[marvinz]

I have a PowerMac G4 w/DSL modem on the upper floor of our 2-story detached garage. I'd like to share the modem with a PowerMac G4 that is in the house, about 150 feet away as the crow flies -- through the outer wall of the garage, the outer wall of the house, and 2 interior walls of the house to get to it. I'd like to feel sure that Airport Extreme will work between these two Macs before I buy it. Anyone have a sense whether it will or not? Thanks.

[Philbert]

That's a lot to ask from a Base Station. (actually any broadband transmitter) You could try it but I'm thinking you might have to take advantage of AE's new bridging feature. (Which means you'll have to buy two Base Stations - one for the garage and another for the house.)
However, you do realize that your current Macs won't take advantage of 802.11g (54mb), right? Since these are both desktop machines, if it were me, I'd just string weather proof cat cable between the machines.

[marvinz]

Yowsa. Two base stations sounds like a ton of money. I imagine I'd be better off just buying a separate DSL connection for the second Mac. (as it turns out, I could link the computers through the phone line, but Linksys doesn't yet have a Mac OS X driver for its USB Network Adapter) Or, as you say, string cable. What's "cat cable"> And no, I didn't know 802.11g wouldn't work. Why is that?
Thanks so much for your help.

[Philbert]

An Airport Extreme base station is $199 so you'd be looking at $400 for two. (vs $299 ea. for the old base stations) Plus, you'd have to buy at least one Airport card for the "house" Mac if you don't already have one. I'm not saying one Base Station positively won't do it, (really depends on the environment), but I doubt it.
"Cat5" cable is just another name for Ethernet cable. But since you would be running it outside, buying a cable made to withstand the elements is a good idea. There is a name for outdoor ethernet cable but I'm not sure what its called. I have no idea what it would cost but I'd guess somewhere around $50 - $100.
"And no, I didn't know 802.11g wouldn't work. Why is that?"
Airport Extreme (802.11g) can transfer data at a theoretical 54 Mbps whereas 802.11b is 11 Mbps. Currently there is no way to configure older machines for 802.11g - only the slower 802.11b. That's means the AE base station will throttle down to the 11Mbps "b" speeds. It will still work fine - it just won't take advantage of the faster transfer. For internet access, it doesn't matter anyway since internet bandwidth is slower than b or g.

For more information - http://www.apple.com/airport/

[SueG]

Philbert,
Won't he need a repeater to boost the signal, even with cabling?
There are also signal boosters for wireless, mentioned elsewhere in this forum.
Then there's a place to hook in an antenna for the AE... some antennas are very long range.

[SueG]

Did you see this?
http://store.apple.c...7.12.0.5.4.13.0

[SueG]

Er, sorry. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif
Should have known Apple's link would time out.
Here http://www.drbott.co.../9142-QUSD.html is the 500 foot wireless solution that is available from Apple.

[icerabbit]

I sense trouble ~ but I do need to look up the range for 802.11G.
[ linksys has omitted the connection range in the specifications of the newest products like the 802.11G wap & router ]
150 feet is about the general practical limit for wifi products. They all will say 300 ft but that is theoretical max length in line of sight without obstructions. Depending on the construction of your walls it may not be possible to get any connection at all. Also note that connection speed drops as the distance ( & noise & interference in the connection) increases. Only at shortest range without obstruction the optimal speed is a given. Some people only get barely 30feet inside their house through 2 walls (I am one of those).
To burst the signal the use of an after-market (or DIY) more powerful and in your case a more directional antenna is necessary IMO. (voids warranty)
Useful links
http://www.linksys.c...ssstandards.asp
http://www.linksys.c...ult.asp?fqid=34
icerabbit
PS: With wired Ethernet you can go about 300 feet.

[icerabbit]

Sue, the link to apple's store refuses to work as it depends on the user cookie / login. But a very nice find.
Didn't know the AE now had possibility for extra antenna's and DR BOTT's external antenna's. Thanks for that info!
---> Go to store.apple.com then accessories wireless and scroll down.

To come back on range: theoretical wireless range on my 802.11b router is
@ 11Mbps up to 100 ft indoor / 500 ft outdoor
@ 5.5 Mbps up to 165 ft IN / 885 ft OUT
@ 2 Mbps 230 ft IN / 1300 ft OUT
@ 1 Mbps 300 fl IN / 1500 ft OUT
I think you would need to scale the 802.11G connection in a similar fashion ... without forgetting the large bucket of salt. There's a reason why Linksys doesn't talk distance anymore in their product guides, I think /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
icerabbit