Random iBook questions...

[imalousyhero]

Thanks in advance for anyone who can answer my questions, and sorry if they have already been posted. But here goes:

I got my iBook a few months ago, and I only got the 60gb hdd, now I'll be moving about the country for the next few years and I won't be able to use my desktop at all, so I need more storage space on my iBook. I want to get an external hard drive, but do I need to get a specific kind? Can I just get one of those hard drive enclosures that makes an internal Hard drive, external? Any help is appreciated....

And my other question. As I said I'll be moving about, and wherever I go there will be wireless networking. But my problem is, most of the places I'm going has a poor signal. Now I've heard that my AirPort Express will not work for extending non-airport signals..is this true? If so, do I have the purchase the base station to extend it? And if my ibook recieves the signal better than the ones around me, can I use the internet sharing option to extend it? If that is what it's for, if not.. what is it for?

Thanks again anyone who can help out!

 

[Ric]

Hi there and welcome,

the enclosures are definitely the most cost effective route. http://www.maplin.co.uk/

Do some nice ones, not sure where you're based, but this a UK supplier.

Personally, I would try and get either an enclosure or External Drive that has Firewire. Most enclosures and external drives seem to offer USB2 and not Firewire.

If you get Firewire, then you're iBook would be able to boot from the external drive if you needed to. Handy if you're on the road, and the main drive gets a bit corrupted.

I'll answer the wireless question after breakfast, toast is burning !

regards

Ric

 

[Ric]

Hi there,

The inbuilt card into the iBooks is a Airport Extreme card, in essence you will be able to hook up to any normal wireless networks that you have access to. If you are going to places that have Wireless networks already then you don't need the Airport Express.

The Airport Express is what's classed as a Base Station. This plugs into the Network at college or you can plug it into a ADSL modem. This then 'creates' your Wireless Network. Your iBook then connects to this, to get onto the Internet.

The Airport Express will give you a good 100 to 200 ft connection between it and the iBook. I have one which extends the range of my Airport Extreme Snow Base Station and it works very well.

eg.

If you were to walk in to a MacDonalds in the UK you could buy a voucher which would allow you to surf while having your food. You would just need your iBook. Open the lid, open Safari and enter the URL on the voucher, then type in the code and you're online. Sometimes handy if you have a voucher already...then drive in for a coffee, open laptop in your car and get your email !

Personally I have a Orinico Card that goes in the PCIMCIA slot on the side of the PowerBook, this card had a connector on the side that allows me to connect an external ariel, I use a Buffalo one. This is used more for work purposes, if I am doing any intrusion detection, or securing other peoples networks etc. For the most part you may not need an external antenna.

I can sit in my car on the drive and check my email while it's warming up, just using the normal inbuilt card.

The Internet sharing: is to allow other people to 'share' your internet connection, so yes in part it could help others who have a weaker signal...

let us know if you are unsure and I'll try and explain further.

regards

Ric

 

[imalousyhero]

Thank you for all the helpful information.

I already knew all about the express, i've been using it for a few months. I've been in the computer field for 10+ years so I know basically everything about PC, but apple hardware is still a bit foggy to me.

I believe the first place I'm staying at is using a Linksys wireless router(dsl), and the room i'll be staying in, with my fiance, gets a really weak signal. I don't know if my ibook will handle it better than her desktop, but I need a strong signal. So my express won't extend it, if I buy a base station will it? Or do you know of any other hardware that will extend it for less than the cost of a base station?

By the way, I live in the US.

 

[Ric]

Thanks, that's a bit clearer, you can use your Airport Express as an "Extender".

You would need to place the Airport Express half way in between the Wireless Base Station in the building and your iBook...then using Airport Admin software you have to make the Express connect to the network...this will then give you a good signal.

This will only work if you have access to names and passwords to the Network that you want the Express to 'join', which I presume you will have.

Hope this is a bit clearer.

regards

Ric

 

[imalousyhero]

Great, thanks! That helped a lot. I actually didn't even know those options existed. You're sure it'll work with a non-airport base station? I've heard rumors that it won't work. Sorry about all the questions, but I just have to be absolutely sure by the time I move.

 

[Ric]

Hi there,

without knowing the exact make and model of every base station you are going to want to use it with it's impossible to give a definitive yes or no.

Apple state on the Airport Express page that it will only extend a Apple Base Station...

...the reason they say that is so that they don't get thousands of calls from people with a Belkin, Netgear, Linksys etc base station and can't configure it to work...if you have the Apple Base Station it will configure very easily.

From what I can tell it should work, but needs a bit of manual configuring.

The only definite way would be to get an extra card and external aerial, this will then pick up the signals a lot better !

What model Linksys ?

regards

Ric

 

[Ric]

There's a read me here for one Linksys Base station...

regards

Ric