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User profile for user: nakedeyeimages
nakedeyeimages Author
User level: Level 1
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I have an old iBook G3 700MHz - can it go wirelessly and how if so?

Hi! Can anyone advise me please.... i want to give my old mum my old iBook which is a POWER PC G3 going by the more about your Mac info and the list Apple have on their site as it is 700MHz. It is white and the screen is about 12" wide... can i get it to connect wirelessly? What can i buy to get it to do this? Are there options? Will it be safe?

I have read somewhere that these old iBooks have 1.1 ports and most adapters are for 2.0 ports so just want the most cost effective way to do this so she can use it without being connected to a Ethernet wire. Help please....

iBook, Mac OS X (10.4.11), 700MHz, 256MG SD RAM

Posted on Dec 3, 2012 5:57 AM

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User profile for user: Knucklesmac
Knucklesmac
User level: Level 4
2,240 points

Posted on Dec 3, 2012 6:04 AM

Hello and welcome to the support community.


The most common way to get your iBook G3 on the Internet wirelessly, is via the Airport Card which can be installed under the keyboard. This Airport card can be paucashed from online parts stores or via eBay.

Note it's not an AirPort Extreme as that is for the later G4 models.

The only down side to using the Airport card is having the ability to connect to WPA2 wifi's.

if the wifi has a security encryption of WPA2 then it wont work with Airport cards.


The only other alternative is a USB wifi card which plugs into your USB port, however you have a USB 1 port and most USB 2 wifi devices may not be compatible with your iBook.

If you choose this option, I suggest you research the adapter and it's capabilities before your buy it.


Best of luck

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User profile for user: Knucklesmac
Knucklesmac
User level: Level 4
2,240 points

Dec 3, 2012 6:04 AM in response to nakedeyeimages

Hello and welcome to the support community.


The most common way to get your iBook G3 on the Internet wirelessly, is via the Airport Card which can be installed under the keyboard. This Airport card can be paucashed from online parts stores or via eBay.

Note it's not an AirPort Extreme as that is for the later G4 models.

The only down side to using the Airport card is having the ability to connect to WPA2 wifi's.

if the wifi has a security encryption of WPA2 then it wont work with Airport cards.


The only other alternative is a USB wifi card which plugs into your USB port, however you have a USB 1 port and most USB 2 wifi devices may not be compatible with your iBook.

If you choose this option, I suggest you research the adapter and it's capabilities before your buy it.


Best of luck

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User profile for user: bund
bund
User level: Level 3
809 points

Dec 4, 2012 2:05 AM in response to nakedeyeimages

The main problem is to find a USB Wifi card with provides drivers for the old OSX 10.4.

If you use a USB 2.0 stick on a USB 1.1. port it will provide a data rate which is slower as specified.


You can use a Wireless Ethernet Bridge, which is connected to the standard ethernet port of your iBook and meets modern standards. The device is stand-alone, work driverless and is configured via browser-interface. They are mainly made for Xbox and other gaing devices or TVs but will work with your iBook too.


You may consider to max out your RAM from 256MB to 640MB. A 512 MB RAM stick costs less than 20$ nowadays.

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I have an old iBook G3 700MHz - can it go wirelessly and how if so?

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