the wireless connection, when I plug it n all I get is a flashing amber light and can't access the Asante via Airport Assistant to make any adjustments. I am wondering if anyone can tell me if the AX will recognize the Asante router since I can't make it work. If the Asante is compatible, I guess I need some instructions about how to get the AX to work with this setup. I have no experience with wireless setups, very much a novice in this area.

The only way you can extend the wireless range is to run an Ethernet cable to the Airport Express and set what's called "active roaming" (see Apple's Knowledge Base; search for "active roaming").
In order to extend the range strictly wirelessly, you need a base station that supports the flavor of Wireless Distribution System (WDS) that Apple uses in their base stations. As far as I know, only Apple Airport Extreme/Express base stations, LinkSys WRT54G, certain Buffalo Technology models, and one Belkin model support a compatible WDS protocol.

Increasing wireless range by upgrading airport card?

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