i cannot connect my Ibook G3 to the internet via Airport.

I would start by temporarily disabling wireless encryption on your wireless network. Once you do, try seeing if your iBook can connect now. If so, the built-in AirPort card in your iBook may not be able to connect to wireless networks using either WPA or WPA2. It would depend on the version of the card itself.

What exact model or order number is your iBook? Both would start with the letter "M." For example, a typical model number would be: M2453. An example of an order number would be: M7707LL/A. All of the G3 iBook's had the option for an 802.11b AirPort card.

Hello, again!

Was over making a mess in your other thread, adding a few links

& a few extra lengthy paragraphs that generally may apply, or not.

Good to see you did diversify your question to other areas, since

the question primarily was wireless in the old iBook (dualUSB) G3.

And another would be in learning how to set up whichever MacOS

you were going to try & use online.

Did you locate a retail install DVD for Tiger 10.4? Does your iBook

have a CD-ROM drive, or a combo DVD-read/CD R/W? The CD

version of Tiger is very rare and would be four disc installer set.

My first edition 12-inch iBook G3 dual-USB (may 2001) did not have

a suitable drive for DVD media; it was the first model low-end version.

Later I was given a FireWire external optical superdrive; by

then I was already past using the early dual-USB iBook G3.

What will it be used for mostly?

Good luck & happy computing! 🙂

and the Airport card has these numbers (amongst others):

S/N 152JATLP6

Ok, it looks like you have a revision 2 card. This card can support both WEP & WPA wireless security. It cannot connect to a wireless network using WPA2.

Im not sure i know how to disable the password on my router..i think its pretty much hardwired into it :/

Sounds like you don't have an Apple router. Most routers do allow you to access their configuration settings via a web browser interface. If yours allows for this, you may be able to (temporarily) disable wireless security that way ... or be able to change it to the WPA level.

..and I have looked on all the documentation on my router and cant find a way to disable the password. i will have another look on the web browser interface.

Maybe we can help. What is the make & model of your router?

..if i can change it to WPA, is the connection less secure?

Yes, but not significantly. WPA, although not as secure as WPA2, is many times more secure than WEP ... or no security at all.

is there any way around this - for example, using a dongle or ethernet connection?

Possibly. A number of vendors do provide USB wireless adapters. Other World Computing (OWC) is one I know that does. Not sure if they have them for iBooks though.

As has been indicated by Tesserax already, WPA could be used with an internal AirPort card (but only if the iBook has Mac OS X 10.3 or later and is using AirPort software version 3.3 or later).

If you wish to use WPA2, or if there is a problem with WPA or earlier security protocols, you may want to try a USB wireless (Wi-Fi) adapter instead. The problem with USB adapters is that they need special driver software. There may be a few USB adapters available with support for Mac OS X 10.3 or 10.4 (often difficult to find, but examples may include versions of ASUS USB-N13). Check specifications and requirements before you buy. Please note that the speed will be limited by a USB 1.1 port (12 Mbps).

At this point, the iBook in question is running Mac OS 9.2.2. In principle, with that operating system, one could make the iBook connect via WPA or WPA2, but not via the AirPort card or a USB wireless adapter. An external wireless Ethernet bridge (connected to the Ethernet port of the computer) would have to be used. There are such devices (also known as gaming or media adapters) from several manufacturers. Netgear WNCE2001 and Linksys WET610N are merely two examples. One disadvantage is the size. Another is that a separate power supply may be needed (although the WNCE2001 could use power via USB). Typically, a wireless Ethernet bridge setup can be done via a standard web browser (it does not have to be on the computer where the device is to be used later). The main advantage is that special driver software is not (usually) needed, thus allowing the wireless Ethernet bridge to work under almost any operating system (even on some very old Macintosh computers, as long as they are Ethernet-capable). Some of the Wi-Fi range extenders have an Ethernet port, and may be used in a similar way.

However, the choice of web browsers for Mac OS 9.x is limited (iCab is one, but do expect difficulties accessing certain web sites).

What is an external wireless Ethernet bridge? I understand when an Ethernet wire is, but not familiar with an ethernet bridge :/

A wireless Ethernet bridge is a device that connects to an existing Wi-Fi network and provides Ethernet connections for non-wireless network clients. Think of a network bridge, like a real one, as allowing you to connect two different media (wireless & wired) together.

One example of this type of device is the AirPort Express. The Express can be configured to "join an existing wireless network," and when doing so its Ethernet ports will be enabled for wired clients, like your iBook.

Hi NZG73,

Yes, upgrading to Mac OS 10.4 is probably a wise decision (you may have to make sure that the computer has enough RAM). For WPA2, the easiest way could be to use a USB wireless (Wi-Fi) adapter, if you can find one with the necessary Mac drivers (at least two of the USB devices under the OWC link provided by Tesserax are said to support 10.4, and the same seems to be true for versions of the ASUS USB-N13 model).

A wireless Ethernet bridge can appear in many shapes, and under different names. Netgear WNCE2001 and Linksys WET610N are examples of media/gaming adapters, which allow the connection of wired (Ethernet) devices like TVs, game consoles and computers to a wireless network (router). Also, Wi-Fi range extenders (such as TP-LINK TL-WA850RE and Netgear WN3000RP) often include an Ethernet bridge mode. You may want to download user manuals for some of the products in order to find out more about their capabilities.

so an "Airport express" could also work with my Ibook?

Yes.

Also, ( on a sort-of un-related topic) if i connect the Ibook via an Ethernet wire, do i need to disconnect the Airport card or does it not matter?

You do not need to disconnect the AirPort card. You can also control which networking device is enabled via OS X's System Preferences > Network.

Here, as the image below shows, you should have at least two choices: AirPort & Built-in Ethernet. Your iBook should "sense" which is active, but you can actually disable a network connector via the Configure... button.