Take Control of Your AirPort Network
Make your AirPort network fly!
In this title about classic 802.11b- and 802.11g-based AirPort networking, Wi-Fi networking expert Glenn Fleishman shows you how to select the best networking gear (both Apple's AirPort hardware and cheaper options), position a base station for optimal performance, configure devices, and lock out snoopers.
Interested in Apple's new 802.11n-based AirPort Extreme Base Station?
Check out Take Control of Your 802.11n AirPort Extreme Network.
"If anyone knows about real-world Wi-Fi, it's Glenn Fleishman."
—Mark Frauenfelder, co-founder of bOING bOING
- More Info
- Front Matter
- Compatibility
Learn the four things to consider when purchasing hardware (and what device to avoid!), solutions to seven common Internet configuration problems, how to connect a USB printer to a base station, and four ways to extend your network's range. Whether you're just getting started with wireless or you have an existing network you want to expand or make more secure, you'll find useful information that will save you money and time. Cool extras! Locate adapters for older Macs and learn the best ways to configure AirPort Express and AirTunes!
Read this ebook to learn the answers to questions like:
- How do I work with Keychain Access?
- How do I configure AirPort Express extras?
- How do I connect to a network and manage profiles?
- How do I connect with WPA Enterprise?
- Help! How do I diagnose network troubles in Tiger?
- How do I handle dynamically assigned addresses?
- How do I set a password to restrict access to my base station?
Includes coupons worth $15! Coupons at the end of the ebook save you $10 on IPNetRouterX from Sustainable Softworks and $5 from any order at Small Dog Electronics! (In other words, use both coupons and the ebook will make you $5. Hard to beat that.)
Book Info
- 161 pages
- Version 1.2
- Updated 15-Sep-05
- 2.5 MB download
- Free 29-page PDF sample with Table of Contents, Introduction, Quick Start, and section starts.
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About the Author
Glenn Fleishman is editor of the daily Web log Wi-Fi Networking News, a contributing editor for TidBITS, the Practical Mac columnist for The Seattle Times, and a regular contributor to The Economist,
Macworld, Popular Science, and The New York Times.
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Book Reviews
Author Interviews
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Table of Contents
- Read Me First
- Introduction
- AirPort Networking Quick Start
- Wireless Basics
- Pick a Base Station
- Set Up Your Base Station and Local Network
- Set Up Your Internet Connection
- Configure AirPort Express Extras
- Connect Your Computers
- Setting Up a Shared USB Printer
- Improve Coverage Area and Range
- Secure Your Network
- App. A: Setting up a Software Base Station
- App. B: Connect without AirPort Adapters
- App. C: AirPort Management Tools
- App. D: Dynamically Assigned Addresses
- App. E: Diagnose Network Troubles in Tiger
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Read Me First
This ebook helps you install and get the most out of a Wi-Fi network. This ebook was written by Glenn Fleishman, edited by Tonya and Adam Engst, and published by TidBITS Electronic Publishing.
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Introduction
Apple introduced wireless networking to the world with AirPort in 1999. Although corporations had been using forms of wireless networking for warehouse tracking and to connect buildings in a large campus, the cost was high, speeds were low, and complexity was mani-fest. Other companies were selling similar wireless hardware in 1999, but Apple's product shot off the shelves due to its comparatively low initial price, its simple configuration interface, and its excellent performance.
AirPort came out of the same approach that allowed Apple to ship the iMac the year before: taking parts that were available and standard, and combining them in a unique package that provided more value than any of the parts.
The AirPort Card fit into a special slot in Macs; its standalone, central coordinating hub was called the AirPort Base Station. The original AirPort line was superceded and supplemented in 2003 with AirPort Extreme, a faster and backward-compatible version. Apple later added its least expensive base station ever, the AirPort Express, which bundles several features into a unique package for home and traveling users.
Despite Apple's 6-year history with wireless networking and the general excellence of their software and support, I still find the same questions asked again and again. This book addresses these concerns and gives you tips that should save time, improve security, extend range, and give you a technical edge when working with AirPort networks.
Although the title of this book references AirPort, the book not only covers AirPort, AirPort Extreme, and AirPort Express equipment, but also includes many tips about comparable equipment or connecting to non-AirPort networks or from non-AirPort equipment.
I start with purchasing decisions, move through installation and config-u-ration, give advice on the common task of extending the range of a home or small-office network, and finish with how-to infor-ma-tion on security for those who want to make their AirPort networks free from interception. Several appendixes cover in-depth configuration of specific software and hardware.
In Take Control of Your AirPort Network, you'll learn about Wi-Fi networking gear that was available in 2006 and earlier, particularly gear supporting the 802.11b and 802.11g standards. Although the title of this book references AirPort, you'll find coverage not only of AirPort, AirPort Extreme (pre-802.11n), and AirPort Express equipment, but also many tips about comparable equipment or connecting to non-AirPort networks or from non-AirPort equipment.
You'll be be best served by this title if you are using Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger or Mac OS X 10.3 Panther, or working with Windows XP. This book will not be significantly updated to cover newer gear or software.
If you have one of Apple's new 802.11n AirPort Extreme base stations (the square ones) released in February 2007, you'll want Take Control of Your 802.11n AirPort Extreme Network instead of this title.
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