hands on
Look Mac, no wires!
Michael Vallance

In 1895 a 21-year-old Italian, Guglieimo Marconi, set up a transmitter in his back yard and managed to send sound to a receiver positioned behind a hill 3km away.

In 1912 as the Titanic sank, one of its officers sent out distress signals that were picked up by the passing Carpathia.

In 1954 Texas Instruments introduced a portable device which was used by teenagers to listen to rock and roll.

In 1999 wireless computing became a reality as Apple released its AirPort Base Station.

What do these have in common? Radio waves.

Classrooms obsolete
The AirPort Base Station transfers data up to 11 Mbits per second (Mbps) over a distance of about 45m, through walls if they happen to get in the way.

With the accompanying Airport card slotted into your iBook or PowerBook you can access the Net up to speeds equivalent of 10BaseT Ethernet without being restricted to network points and cables.

Apple’s AirPort technology is fantastic. The Base Station connects up to 11 Macs and AirPort cards allow Macs to wirelessly connect to each other (think network games!).

School computer laboratories no longer need to replicate the linear Victorian classroom layout and your dream of doing your online assignment by the pool might become reality.

After buying your AirPort Base Station and AirPort card the rest is "Mac-simple". Installing an AirPort card is straightforward. On the new iMacs simply unclip the small cover at the back of the computer and you will see a slot for the card. Make sure you push it in the correct way.

On the iBooks and PowerBooks, just lift up the keyboard and slot in your AirPort card. The G4 side cover drops down to reveal the card slot. Plug your Base Station into your Ethernet or telephone cable socket and switch it on.

Click on the AirPort control strip at the bottom of your screen and select the name of the wireless network present.

This is why Mac users wirelessly surf the Web in the canteens at Nanyang Technological University, Temasek Poly and Changi Airport simply by opening their iBooks and PowerBooks. Mac Users Group Singapore has a web page, complete with pictures, detailing the set up if you need more help (www.macuser.org.sg/5art/airport.html).

AirPort 1.3, the recent upgrade, allows the creation of a wireless computer-to-computer network (previously only peer-to-peer). You can even maintain a single IP (Internet Protocol) address for a network of Macs.

Now open your browser and access a website: www.apple.com/airport may be a good start. Walk your iBook to the kitchen, pop into the garden, go upstairs...you are forever connected. Even though the signal will travel through concrete and up to about 45m, it may reduce once you start entering elevators or walking too far from the Base Station.

"The placement of the Base Station is very important," said Mr Fred Teo of the Mac Users Group. "As far as possible, try to place your Base Station at the centre of the house so that you have all the corners covered if you intend to roam around. And do not place the Base Station near a microwave so as to prevent radio interference."

And what if your Mac is not AirPort-compatible?

"All the latest Macs are AirPort-compatible," said Mr Teo. "If you have older PowerBooks, inserting the Orinoco wireless card to the PCMCIA slot works fine. However, earlier iMac owners are out of luck."

Outdoor assignments
For schools and universities, AirPort technology allows any room to be used as a computer lab. In fact the fixed, physical lab might disappear one day as students demand access to the network from the iBooks and PowerBooks they bring to class. This is true e-learning as students integrate technology while collaborating on their projects and assignments in the classroom or even outdoors.

Apple has success stories at its education web site (www.apple.com/education).
The AirPort Base Station costs much less than a PC equivalent while AirPort cards are an affordable $180. Buy online at the Apple Store (www.asia.apple.com/store) or see a demo at Funan’s Apple Centre (tel 336-9929).

Michael Vallance is from the Mac Users Group of Sing-apore. Its website is at www.macuser.org.sg