How can I connect my PB G4 to the internet with Airport Extreme on macOS Tiger 10.4?

As has been mentioned by Servant of Cats, an AirPort Extreme base station would not use anything higher than WPA2.

A PowerBook G4 may be able to use WPA or WPA2 security, depending on the exact model/year (see the everymac link above), the operating system version, and the type of internal card (AirPort or AirPort Extreme, if any).

If an internal card is not installed, or if there is a problem with the Wi-Fi connection (to the router/base station) as such, a workaround could be to use an appropriate Wi-Fi range extender with Ethernet bridge capabilities (operating in a client/adapter/bridge mode) via the Ethernet port of the PowerBook G4. Such a Wi-Fi range extender (wireless Ethernet bridge) should be able to connect to the existing router/base station.

However, as indicated earlier, the Internet web site problem remains. This has to do with the limited capabilities of the web browsers compatible with a PowerBook G4 and its operating system. Connecting to http sites should be OK, but do not expect modern (secure) web pages on https sites to work.

Chances are you're not going to be able to connect to most https sites.

Researchers discovered that the security protocol originally used in https was weaker than they thought, and there was a movement to replace it with stronger protocols. It was well into the Intel years when Mac OS X and Safari got support for the new protocols. Maybe in El Capitan (10.11), but in any case, long after the release of Leopard (10.5), the last version of Mac OS X that ran on PowerPC-based Macs.

Now most https sites don't want to talk to browsers that only support the old, weak protocol.

There have also been many other changes to Web sites and standards that would tend to make it hard or impossible for really old browsers to display modern Internet sites well. But that https one is a big one. If you can't connect, it doesn't matter how well or how poorly your old browser might have rendered the display.

Problem is mostly outdated Browsers. :(

Thanks to A Brody, Browsers by Mac operating system…

Browsers by Mac operating system - Apple Community

Hi,

Are you referring to Internet connection difficulties with a built-in AirPort Extreme card, or via an AirPort Extreme base station? For Wi-Fi security protocol problems, other solutions may be available.

A PowerBook G4 is well worth keeping. All models have one or two FireWire ports, which can be useful for transfers from tape-based digital video cameras. Target disk mode is another feature. All except the 12" model have a PC Card slot. The Ti models can boot from Mac OS 9.x or use the Classic environment under Mac OS X. The Al models Classic environment only. Many of the original applications are still perfectly usable.

https://everymac.com/systems/apple/powerbook_g4/index-powerbook-g4.html

However, as has been indicated above, a PowerBook G4 computer is not really suitable for the Internet today. While limited use via something like the (now discontinued) TenFourFox browser may be possible, most modern sites will not work properly. For this you will need a more modern computer (in some cases, an appropriate Linux distribution will allow even a relatively old Mac or PC to use current web browsers).

Davyth15 wrote:

I have an airport extreme base station. Can that actually connect with a WPA3 security password?

:-) David (-:

Not with WPA3. WPA3 was released in June 2018. The last AirPort Extreme that Apple ever introduced was the AirPort Extreme 802.11ac, sold between June 2013 and April 2018. It supported WPA and WPA2, but not WPA3.

AirPort Extreme 802.11ac - Technical Specifications - Apple Support

There are AirPort Extreme base station models going back as far as November 2001. The others were all introduced and discontinued years before WPA3 came out, so it stands to reason that none of them support it, either.

Not just browsers but a Tiger-era email client with older weak security protocols won't be able to connect to contemporary mail servers now.

👍