158 Part III: Installing a Wireless Network
•Broadband Using PPPoE: If you select the Cable Modem or DSL Using PPPoE option, the PPPoE Access panel presents text boxes for entering an account name, password, and other account information sometimes required by PPPoE providers. Again, in most cases, this information is automatically copied from your computer.
After you enter the appropriate information, click the Continue button to display the Network Name and Password panel.
8.In the Network Name and Password panel that appears, enter the name and password that you want to use for your wireless network and then click the Continue button to display the Base Station Password panel.
The Base Station Password panel gives you the options to use the network password as your Base Station password or to assign a different password for changing the settings on your Base Station. If you’re the only person who’ll be configuring the computers on the network, using the same one both places is probably the easiest. However, if you plan to share the network password with other users, assign a different password to the Base Station so that only you can change the Base Station’s settings.
9.Click the Continue button to display the Conclusion panel.
The Conclusion panel informs you that the Setup Assistant is ready to set up your Base Station.
10.Click the Continue button.
After the Setup Assistant downloads the new settings to the Base Station, it displays a message that it’s waiting for the Base Station to reset. As soon as the Base Station resets, the Setup Assistant displays a panel announcing that it’s finished and that it has been able to configure this computer to connect to the Internet.
11.Click the Done button to close the AirPort Setup Assistant.
Adding another computer to your AirPort network on OS X
When you set up your AirPort Base Station by following the directions in the preceding section (“Configuring the AirPort Base Station on OS X”), you also set up the AirPort Card in the computer that you used to configure the Base Station. However, you need to configure the AirPort Cards in the other Mac computers in your house to enable them to connect to the AirPort network. Follow these steps:
Chapter 8: Setting Up a Wireless Mac Network 159
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.In the Utilities folder, double-click the AirPort Setup Assistant icon to display the AirPort Setup Assistant window (refer to Figure 8-6).
4.Select the Set Up Your Computer to Join an Existing AirPort Network radio button and then click the Continue button to display the Select an AirPort Network panel.
If your AirPort Base Station is the only wireless network within range, the next panel will prompt you to enter the network password. However, if you happen to live close enough to neighbors who also have a wireless network, you might see the network name of that neighbor’s network.
5.Select your network name from the pop-up list and then click the Continue button to display the Enter Network Password panel.
6.Type the network password for your wireless network in the Password text box and then click the Continue button to display the Conclusion panel.
7.Click the Continue button.
8.When a message displays that the AirPort Setup Assistant is finished, click the Done button.
The assistant closes itself.
Adding a Non-Apple Computer to
Your AirPort Network
One of the reasons why wireless home networking has become so popular is the interoperability between wireless networking equipment from different vendors. Apple wireless networking equipment is no exception. You can even use a Windows or Linux computer to connect to an Apple AirPort Base Station.
The procedure for entering the wireless network parameters in non-Apple wireless software for configuring a wireless network adapter varies by manufacturer. Follow these general steps to add your non-Apple computer (or even Apple computer with non-Apple wireless hardware and software) to your AirPort Network:
160 Part III: Installing a Wireless Network
1.Select the network name of the AirPort Base Station.
The wireless network adapter configuration software will usually present a list of available wireless networks in range of the adapter. Select the network name that you assigned to the AirPort Base Station from the list.
For example, in Windows XP, right-click the Network icon in the notification area of the task bar and then select View Available Wireless Networks from the pop-up menu that appears. Then select the AirPort Base Stations network name from the list presented in the Wireless Network Connection dialog box.
2.Enter the network password.
The password that you entered in the AirPort Base Station setup probably won’t work. Here’s how to find the password — the WEP key — that will work. Apple uses a different password naming convention than other wireless manufacturers. Fortunately, Apple has provided the AirPort Admin Utility that does the conversion for you:
a.Open the AirPort Admin Utility.
b.Select your Base Station from the list and then click the Configure icon.
c.When presented with a pop-up window, enter the password for configuring the base station and then click the OK button to display the main AirPort Admin Utility window.
d.If you’re using OS X, click the Password icon in the toolbar at the top of the window.
Note: If the toolbar isn’t visible, click the View menu and choose Show Toolbar.
The utility opens a drop-down window that displays the equivalent network password (WEP key) that you should enter in the configuration software for your non-Apple wireless network adapter.
e.If you’re using OS 9, choose Equivalent Network Password from the Base Station menu.
A pop-up window appears with the equivalent network password (WEP key) that you should enter in the configuration software for your non-Apple wireless network adapter.
3.Make sure that you set the adapter to obtain an IP address automatically.
How you do this depends on what kind of PC and which PC operating system you’re using.
4.Close the configuration software, and you should be connected to the AirPort network.
If you’re not connected, go through the steps again, paying particular attention that you enter the equivalent network password correctly.
Chapter 8: Setting Up a Wireless Mac Network 161
If you’re really having a hard time, try turning WEP off on your AirPort Base Station (deselect the Use Encryption check box in the Airport Setup Program) and see whether you can connect without any encryption. If this works, double-check your Equivalent Network Password and look in the manual for your network adapter. You might need to enter a special code before the Equivalent Network Password — we discuss this in Chapter 10.
Connecting to Non-Apple-Based
Wireless Networks
One scenario that you might encounter in a home network is the need to connect a Macintosh computer to a non-Apple-based network. Follow the procedures outlined in this chapter for adding a computer to a wireless network. If you have any trouble, it will almost certainly relate to the network password. Here are a few troubleshooting tips to resolve password issues:
Try turning off encryption on the wireless network. If you can successfully connect your Mac to the network without the need of a password, you can be sure that the password was the problem. Don’t leave the network unprotected, however. Read on.
Check the password configuration. When you turn on the access point’s encryption, determine whether the password is an alphanumeric value or a hexadecimal number. Some hardware vendors provide configuration software that has you enter a pass phrase, but the software then generates a hexadecimal number. You have to enter the hexadecimal number in the AirPort software, not the pass phrase.
Watch for case-sensitivity. If the Windows-based access point configuration software enables you to enter an alphanumeric password, keep in mind that the password is case sensitive. The password should be either exactly 5 characters (letters and/or numbers) for 64-bit encryption or 13 characters for 128-bit encryption. You should then enter exactly the same characters in the Password text box in the AirPort configuration software.
Use current software. Make sure that you’re using the most current version of AirPort software. The most up-to-date software makes it easier to enter passwords connecting to a Windows-based wireless network. The new software automatically distinguishes between alphanumeric and hexadecimal passwords. With earlier versions of the software, to connect to a WEP-encrypted Windows-based network, you have to type quotation marks around alphanumeric values and type a $ in front of hexadecimal numbers.
162 Part III: Installing a Wireless Network
These guidelines should help you get your Mac connected to a Windows wireless network, including the capability to share the Internet. Keep in mind, however, that other factors determine whether you can also share files, printers, and other resources over the wireless network. Mac OS X is generally more PC friendly than Mac OS 9, but OS 9-based utility software such as the DAVE software from Thursby Software Systems (www.thursby.com) is available that enables you to add your Mac to a Windows network to share files and printers.
Chapter 9
Setting Up Internet Sharing
In This Chapter
Using an Internet gateway or router
Obtaining an IP address automatically in Windows 9x/2000/XP and Mac OS 9/X
Internet connection sharing in Windows 98/98 SE/2000/Me/XP and Mac OS X
One of the most popular uses of personal computers is to access the Internet. In this chapter, we describe how you can use a network,
including a wireless network, to share a single Internet connection among all the computers on the network. We also describe how to obtain an Internet Protocol (IP) address automatically in Windows 9x/2000/XP and Mac OS 9/X. In addition, the chapter explains how to set up sharing of Internet connections without the need to buy a router in Windows 98/98 SE/2000/Me/XP and Mac OS X.
In Chapter 7, we describe how to set up and configure wireless network interface adapters using the installation software that accompanies the adapters. When you set up wireless adapters that way, the installation software (in most cases) properly configures the adapter to make it possible for computers on the network to communicate and to take advantage of the Internetsharing capabilities of Internet gateways, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) servers, and cable/digital subscriber line (DSL) routers. Occasionally, however, you might need to change network settings of a wireless network adapter.
Deciding How to Share Your
Internet Connection
Whether you’ve installed a wireless network or are using some other type of network devices to create a home network, you no doubt want all your networked computers to have access to an Internet connection. Here are two ways to share an Internet connection over the network: