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5.Type the network password for your wireless network in the Password text box and then click the right arrow in the lower-right corner of the window to go to the final panel.
6.Click the Go Ahead button.
7.When a message displays that the AirPort Setup Assistant is done, click the Connect Now button.
The assistant closes itself and launches Internet Explorer. If a Web page displays, the connection is a success, and you’ve added another computer to your wireless home network.
OS X Wireless Networks
AirPort 2.1.1 is the most current version of the AirPort software as of the writing of this book. Consequently, the following discussion describes the steps and shows screen images that relate to AirPort 2.1.1. If you use a later version to set up your AirPort network, the screens might look slightly different.
Even though a CD containing AirPort software is distributed with both
the AirPort Base Station and the AirPort Card, check out the Apple Web site www.info.apple/support/downloads.html to make sure that you have the latest version of the AirPort software before setting up your AirPort network.
To set up an AirPort Base Station using the AirPort 2.1.1 software, you must have the Base Station itself as well as the following:
An AirPort-ready computer with an AirPort Card
Mac OS X version 10.2 or later
If you have a third-party wireless networking card in your PowerBook PC Card slot, use the software that came with the card to configure your network.
When you run the AirPort software installation, you first install (or upgrade) software on your computer and then upgrade the firmware that’s built into the AirPort Base Station. Finally, you configure the Base Station. The sections that follow take you through the process step by step.
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Installing the AirPort software on OS X
To install AirPort software on your computer under OS X, follow these steps:
1.Close all applications.
The installation process will restart your computer, so save your work and close all applications before starting the installation procedure.
2.If you’re installing the software from a CD-ROM, insert the CD-ROM and double-click the Install Mac OS X.pkg package file.
Alternatively, you can download the most current version of the software from the Apple Web site (www.info.apple/support/downloads. html).
If you download the software, the file will bear a .dmg extension denoting it as a disk image file.
3.Double-click the file name.
The Disk Copy application runs, creates a Disk icon on the desktop, and then opens the disk in the Finder.
4.Double-click the package file AirPortSW.pkg in the Finder window.
5.If an Authenticate pane pops up prompting you for a password, enter the password that you use to log on to your computer.
The Welcome to the AirPort Installer panel displays.
6.Click the Continue button to display Important Information; read this information and then click the Continue button to display the Software License Agreement.
7.Read the license agreement; if you agree, click the Continue button and then click the Agree button to display the Select a Destination panel.
8.Chose the drive where you want the software to be installed from the Destination Disk list and then click the Continue button to display the Easy Install panel.
9.Click the Upgrade button and then click the Continue Installation button.
The Installation program installs the software and optimizes system performance, showing you a progress bar while it’s doing so.
10.When a message displays announcing that the software installation was successful, click the Restart button to close the installation software and to restart your computer.
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Upgrading AirPort Base Station firmware on OS X
In this section, we explain how to upgrade the firmware of a new AirPort Base Station. Upgrading the firmware on your AirPort Base Station through a direct Ethernet cable connection is easiest. Use an Ethernet cable (either a straight-through cable or a cross-over cable; the Base Station automatically detects the type of cable that you’re using) to connect your computer’s Ethernet port to the Base Station’s LAN port. You can also do the upgrade over a wireless connection.
To upgrade the firmware of a new AirPort Base Station that you’re setting up for the first time, follow these steps:
1.Double-click the desktop icon for the hard disk on which you installed the AirPort software.
2.When the hard disk’s folder opens, open the Applications folder and then open the Utilities folder.
3.Double-click the AirPort Admin Utility icon to display the Select Base Station window, shown in Figure 8-5.
Figure 8-5:
The OS X Select Base Station window.
You should see Base Station in the Name list. This is the factory-sup- plied name for your AirPort Base Station. It should have the IP address 10.0.1.1.
4. Highlight the Base Station name and then click the Configure button.
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5.After a message pops up requesting a password, enter public as the password and then click OK.
•If the firmware installed in the Base Station is older than the firmware that was supplied with your updated software, you see a message prompting you that a newer version of the Base Station software is available. Click the Upload button to install it.
•If a message pops up stating that uploading the software will cause the wireless network to be disconnected, click OK. The new firmware is copied to the Base Station.
Note: If the Base Station window displays when you click the Configure button — rather than a message that a newer version of the Base Station software is available — your Base Station already contains the most recent firmware. Close the Base Station window and then close the AirPort Admin Utility.
6.After a message displays that the system is waiting for the Base Station to restart and that the Base Station has been successfully updated, click OK.
7.When the Select Base Station window returns, close it.
8.Disconnect the Ethernet cable between your computer and the Base Station.
Configuring the AirPort Base
Station on OS X
After you’re sure that your AirPort Base Station has the most current firmware, the easiest way to set it up for use in your wireless home network is to use the AirPort Setup Assistant. The AirPort Setup Assistant reads the Internet settings from your computer and transfers them to the Base Station so that you can access the Internet over your wireless network. To use the AirPort Setup Assistant, follow these steps:
1.Before running the AirPort Setup Assistant, set up your computer to connect to the Internet by dialup modem or by broadband (cable or DSL) modem.
Check with your ISP for instructions on getting connected.
•If you connect to the Internet by dialup modem: Connect the telephone line to the phone line port on the Base Station.
•If you connect to the Internet by DSL or cable modem: Use an Ethernet cable to connect the modem to the Base Station’s WAN port.
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2.Double-click the desktop icon for the hard disk on which you installed the AirPort software.
3.When the hard disk’s folder opens, open the Applications folder and then open the Utilities folder.
4.In the Utilities folder, double-click the AirPort Setup Assistant icon to display the AirPort Setup Assistant window, as shown in Figure 8-6.
Figure 8-6:
The OS X
AirPort
Setup
Assistant
window.
5.Select the Set Up an AirPort Base Station radio button and then click the Continue button in the lower-right corner of the window.
If your computer is in range of only your one wireless network, the Setup Assistant automatically configures your AirPort Card to select that network and proceeds to the America Online Access panel. However, if you happen to be in range of more than one wireless network, you see the Select an AirPort Network panel that asks you to select your network from a pop-up list. Your network will have the name assigned at the factory, similar to Apple Network xxxxxx where xxxxxx is a six-digit hexadecimal number. After selecting your network, click the Continue button to go to the next panel.
6.In the America Online Access panel:
•If you connect to the Internet via AOL: Select the I Am Using American Online radio button and then click the Continue button.
•If you’re not using AOL: Select the I Am Using Another Internet Service Provider radio button and then click the Continue button to display the Internet Access panel.
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7.In the Internet Access panel, choose one of the following options and then click the Continue button:
•Telephone Modem: Select this radio button if you connect to the Internet through a dialup modem. The AirPort Base Station is one of the few wireless access points that includes a 56 Kbps modem.
By choosing this option, all the computers connected to your wireless network might be able to share a single dialup connection.
If you have one of the new Airport Extreme Base Stations, you might not have a built-in version. There are two versions, and the less expensive one does not have a modem.
•Local Area Network: You should select this radio button if your computer is connected to a high-speed LAN.
•Cable Modem or DSL Using Static IP or DHCP: Select this radio button if you connect to the Internet by cable modem or by DSL but only if your ISP doesn’t use the PPP over Ethernet (PPPoE) protocol.
•Cable Modem or DSL Using PPPoE: If your ISP uses the PPPoE protocol, select this radio button. It is important that you make a successful connection to the Internet with your computer connected directly to the cable or DSL modem before attempting to configure the Base Station. The AirPort Setup Assistant will then be able to copy the PPPoE settings from your computer to the Base Station so that the Base Station can log on to the Internet with your user ID and password. All the computers on your wireless network will then be able to share the Internet connection without needing to log on.
The next panel that you see at this step depends on the choice that you make in Step 7:
•Telephone Modem: If you choose Telephone Modem, you see the Modem Access panel with text boxes available for various dialup parameters such as user name, password, and phone number. In most cases, the setup assistant copies this information from your computer.
•LAN, or Broadband Using Static IP or DHCP: If you choose either a LAN or a broadband (cable modem or DSL) connection that doesn’t use PPPoE, the Ethernet Access panel presents the option to use DHCP or to assign a static IP address. If your ISP has assigned you a static IP address — along with other values such as subnet mask, router address, domain name, and/or DHCP client name — you have to enter this data if it isn’t automatically copied from your computer.