Connecting my PowerBook 1400 to Internet

Curious if the built-in 56kbps dial-up modem could be used as an internet portal

from within the AirPort Extreme models which have such a connection available.

Which model orb base station are you considering in this instance?

This older ASC discussion did not touch on using the AirPort Extreme w/ modem:

Wireless Internet for PowerBook 1400cs???

I'd used my AirPort Extreme with 56K modem (with external Antenna, etc) as

wireless internet {access with dial-up} for access outdoors across a large yard

to other buildings where I used portable & other computers. But not the other

way. Mine was one of the last orb shaped models, perhaps a M8799B/A unit.

An outline or general functions of the later model AirPort (in 2004?) is here:

http://www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk/products/457-apple-m8799b-a/

There was a method to call or dial-in with this base station, in the day, for admin

access; not sure if the computer had to be using OS X to do that. The basic

settings & admin, were intended for that do be done via a computer with OS X.

It may be worth a try, but I did not find any documentation (so far) online to support

the idea, and it may be a stretch to hope the modem inside the base station to be

able to passively allow a two-way internet connection to a Mac not running OS X.

(Or, if at all.) This is something I've never tried; although I still have three of these.

The Ethernet method if a suitable adapter could be used, may be possible through

the ports in a base station.

Hopefully someone with some vintage experience can answer this interesting question

with some workable solution. Or at least make some creative suggestions to help.

Good luck! 🙂

Hi Carlos,

>I Used in the 90s this adaptor get connected to the mini din8 port.

The item in the picture is a PhoneNET type connection box (with cable and terminating resistor) that was used (instead of a LocalTalk box and cabling) for a LocalTalk local network (using the AppleTalk protocol). This not for a serial modem connection to the Internet (over the phone lines).

>Saw in the back of the modem with came in Internet service a telehone connector, so I get a telephone wire and pluged in! I made the connection to the adapter to the mini-din8 port. I made the configuration with the assistant to a network but no luck.

I guess that the phone connector on the modem is intended for connecting telephones for IP telephony or something similar. Is this combined with the Linksys router or something separate (model etc?). Anyway, this is not something to be used with your PowerBook 1400. The PhoneNET connection box would not be used here.

>is it possible to connect a Powerbook 1400 with the Lan

You could use a PCMCIA (16-bit PC Card) in a PB 1400 PC Card slot. This could be an Ethernet card card (make sure that it is a model with support for the Macintosh operating system version in question) to be connected by cable to the router.

Alternatively, you could use a PCMCIA (16-bit PC Card) Wi-Fi 802.11b network card such as Orinoco Silver or Gold (see http://www.penmachine.com/techie/airport1400.html for details). However, an early Wi-Fi card would not work with the latest security standards WPA/WPA2.

>in the case it could be possible, can someone help me with the steps with the assistant?

If you are connecting through Ethernet cabling to the LAN port of a router, it should be relatively easy. Typically, DHCP is used. Just check that the TCP/IP control panel has the corresponding settings.

>Also I have an airport base station with the telephone jack! Will that work too?

K Shaffer has already mentioned the AirPort Extreme base station with a modem. Do you possibly have an A1034 model (see the faint grey text underneath)? If so, additional information can be found in the manual https://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/0/MA436/en_US/AirPortExtremeBaseStationSe tupGuide.pdf. The A1034 variant with a built-in modem can be used for both dial-up (connecting to an ISP over the phone lines and sharing this Internet connection locally, both wirelessly and wired) and dial-in (allowing at least certain PowerBook computers to phone in to the base station, thus allowing access to a local network and to the Internet). The dial-in function could perhaps, somehow, be made to work even locally, but that would require a serial modem for the notebook computer to begin with, and probably experiments with things like a line simulator and AirPort software.

The modem in the pictures is a 33.6 kbps serial modem, apparently with a MiniDIN-8M plug for a serial Mac port. It also looks like an ADB port adapter, typically for the power supply.

The base station is an AirPort Extreme Base Station with a built-in modem. It looks like the A1034 model (you could verify this; a magnifying glass may be needed). As already indicated by K Shaffer, it is also a software question. It may be possible to use a more modern operating system, and an appropriate AirPort administration utility, just to configure dial-in. Whether or not it then would be possible to use a PowerBook 1400 running Mac OS 8.5 to dial in to the base station is another matter. It should be possible to use a PPP program for the connection as such, but I do not know whether or not special software then would be needed for login. Also, a direct (local) modem-to-modem (in this case the external 33.6 modem to the modem in the AirPort Extreme base station) connection would not provide ring signals. Furthermore, a line simulator (one could build one using a 9V battery, a 330 Ohm resistor and a slightly modified RJ-11 to RJ-11 cable) is often required between two local modems. So, many things to experiment with.

>If I want to connect my LCIII or my 6360 or a Quadra 605 it's not possible Now days???

These computers can be equipped with a network card, That would make it possible to connect to the LAN ports of a router. For example, System 7.5.3 contains the necessary TCP/IP software.

Addendum

>It also looks like an ADB port adapter, typically for the power supply.

Please note that the total allowed current (for example, 100mA) for a PowerBook computer's ADB port may be substantially lower than for a desktop machine. If inadequate, a separate power supply may have to be used for the modem.

Carlos,

You could perhaps try a web search for Orinoco 6.3 or 7.2 Mac drivers (for Mac OS 8.5, an update to Mac OS 8.6 may or may not be required).

Generally speaking, finding information about older hardware and drivers is not always easy. Often, a plain Google search including hardware or driver names/versions is sufficient. In other cases, an Internet archive search may help.