WPA compatible computers?

Your powerbook G4 supports WPA. Even the original AirPort card supports WPA personal, but not WPA2 personal. If you configure you AirPort Extreme for WPA/WPA2 Personal, you should be ok.

Most newer windows machines supports WPA too

As long as you are running OS 10.3 or later and you have used Software Update to keep the software up to date, your Mac can use WPA.

KB 107795, AirPort Card: When You Can Join a WPA Network

I have an original Airport card in my G4 PB as well and I cannot connect to my D-Link router (DIR 615) with WPA.

I have the latest Software available from Software Update and I know the WPA works because the other MacBook Pro on my network can easily connect with WPA.

Any suggestions?

Note: The router is 11n compatible but I took it down to 11b/g only to see if that was why the WPA wasn't working with my PB but it didn't help.

cleatusmac, Welcome to the discussion area!

Verify that you are NOT use WPA 2.

The original AirPort cards can NOT join a WPA2 protected network.

Neither can the new Airport cards, if you are using one of a not so small list of routers. D-Link routers seem to be the ones most "WPA2-unsupported" by Apple.

The AirPort Extreme cards fully support WPA2. However there are always some vendor products that implement standards in a slightly different way.

There is big money in interoperability testing - testing compatibility between products from different manufacturers.

Exactly, and the Airport Extreme is one of those implementing it in a slightly different way.

Apple is a newcomer with no credibility in the router market, whose product flout de-facto standards, and who decides not to implement services and features that any other manufacturer includes even with their low-entry routers.

Certainly Apple didn't want to invest what was necessary into interoperability testing.

I am trying to connect my wireless G5 to a linksys router but it will not work. Im using WPA but the mac wont even recognize the router at all. What can i do?

Apple is a newcomer with no credibility in the router market...

That's an interesting comment. Incorrect but interesting.

D-Link had it's first press release of a wireless product on Sept 12, 2000. I don't know when they started shipping.

Apple shipped it's first wireless products in July 1999.

So Apple was selling wireless products 14 months before D-Link.

BTW, I have no problem connecting to my D-Link DI-624 from my iBook G4 using WPA. The iBook G4 has AirPort Extreme built in.

the jewler, Welcome to the discussion area!

Is the router configured to broadcast the SSID (network name)? If not, you will need to go to the AirPort menu, select "Other..." and enter the name of the network and the WPA password.

i did that but it keeps giving me an error message..."There was an error joining the airport network 'edgar'". BTW, thanks for the warm welcome!

Certainly interesting, and not incorrect:

- The first wireless LAN products appeared in the market around 1991
- The first Airport wireless card (just a card, not a router) was presented in 1999

dLink is just one of many: cisco, 3Com, ... I don't think that pointing out a few months gap makes Apple such an experienced wireless vendor. Not to mention that there is more to wireless networking than a wireless card. Latest market research firms place cisco at the top of the enterprise market (around 60%) and Linksys in the consumer market (+30%) virtually side-by-side with dLink.

And yes, I as many others, have problems using WPA2 with a Mac mini to a dLink-524 -- to which every other laptop wireless card that has arrived home has had no problem to connect to.

duane, thank you for the info and welcome

I tried WPA only, with no WPA2, but still no go. The error msg said that the wireless network does not support the encryption method - though it worked with the 17" MacBook Pro.

So I've opted to the less secure WEP. I'm gonna try again with different variations soon. Please let me know if you have any other suggestions.

- The first Airport wireless card (just a card, not a router) was presented in 1999

Not to mention that there is more to wireless networking than a wireless card.

Sorry but again that is incorrect.

Apple introduced the graphite 802.11b AirPort base station (ABS) in 1999 at the same time that it introduced the 802.11b AirPort card for the Mac.