Making older iMac wireless

I am wondering if anyone out there has any suggestions for the simplest/cheapest way to make an older imac (without internal wireless card) wireless. What I am looking for is some kind of an access point that plugs into the imac via USB, firewire or ethernet, so that the iMac can then connect to my wireless network and receive an IP and connect to the internet. Keep in mind this is an early iMac (second or third generation: candy color iMac: USB 1.0).
I am fairly competent at setting up networks. Am currently using a Linksys WRT54G router.

Maybe something like this?

Similar Messages

Can I make an older iMac go wireless?

I recently was given an older iMac for my 6 yr. old daughter. It does have OSX. However, I am not very apple savy & and I was told that they do not sell the airport for the older models @ the apple store. Our house is wireless. Does anyone have any suggestions? It's a great little computer, but very limited without being able to connect to the internet.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Nikki
Older iMac Mac OS X (10.0.x)

Apple discontinued the older AirPort cards a while ago, so they won't be easy to find. You might find one through eBay, but they tend to go at a premium since they are still in demand.
Another option would be to get an external Ethernet wireless access point such as the one from D-Link. Those don't need drivers (unlike USB wireless adapters) so most any one would work as long as it's standard (802.11 b/g). If you shop around (eBay, retailer clearances, etc.) you may be able to pick one up at a decent price.
You might also ask for additional suggestions in the iMac (CRT) forums, which are the forums here specifically for the older iMacs.
Good luck.
Message was edited by: Dave Sawyer

Going wireless on an older imac

How do i achieve this? I have a d-link which works perfectly thru an ethernet link, but i want to put my son, who has a pc, onto the internet too. So i have a wireless router( DSL - G604t) and an aeropad mini. I dont understand why they both have different addresses, I have no 'airport' option on my system pref and I seem to be going in logic circles. I am internet enabled, but not wireless. EEEEK !
Can anyone help?

If your question is how to go wireless on an older iMac it would help if you mentioned which iMac model. However, most "older" iMacs would use the standard airport card 11b which is scarce and if you find one it's pricey.

I upgraded to Yosemite and computer running very slow. It is an older iMac 2009. Thinking of downgrading os or upgrading ram unless there is something else I can try?

I upgraded to Yosemite and computer running very slow. It is an older iMac 2009. if I cant get it running faster I will have to downgrade os or upgrade ram. Is there something else I can try? Here is scan of computer:
Problem description:
computer Very slow after upgrading to OS Yosemite
EtreCheck version: 2.0.11 (98)
Report generated November 15, 2014 at 3:50:50 PM MST
Hardware Information: ℹ️
iMac (20-inch, Early 2009) (Verified)
iMac - model: iMac9,1
1 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2-core
2 GB RAM Upgradeable
BANK 0/DIMM0
1 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok
BANK 1/DIMM0
1 GB DDR3 1067 MHz ok
Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported
Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n
Video Information: ℹ️
NVIDIA GeForce 9400 - VRAM: 256 MB
iMac 1680 x 1050
System Software: ℹ️
OS X 10.10 (14A389) - Uptime: 4 days 4:38:8
Disk Information: ℹ️
Hitachi HDT721032SLA380 disk0 : (320.07 GB)
S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified
EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 319.21 GB (201.09 GB free)
Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB
OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5670S
USB Information: ℹ️
Apple Inc. Built-in iSight
Apple Inc. Keyboard Hub
Apple Inc. Apple Keyboard
USB Reader USB Mass Storage Device 31.67 GB
S.M.A.R.T. Status: Verified
NO NAME (disk1s1) /Volumes/NO NAME : 31.67 GB (27.49 GB free)
Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub
Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Gatekeeper: ℹ️
Mac App Store and identified developers
Kernel Extensions: ℹ️
/Applications/Toast 11 Titanium/Spin Doctor.app
[not loaded] com.hzsystems.terminus.driver (4) Support
/Applications/Toast 11 Titanium/Toast Titanium.app
[not loaded] com.roxio.TDIXController (2.0) Support
/System/Library/Extensions
[not loaded] com.Huawei.driver.HuaweiDataCardDriver (4.0.6) Support
[not loaded] com.roxio.BluRaySupport (1.1.6) Support
[not loaded] com.sony.driver.prs (1.0.1d1) Support
Startup Items: ℹ️
HWNetMgr: Path: /Library/StartupItems/HWNetMgr
Startup items are obsolete and will not work in future versions of OS X
Problem System Launch Agents: ℹ️
[failed] com.apple.accountsd.plist
[failed] com.apple.AirPlayUIAgent.plist
[failed] com.apple.bird.plist
[failed] com.apple.CalendarAgent.plist
[failed] com.apple.CallHistoryPluginHelper.plist
[failed] com.apple.CallHistorySyncHelper.plist
[failed] com.apple.cloudd.plist
[failed] com.apple.coreservices.appleid.authentication.plist
[failed] com.apple.coreservices.uiagent.plist
[failed] com.apple.EscrowSecurityAlert.plist
[failed] com.apple.icloud.fmfd.plist
[failed] com.apple.iconservices.iconservicesagent.plist
[failed] com.apple.nsurlsessiond.plist
[failed] com.apple.pbs.plist
[failed] com.apple.pluginkit.pkd.plist
[failed] com.apple.printtool.agent.plist
[failed] com.apple.scopedbookmarkagent.xpc.plist
[failed] com.apple.secd.plist
[failed] com.apple.security.cloudkeychainproxy.plist
[failed] com.apple.spindump_agent.plist
[failed] com.apple.telephonyutilities.callservicesd.plist
Problem System Launch Daemons: ℹ️
[failed] com.apple.AssetCacheLocatorService.plist
[failed] com.apple.awdd.plist
[failed] com.apple.cache_delete.plist
[failed] com.apple.coresymbolicationd.plist
[failed] com.apple.ctkd.plist
[failed] com.apple.diagnosticd.plist
[failed] com.apple.iconservices.iconservicesagent.plist
[failed] com.apple.iconservices.iconservicesd.plist
[failed] com.apple.ifdreader.plist
[failed] com.apple.MobileFileIntegrity.plist
[failed] com.apple.nehelper.plist
[failed] com.apple.nsurlsessiond.plist
[failed] com.apple.periodic-daily.plist
[failed] com.apple.periodic-weekly.plist
[failed] com.apple.sandboxd.plist
[failed] com.apple.softwareupdate_download_service.plist
[failed] com.apple.softwareupdated.plist
[failed] com.apple.spindump.plist
[failed] com.apple.sysmond.plist
[failed] com.apple.tccd.system.plist
[failed] com.apple.wdhelper.plist
[failed] org.cups.cupsd.plist
Launch Agents: ℹ️
[not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist Support
[loaded] com.adobe.AdobeCreativeCloud.plist Support
[not loaded] com.sony.ReaderLibrary.RunReaderLibrary.plist Support
Launch Daemons: ℹ️
[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist Support
User Launch Agents: ℹ️
[loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist Support
[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist Support
[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist Support
[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist Support
User Login Items: ℹ️
iTunesHelper Application (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)
HP Registration Assistant UNKNOWN (missing value)
Reader Library Launcher ApplicationHidden (/Library/Reader Library/Reader Library Launcher.app)
HP Scheduler Application (/Library/Application Support/Hewlett-Packard/Software Update/HP Scheduler.app)
Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
Default Browser: Version: 600 - SDK 10.10
OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin: Version: 12.3.6 Support
net.juniper.DSSafariExtensions: Version: (null) Support
AdobeAAMDetect: Version: AdobeAAMDetect 2.0.0.0 - SDK 10.7 Support
FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 15.0.0.223 - SDK 10.6 Support
AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 11.0.0 - SDK 10.6 Support
Silverlight: Version: 5.1.30514.0 - SDK 10.6 Support
Flash Player: Version: 15.0.0.223 - SDK 10.6 Support
QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0
NP_2020Player_IKEA: Version: 5.0.94.0 - SDK 10.6 Support
AdobePDFViewer: Version: 11.0.0 - SDK 10.6 Support
User Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
BrowserPlus_2.9.8: Version: 2.9.8 Support
fbplugin_1_0_3: Version: (null) Support
3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️
BrowserPlus Support
Flash Player Support
Perian Support
Time Machine: ℹ️
Time Machine not configured!
Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️
     7% syncdefaultsd
     0% launchservicesd
     0% launchd
     0% systemstatsd
     0% SystemUIServer
Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️
126 MB HP_Officejet_4620_series
30 MB Finder
28 MB ScreenSaverEngine
24 MB mds
24 MB WindowServer
Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️
25 MB Free RAM
344 MB Active RAM
333 MB Inactive RAM
337 MB Wired RAM
9.71 GB Page-ins
146 MB Page-outs

could the launch agents failing slow the computer or they just don't work. I mean I am willing to upgrade ram but not if there is good chance it won't change speed much. Also to downgrade is it necessary to format the hard drive?

Wifi using Treandnet USB and Time Machine on older iMac G4.

I have a 1st Generation Time Capsule, and older iMac G4 the cool one that looks like a lamp. I just bought a Trednet TEW-644UB Wireless N USB Adapter so that I can get wifi on my older mac from my time capsule. I installed the mac software from the disk that came with it, but there are no further instructions and I can't get it to work. Can someone walk me through the set up?
When I boot up it automatically opens the Trednet Wireless Utility. I can see my wireless network on there listed under SSID, the BSSID says 00-21-E9-B8-A4-1... The signal is 100%. The Channel is 1. Authentication says WPA-PSK, Encription says TKIP;AE, and the network Type says infrastructure. I'm pretty sure the setting are wrong but I'm not sure what to set them too.
Thanks

I called Trednet and all I needed to do was hit the activate button. Works great... and very inexpensive.

Have older iMac running OSX 10.6.8 what OSX upgrade should I go to?

Have older iMac running OSX 10.6.8, need to upgrade OS, what version should I upgrade to?

Upgrading to Lion
If your computer does not meet the requirements to install Mavericks, it may still meet the requirements to install Lion.
You can purchase Lion at the Online Apple Store. The cost is $19.99 (as it was before) plus tax. It's a download. You will get an email containing a redemption code that you then use at the Mac App Store to download Lion. Save a copy of that installer to your Downloads folder because the installer deletes itself at the end of the installation.
     Lion System Requirements
       1. Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7,
           or Xeon processor
       2. 2GB of memory
       3. OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
       4. 7GB of available space
       5. Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
Upgrading to Yosemite
You can upgrade to Yosemite from Lion or directly from Snow Leopard. Yosemite can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for FREE.
Upgrading to Yosemite
To upgrade to Yosemite you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or Lion installed. Download Yosemite from the App Store. Sign in using your Apple ID. Yosemite is free. The file is quite large, over 5 GBs, so allow some time to download. It would be preferable to use Ethernet because it is nearly four times faster than wireless.
    OS X Mavericks/Yosemite - System Requirements
    Macs that can be upgraded to OS X Yosemite
         1. iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 7,1 or later
         2. MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 5,1 or later
         3. MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         4. MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 2,1 or later
         5. Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         6. Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         7. Xserve (Early 2009) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
To find the model identifier open System Profiler in the Utilities folder. It's displayed in the panel on the right.
     Are my applications compatible?
         See App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps.
You do not have to upgrade to Lion in order to upgrade to Yosemite if your Mac can run Yosemite.

Using latest Airport Extreme with older iMac and 10.4.11

Airport Extreme Utility does not recognize the base station, unable to complete set up, please advise.
Not looking for the older iMac to have a wireless connection--have Ethernet cable running from Airport Extreme to iMac.
(Another Ethernet cable runs from Cable Modem to Airport Extreme.)
Looking to have a wireless network for WiFi enabled devices.

Not the first time I've seen this type of scary issue with Tiger. The OS is so old, looks like we are going to have issues setting up the extreme. We could find a work around... by using either an iOS device, or even a PC. What else do you have there that's handy?

How do i update older imac to the newest softwear

how do i update an older imac to the latest softwear

Upgrading to Snow Leopard
You can purchase Snow Leopard through the Apple Store: Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - Apple Store (U.S.). The price is $19.99 plus tax. You will be sent physical media by mail after placing your order.
After you install Snow Leopard you will have to download and install the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 to update Snow Leopard to 10.6.8 and give you access to the App Store. Access to the App Store enables you to download Mountain Lion if your computer meets the requirements.
     Snow Leopard General Requirements
       1. Mac computer with an Intel processor
       2. 1GB of memory
       3. 5GB of available disk space
       4. DVD drive for installation
       5. Some features require a compatible Internet service provider;
           fees may apply.
       6. Some features require Apple’s iCloud services; fees and
           terms apply.
Upgrading from Snow Leopard to Lion or Mavericks
To upgrade to Mavericks you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.8, Lion, or Mountain Lion installed. Purchase and download Mavericks (Free) from the App Store. Sign in using your Apple ID. The file is quite large, over 5 GBs, so allow some time to download. It would be preferable to use Ethernet because it is nearly four times faster than wireless.
     OS X Mavericks- System Requirements
       Macs that can be upgraded to OS X Mavericks
         1. iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) — Model Identifier 7,1 or later
         2. MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) —
             Model Identifier 5,1 or later
         3. MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) — Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         4. MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) — Model Identifier 2,1 or later
         5. Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer) — Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         6. Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer) — Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         7. Xserve (Early 2009) — Model Identifier 3,1 or later
To find the model identifier open System Profiler in the Utilities folder. It's displayed in the panel on the right.
Are my applications compatible?
         See App Compatibility Table — RoaringApps.
Upgrading to Lion
If your computer does not meet the requirements to install Mavericks, it may still meet the requirements to install Lion.
You can purchase Lion at the Online Apple Store. The cost is $19.99 (as it was before) plus tax. It's a download. You will get an email containing a redemption code that you then use at the Mac App Store to download Lion. Save a copy of that installer to your Downloads folder because the installer deletes itself at the end of the installation.
     Lion System Requirements
       1. Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7,
           or Xeon processor
       2. 2GB of memory
       3. OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
       4. 7GB of available space
       5. Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.

I have an older iMAC that once burned CD's with no issues. Now I get an error message saying "The attempt to burn a disc failed. The device is not accessible, probably because it was removed". I have never had it touched so the device was not removed.Help

I have an olde iMac that once I have an older iMAC that once burned CD's with no issues. Now I get an error message saying "The attempt to burn a disc failed. The device is not accessible, probably because it was removed". I have never had it touched so the device was not removed. Please advise as to what could be the problem. How to fix. Thanks

Try resetting the SMC and PRAM first, if that doesn't help try a cleaning disc.....and then buy an inexpensive external burner. Slimline super drive failures are all too common.
To reset the SMC
Shut down the computer.
Unplug the computer's power cord.
Wait fifteen seconds.
Attach the computer's power cord.
Wait five seconds, then press the power button to turn on the computer.
Resetting NVRAM / PRAM
Shut down your Mac.
Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command (⌘), Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
Turn on the computer.
Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys before the gray screen appears.
Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
Release the keys.

How do I connect an older imac to my new imac to use as a second monitor?

Hi !
I was wondering if it were possible to connect an older imac to my new imac to use as a second monitor?
My older imac is from 2006. The new one is a 2012 imac.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks,
JC

http://support.apple.com/kb/PH4469
Look this article over, the key is to connect either mini display port or thunderbolt and using CMD+F2, let me know if this helps or if it doesn't work out. I'll find another solution if this doesn't work Joel ^_^

We have an older IMac (preIcloud) and just purchased a new Macbook Air. Our Iphones are set-up to synch with the IMAC and my calendars on the IMac & the phone look the same. But when I open ICal on the MacBook Air my calendar is missing items? Help..

We have an older IMac (preIcloud) and just purchased a new Macbook Air. Our Iphones are set-up to synch with the IMAC and my calendars on the IMac & the phone look the same. But when I open ICal on the MacBook Air my calendar is missing items? Help.

Are you wanting to import iCal to the MacBook Air. Since iCloud doesn't work with 10.6 OSX you probably don't have any data in iCloud yet?

I have an older IMAC mid 2007 intel core. I want to transfer my backup files from an older Maxtor drive to a new one. My old drive is not support by Yosemite. Can I transfer the files to a new supported drive?

I have an older IMAC mid 2007 intel core. I want to transfer my backup files from an older Maxtor One Touch drive to a new one. My old drive is not support by Yosemite. Can I transfer the files to a new supported drive? I haven't bought a new one yet. Any suggestions as to which new one to purchase?

See if you can get the drive to mount. See mount section of 1st link.
Disk Unmount Using Terminal
Disk Utility – Force Mount Disk

How do I connect a Lexmark x6570 printer to my iMac wirelessly? The basic user guides are not helping me and the add printer is not finding my printer...

How do you connect a lexmark x6570 printer to an iMac wirelessly? The basic user manuals are not helpful as the printer is not showing up when using the add printer function. I my printer is working fine wirelessly with my windows laptop so it appears to be functioning fine. This is my first time using an Apple at home...
Thank you.

Hello,
I am using a Mac with this router. Any ideas how I can set it up to print wireless. Im not a tech person so this gets confusing for me sometimes.
Thanks!

I have an older iMac 5,1 and the disc drive no longer works. I was hoping that I could the Apple USB super drive as a replacement, but the info on the super drive page says compatible with iMac 2012 or later. Does anyone know why it would not work for me?

I have an older iMac 5,1 and the disc drive no longer works. I was hoping that I could the Apple USB super drive as a replacement, but the info on the super drive page says compatible with iMac 2012 or later. Does anyone know why it would not work for me?

A reply to similar question (Q & As , in product page Apple Store) says:
"...dissable the internal reader hardware from devices setup. Then plug the external usb superdrive and that's it." Answered by Enrique T from Lima Oct 25 2013.
If you can locate an external Apple USB 'Air" superdrive for earlier model MacBook Air, that should work. The newer one for the Air is the same as for iMac, now.
You may be able to use other brands of external USB optical drive with your older intel-based iMac, as some of them function capably. A few should also be able to see system discs or other bootable utilities on DVD.
Hopefully this helps.
Good luck & happy computing!

How do I repair the internal disk drive on an older iMac?

Running Snow Leopard OSX 10.6.8 on an older iMac. I ran Disk Utility and it found a problem requiring the internal disk to be repaired. The instructions said to boot the system using an installation CD. The only CD I have is for OSX 10.4.4 ( Tiger). I don't have one for Snow Leopard. I can access this CD and instructions on the CD, "About Apple Hardware Test" say to hold down the D key to boot into the diagnostics, or the hold down the "C" key to boot to the OS on the CD. Neither of these options work. It keep booting into Snow Leopard (OSX 10.6.8) and I cannot repair the internal disk drive without running on an OS started form the CD.
I've spent a couple of hours trying to get it to boot to the Tiger installation CD. Wish I had made an install CD for Snow Leopard. Maybe that would work. Is that what I need? I really think it should boot to the Tiger CD.
I've spent lots of time in these user forums and don't see anything that helps. Any suggestions?? Having trouble with doing automatic Time Machine backups to an external disk drive and maybe it is because of the corrupted hard drive. Although the error looks quite minor from the description in Disk Utility. The system runs fine and I don't see any other problems. Just struggling with Time Machine.
This is an older iMac, 4,1 with a 2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo with 2 GBytes of SDRAM. 20 inch screen. I have a MBP sitting next to it and use them both, even though I can't update the iMac to Lion or above because of the Core Due processor. It is still a good computer and very useful.
What do I have to do to get it to boot from a CD?
Thanks for your help,
veehb

That is well worth $20. I'll pick one up tomorrow. Is there an easy way to make an installatoin CD that will also be a backup for my installation?

Making older iMac wireless

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for