PDA

View Full Version : Help required - iBook on wireless router



p38arover
14th November 2006, 06:11 PM
I have a D-Link DI-524 wireless router sytem. I have both my laptop and desktop communicating wirelessly to the router which is using WEP encryption (yeah, I know, it's not as good as WPA).

However, I cannot work out how to get my daughter's Mac iBook to work wirelessly. We have to cable that to the router.

While she is away for a few days, I'd like to play around to set it up but I need a Mac expert to assist.

If there is anyone I can ring for assistance, I'd appreciate it.

I tried the specified method of preceding the WEP encryption with the $ symbol but that didn't seem to work.

If I leave the network unencrypted I can connect.

Ron

Turtle61
14th November 2006, 06:37 PM
Try this discussion message:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=1120769&#1120769


I use my PowerBook with the little AirportExpress and had the wife's Toshiba connected as well. No issues. Let me know if it helps. If not, I can ask a mate at work who's the god of IT and administers Windows networks on his Mac.

Captain_Rightfoot
14th November 2006, 07:54 PM
I have a D-Link DI-524 wireless router sytem. I have both my laptop and desktop communicating wirelessly to the router which is using WEP encryption (yeah, I know, it's not as good as WPA).

However, I cannot work out how to get my daughter's Mac iBook to work wirelessly. We have to cable that to the router.

While she is away for a few days, I'd like to play around to set it up but I need a Mac expert to assist.

If there is anyone I can ring to assist, I'd appreciate it.

I tried the specified method of preceding the WEP encyption with the $ symbol but that didn't seem to work.

If I leave the network unencrypted I can connect.

Ron
Ron,

I have a Dlink 524p+ which I think is exactly the same as yours but with a print server so it should all be the same.

I am using wpa-psk. My mac has no trouble connecting at all. :)

See PM for contact details ;)

p38arover
14th November 2006, 08:14 PM
Thanks, chaps, for the offers of help. It's a tad late now to call - I got tied up repairing the fluoros in the garage. Maybe tomorrow night.

Ron

Outlaw
14th November 2006, 11:05 PM
Not sure about the encryption side as i haven't got mine encrypted but if all else fails with your above options you should be able to add her iBook MAC address to the router

p38arover
15th November 2006, 07:19 AM
Hmm, I just went to see what I could do with the Mac - but with my daughter away, I've got no idea where or even how to find the network set up on a Mac.

I shall have to wait until tonight when I can call someone who knows how to drive one. It ain't intuitive.

Ron

Captain_Rightfoot
15th November 2006, 07:36 AM
I shall have to wait until tonight when I can call someone who knows how to drive one. It ain't intuitive.

Ron
No, it's intuitive... it's just you are thinking like a PC user. :D :D

It doesn't have to be hard ;)

See the menu bar at the top, the icon that looks like the radiation pattern from a antenna ... click that, select your network from the list, and enter your password. That should have you connected. If your network isn't there try "turn airport on" from the same menu. :)

Turtle61
15th November 2006, 07:52 AM
This might help:

http://homepage.mac.com/igolka/Photos/Airport.png

This is from the link I sent you:

Solution

Many third-party wireless access points use a WEP key or a password entered either as a string of hexadecimal numbers or as five ASCII characters.

To connect Mac OS X to a third-party wireless access point that is configured to use WEP, format your password one of these two ways:
1. Hexadecimal - precede the string with a dollar sign ($). For example: $123456789a
2. ASCII - enclose the characters in double quotes ("). For example: "magic"


1. So, click on the Airport icon on the menu bar.
If it is not there, click on the APPLE in top left corner, select System Prefernces, and then click on Network. You will probably get a screen similar to this:
http://homepage.mac.com/igolka/Photos/Airport2.png
Highlight AIRPORT by clicking on it and then click CONFIGURE. At the bottom of next screen there is a tick box "Show AirPort in menu bar" - make sure it is checked. Now you will have the radiation pattern icon on the menu bar as in the top pic.
2. After clicking the AirPort icnon on the menu bar, selkect your network from the list (should be there)
3. Enter password as described above: Either as a hexdecimal set of character with a "$" in front or simply the password in quotation marks "password".

Let me know if it works

p38arover
15th November 2006, 09:42 AM
Thank you gentlemen.

I am writing from the Mac - it's not an iBook, it's a PowerBook G4. (Gawd, the screen and keyboard are awful and the Firefox symbol bouncing out from the LHS of the screen is flaming annoying - and the bloody delete key is a backspace and delete!)

I dunno what I did differently but when I turned Airport on my network name was there so I selected it, put the password in (preceded by the $) and it connected.

Do I need to save that password or will the system remember it?

Ron

Captain_Rightfoot
15th November 2006, 12:20 PM
Thank you gentlemen.

I am writing from the Mac - it's not an iBook, it's a PowerBook G4. (Gawd, the screen and keyboard are awful and the Firefox symbol bouncing out from the LHS of the screen is flaming annoying - and the bloody delete key is a backspace and delete!)

I dunno what I did differently but when I turned Airport on my network name was there so I selected it, put the password in (preceded by the $) and it connected.

Do I need to save that password or will the system remember it?

Ron
It should remember the password.

If the firefox icon is bouncing then it is asking for your attention about something.

What is wrong with the screen and KBD? I reckon they are great??

Turtle61
15th November 2006, 06:31 PM
I like my PowerBook G4 (12inch) - my wife hates it. Why? Keyboard - it is "too big". She recons it should be as dogdy and small as her Toshiba laptop :mad:

I recon it's well designed full-size keyboard - far better than the tiny-weeny keyboards you get on other laptops... and having to deal with usability almost everyday, I think Apple have done their job very well.

As for the bouncing icons: they bounce when the application starts up and bounce if there is an error or it requires your attention (works - right?). Would you rather have a pop-up that you can't get rid of blocking EVERYTHING in view?