My mother just bought a new Mac, and it has an airport for a modem. She wants to connect to the internet, and I know she needs some extra equipment, but I know nothing about macs, so I don't know what she actually needs. What is the difference between a router and a wireless modem? Any recommendations on brands? Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
2006-11-11 02:52:45 · 2 answers · asked by Beck 2 in Computers & Internet ➔ Computer Networking
Just a fine point: the Airport card is not really a modem. It is just a way to connect the Mac to something else, such as a wireless router.
A router is a box that connects several ethernet devices (computers, printers, etc.) to one network cable. It does this by sending separate IP addresses to each device so they will seem to the network like they are all on their own cable connections.
If you want to simplify your life, get an Apple Airport Base Station (wireless router). You can even get one at a discount from the online Apple Store by searching for "refurbished". Many "refurbished" products are actually just new items that someone spent 30 minutes trying to setup and gave up, returning it for money back. It will come with 90 days of free telephone support that will be valuable to you if you don't feel confident in setting up your own network. There are two types: With modem for a telephone dialup to your ISP or without modem but with AirTunes for use with iTunes and a home stereo. Do you have either DSL or cable modem account for Internet? That means you can choose whichever you want. If you have a dialup account, you need the one with modem.
2006-11-12 23:02:25 · answer #1 · answered by SilverTonguedDevil 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
get a motorla modemn you can connect the wirless router to that
2006-11-11 02:55:42 · answer #2 · answered by HOT 1 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋