Take Control of Your AirPort Network

Make your AirPort network fly!

In this title about classic 802.11b- and 802.11g-based AirPort networking, Wi-Fi networking expert Glenn Fleishman shows you how to select the best networking gear (both Apple's AirPort hardware and cheaper options), position a base station for optimal performance, configure devices, and lock out snoopers.

Interested in Apple's new 802.11n-based AirPort Extreme Base Station or Time Capsule? Check out Take Control of Your 802.11n AirPort Network.

"If anyone knows about real-world Wi-Fi, it's Glenn Fleishman."
—Mark Frauenfelder, co-founder of bOING bOING

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FAQ
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Learn the four things to consider when purchasing hardware (and what device to avoid!), solutions to seven common Internet configuration problems, how to connect a USB printer to a base station, and four ways to extend your network's range. Whether you're just getting started with wireless or you have an existing network you want to expand or make more secure, you'll find useful information that will save you money and time. Cool extras! Locate adapters for older Macs and learn the best ways to configure AirPort Express and AirTunes!

Read this ebook to learn the answers to questions like:

How do I work with Keychain Access?
How do I configure AirPort Express extras?
How do I connect to a network and manage profiles?
How do I connect with WPA Enterprise?
Help! How do I diagnose network troubles in Tiger?
How do I handle dynamically assigned addresses?
How do I set a password to restrict access to my base station?

A coupon at the end of the ebook saves you $10 on IPNetRouterX from Sustainable Softworks.

Book Info

161 pages
Version 1.2
Updated 15-Sep-05
ISBN: 0975950355
Free sample with Table of Contents, Intro, Quick Start, and section starts.

About the Author

Fleishman, Glenn headshot Glenn Fleishman is a technology journalist based in Seattle, where he lives with his wife and two sons, both of whom are adept at accidentally pressing the Power button on his laptop. He’s a contributing editor at TidBITS, responsible for much of their Web and publishing infrastructure; a columnist for the Seattle Times on all things Mac related; and a regular contributor to the Economist, Macworld, and Ars Technica. He appears regularly on his local public radio station, KUOW.

Book Reviews

AAUG (5/5)
matt.maklumedia.com
Mac Guild (B+)
Contact us for review copies

Author Interviews

Read Me First
Introduction
AirPort Networking Quick Start
Wireless Basics
Pick a Base Station
Set Up Your Base Station and Local Network
Set Up Your Internet Connection
Configure AirPort Express Extras
Connect Your Computers
Setting Up a Shared USB Printer
Improve Coverage Area and Range
Secure Your Network
App. A: Setting up a Software Base Station
App. B: Connect without AirPort Adapters
App. C: AirPort Management Tools
App. D: Dynamically Assigned Addresses
App. E: Diagnose Network Troubles in Tiger

Read Me First

This ebook helps you install and get the most out of a Wi-Fi network. This ebook was written by Glenn Fleishman, edited by Tonya and Adam Engst, and published by TidBITS Electronic Publishing.

Introduction

Apple introduced wireless networking to the world with AirPort in 1999. Although corporations had been using forms of wireless networking for warehouse tracking and to connect buildings in a large campus, the cost was high, speeds were low, and complexity was mani-fest. Other companies were selling similar wireless hardware in 1999, but Apple's product shot off the shelves due to its comparatively low initial price, its simple configuration interface, and its excellent performance.

AirPort came out of the same approach that allowed Apple to ship the iMac the year before: taking parts that were available and standard, and combining them in a unique package that provided more value than any of the parts.

The AirPort Card fit into a special slot in Macs; its standalone, central coordinating hub was called the AirPort Base Station. The original AirPort line was superceded and supplemented in 2003 with AirPort Extreme, a faster and backward-compatible version. Apple later added its least expensive base station ever, the AirPort Express, which bundles several features into a unique package for home and traveling users.

Despite Apple's 6-year history with wireless networking and the general excellence of their software and support, I still find the same questions asked again and again. This book addresses these concerns and gives you tips that should save time, improve security, extend range, and give you a technical edge when working with AirPort networks.

Although the title of this book references AirPort, the book not only covers AirPort, AirPort Extreme, and AirPort Express equipment, but also includes many tips about comparable equipment or connecting to non-AirPort networks or from non-AirPort equipment.

I start with purchasing decisions, move through installation and config-u-ration, give advice on the common task of extending the range of a home or small-office network, and finish with how-to infor-ma-tion on security for those who want to make their AirPort networks free from interception. Several appendixes cover in-depth configuration of specific software and hardware.

Update Plans

We have no plans to update this title, since it covers largely obsolete hardware (which may still be of interest, if you have that hardware). For current information, see Take Control of Your 802.11n AirPort Network.

—Adam C. Engst

AirPort Ebook Now Snow Leopard-Savvy

September 8, 2009 --

Glenn Fleishman is known for his infectious enthusiasm for all things AirPort, and he certainly lived up to that reputation with his speedy work updating his popular ebook Take Control of Your 802.11n AirPort Network to cover Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. The ebook still covers Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, and it still has notes about older versions of Mac OS X (and Windows XP and Vista) where appropriate, such as when describing how to connect to an AirPort-attached USB printer. The 265-page ebook remains priced at $15.

This update cleans up a few loose ends, such as the fact that the Time Capsule no longer has a 500 GB model and instead comes in 1 TB and 2 TB sizes. The main point of the update, however, is to add Snow Leopard information. This involved a number of small wording changes, some new screenshots, and a major revision of the text that discusses the AirPort menu in the menu bar. That's key because Snow Leopard makes a few subtle changes, and Option-clicking to open the menu in Snow Leopard reveals much more useful information about nearby networks than was present in Leopard.

If you already own version 1.x of Take Control of Your 802.11n AirPort Network, you can get a free update; open your PDF to page 1 and click Check for Updates. If you own one of Glenn's previous AirPort ebooks, you can access a discounted update via Check for Updates.

—Tonya Engst

IEEE Closes on Ratification of 802.11n

August 7, 2009 --

The IEEE, the engineering group that develops and shepherds the 802.11 family of specifications, has moved the 802.11n standard out of lower-level committees. The standard, started several years ago, and called Draft N since the standard wasn't precisely finished even though details were fundamentally finalized, will be fully ratified later this year.

—Glenn Fleishman

Where’s AirPort Admin Utility?

October 31, 2008 --

If you’re using an old graphite or snow base station and thus need the older AirPort Admin Utility, but you can't find it, note that it may still be on your Mac, but with a new name. When you install AirPort Utility or upgrade to Leopard, the original utility gets renamed "AirPort Admin Utility for Graphite and Snow" (find it in /Applications/Utilities).

—Tonya Engst

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