Wireless options on G3 Pismo

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Level 8

46,869 points

Wireless options on G3 Pismo

I just acquired a G3 Pismo. Are there any options for wireless connection to a DSL router on a G3 Pismo other than an Airport card? All of these cards cost about $100.

Cheers, Tom

G4 AGP 400, G3 400 FW Pismo, OS X (10.4), Mac OS X (10.3.9), OS 9.2.2, DSL, Zip, Canon LiDE30 Scanner, CD-RW, Canon i960 Printer, Belkin UPS

Posted on Jul 27, 2006 2:12 PM

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Answer 1

Jul 27, 2006 6:45 PM in response to Texas Mac Man

did you check on ebay?

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Answer 2

jpl

Level 7

28,285 points

Jul 27, 2006 7:21 PM in response to Texas Mac Man

Tom,

The original AirPort card that installs under the keyboard on the Pismo is outrageously priced since it is no longer made. Also, it is only an 802.11b / 11Mbps card.

There are several 802.11g / 54Mbps WiFi PC cards available that use the Broadcom chipset which is supported by Apple's AirPort software, assuming you are running 10.2.8 or later. I currently am using the discontinued Buffalo card on my Wallstreet and it worked perfectly under 10.3.9 and 10.4.7.

You can buy the card here for an excellent price from a very good company:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Buffalo/BUF80211B/

The other two cards I can recommend:

http://www.macsense.com/product/broadband/WPE800.html

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Sonnet%20Technology/G54CB/

Just be sure to download the latest AirPort software, version 4.1.1.

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Answer 3

Texas Mac Man Author

Level 8

46,869 points

Jul 28, 2006 7:53 AM in response to jpl

Thanks for the info. The WPE800 link no longer works.

Cheers, Tom

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Answer 4

Jul 30, 2006 9:16 AM in response to Texas Mac Man

I have been using a Orinoco Silver card for years now and have been very satisfied with it. But you do need to download a driver from a 3rd party site. If you decide to go this route and want to get the link to download the driver, let me know.

Thomas

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Answer 5

Jul 31, 2006 8:16 AM in response to Texas Mac Man

Hi TMM,

If you haven't already made a purchase, I'd heartily recommend the Linksys WPC54Gv3. I use this card in my Pismo (I'm typing this via the laptop at the moment), and can vouch for its stability, ease of use and price. It doesn't need any extra software - it's detected as an AirPort Extreme and set up as such. It's cheap and simple - just plug and play. Try eBay or Froogle to find one (I got mine from OverClockers UK for around £25-£30 and works with my Pismo and ThinkPad T23.)

Hope this helps,
Rob Johnson

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Answer 6

Texas Mac Man Author

Level 8

46,869 points

Aug 12, 2006 2:04 PM in response to jpl

jpl, you suggested an alternative - a MACSENSE AeroCard Extreme WPE-800 802.11g card.

I looked on eBay & there was only one listed, but I had the winning bid of $20.01. Here's some basic info on the card. For PC and Mac. Up to 54Mbps extreme-speed data transfer rate. Up to 1,312 feet (400m) operating range in an open environment. Compatible with Mac OS X (10.2 and above) and Windows 98/Me/2000/XP. Interoperable with 802.11b and 802.11g devices and works with all standard Internet applications. Supports 64 and 128-bit WEP encryption for highest security.
http://www.macsense.com/Product/networking/WPE800.html

The data transfer rate is 5 times that of the Airport card when used in a wireless computer-to-computer network, however, it basically has the same speed as an Airport card when interfacing the internet. Has its own antenna (protrudes out the side ~1"), instead of using the laptop's antenna.

The card arrived today. It plugs into the PC slot, instead of having to install under the keyboard (requires some disassembly of the laptop) like an Airport card. I was online wireless in about 30 seconds after booting the laptop. It interfaces my Netgear router. Now I don't have to interface the laptop to the router using a cable.

Thanks for your recommendation, Tom

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Answer 7

jpl

Level 7

28,285 points

Aug 12, 2006 8:06 PM in response to Texas Mac Man

Tom,

Nice buy, and glad it was so easy for you.

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Answer 8

Lawrance

Level 1

55 points

Oct 22, 2006 8:19 PM in response to Texas Mac Man

I know this is a very old thread, but I thought someone might benefit from my recent purchase. After a bunch of research, I just bought a Motorola WN825G off eBay for $19. My Pismo thinks it's an Airport card and NO drivers are needed. Perfect reception (even better after Tiger upgrade).

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Answer 9

M B1

Level 1

65 points

Nov 3, 2006 8:00 AM in response to Lawrance

I know this is a very old thread, but I thought
someone might benefit from my recent purchase. After
a bunch of research, I just bought a Motorola WN825G
off eBay for $19. My Pismo thinks it's an Airport
card and NO drivers are needed. Perfect reception
(even better after Tiger upgrade).

I wanted to second the above post. I was looking for a card this week for a G3. The Motorola WN825G does not get mentioned often as working with the older macs, but it definitely does. Its a broadcom chip and OS X recognized it as an Apple wireless card -- no drivers required. Plus, you can usually buy it for less than $25 (not just on ebay).

I post because, due to the few posts on the WN825G, I felt I was taking a chance that it would not work. It does.

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Answer 10

Texas Mac Man Author

Level 8

46,869 points

Nov 4, 2006 6:49 AM in response to Texas Mac Man

Here's a useful site.

Wireless FAQ For Older Apple PowerBook Computers
http://home.earthlink.net/~kjvann/

Cheers, Tom

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Answer 11

dcm229

Level 1

0 points

Dec 5, 2006 7:43 PM in response to Texas Mac Man

I just got a Pismo and I'm trying to run a Lucent WaveLAN Bronze Turbo cardbus adapter on it, but I'm having trouble. It doesn't work right away when I plugged it in, so I tried downloading the Lucent WaveLAN software (version 6, I believe - I found out about it in the aforementioned FAQ).

Anyway, apparently I need OS 9 to run the software, but I don't have OS 9. I'm wondering if there is any easy way around this without getting OS 9 (which I may end up getting eventually, just not right away).

The good thing is that I only paid $10 for this card at the campus surplus store, so I figured it's worth a shot even if it doesn't work. =)

Thanks!
Dave

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Answer 12

jpl

Level 7

28,285 points

Dec 5, 2006 8:11 PM in response to dcm229

Dave,

Don't install 9.x just to run a wireless card; you can get the job done in 10.x.

You have an 802.11b (11Mbps) wireless card with the Orinoco chipset. There is a freeware driver that supports this card but the driver has not been updated for a few years. It was written for 10.2.x and has been used in 10.3.x but I have no info on 10.4.x...might be worth a try.
http://wirelessdriver.sourceforge.net/

This driver definitely works with all versions of OSX and supports your PC card:
http://www.ioxperts.com/

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Answer 13

dcm229

Level 1

0 points

Dec 7, 2006 7:38 AM in response to jpl

Thanks for your help, Jpl!

The first driver you mentioned did not work for some reason (maybe it isn't compatible with OS 10.4, or maybe I wasn't doing something right). Anyway, I tried the IOXperts one and that one seems to work just fine.

Thanks again,
Dave

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