Powerbook G4 Can't See Wireless Signal

My brother gave me his old Powerbook G4 which has Airport installed (10.4.x). It picked up a neighbor's unprotected wireless signal in his apartment, then picked up the wireless signal in the Atlanta airport -- no problem.
But when I returned home the G4's Airport won't pick up the wireless router's signal in my house (with the router just a few feet away).
I have Time Warner's Wideband service and the cable modem that comes with the service is both a modem and a router with dual antennas. My Mac Mini picks up the wireless signal from that router with no problem.
But the G4 doesn't "see" the signal. The Airport wireless icon in the menu bar is grayed out when the G4 is running. But the network name shows up in the Airport icon's drop down menu. But when I try to connect to the wireless network -- nothing, in spite of it having connected on two different networks as I mentioned above.
Question: Is this G4 too old to connect to a "newer" wireless router like the one Time Warner installed? Any other ideas what the connection problem could be?
Thanks,
WK

CRMDVM -- Thanks for the helpful info -- you are probably right on both counts:
The apartments where I picked up a signal is in an "old folks" apt. complex, meaning the router I was picking up was probably old -- compatible with the G4 lineage. And the Atlanta airport probably has a wireless system to allow the vast number of old and new computers that people carry to connect.
My Mac Mini connects via WPA2 Personal security code, and I set the G4 to the same security (in the Network preference pane) but still nothing. The Airport wireless icon in the menu bar is still grayed out -- it isn't the "blank" icon as when Airport is turned off. It has the wireless wave lines in the icon, but just grayed out.
Maybe the G4 is just too old to "see" the newer wireless signal from the new modem/router.
Thanks again for your help -- you definitely provided more than I knew. (btw, I'm just above you in Union County in Stallings).
WK

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I was given a G4 Powerbook while out of town and it found the wireless signal in an apartment complex and a major airport just fine. But upon returning home it can't "see" the signal from my (Time Warner, Road Runner Extreme) Ubee modem/router. My Mac Mini's Airport sees the Ubee wireless signal fine, but the older Powerbook G4 can't. (The Airport signal in the menu bar has "bars" but they are grayed out.
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CRMDVM -- Thanks for the helpful info -- you are probably right on both counts:
The apartments where I picked up a signal is in an "old folks" apt. complex, meaning the router I was picking up was probably old -- compatible with the G4 lineage. And the Atlanta airport probably has a wireless system to allow the vast number of old and new computers that people carry to connect.
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Thanks again for your help -- you definitely provided more than I knew. (btw, I'm just above you in Union County in Stallings).
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I guess the thread you are referencing is "Powerbook G4 Airport Firmware 9.52 - can I join 802.11g wireless network?"
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Solved!
Go to Solution.

Yeah, I know it's a bummer.
I was "burned" by this issue, when I bought my Y470. I just "assumed" that a brand new laptop, would include a wireless card that supported both channels. What I found out, after I received my new system, was that almost ALL laptops coming from Lenovo, only have B/G/N 2.4 Ghz cards. If you want a card with 5Ghz "A" support, you must upgrade the card in your original configuration order. The real kicker is, if you use the Lenovo outlet web pages to buy your system, you can not upgrade most of Idea Pads wireless cards. Those type of upgrades, seem to be only "offered" on Think Pad systems.
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Hello,
I had the same problem when I was traveling with my 2009 Macbook Pro. I am on a French ship and my MacBook was bought in the US. We have a wireless gaming network to play Call of Duty on that is set up on a LinkSys router. I was so frustrated because everyone else here could connect and play without a problem. My iPhone would even connect to the network but my MacBook Airport card wouldn't even recognize the network.
It turns out that some countries use different Wifi channels. The Airport card in the US MacBook Pro is setup to only recognize channels 1-11. The European LinkSys router was broadcasting on channel 13 which is why my MacBook couldn't even see it. I changed the wireless channel on the router to 10 and now everything works great. I hope this works for you.
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Message was edited by: seanwich

Powerbook G4 Can't See Wireless Signal

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