Wireless broadband and the Mac

[Bob Harris]

In article <david-648DE9.10054223082003@slb-newsm1.svr.pol.co.uk>,
David Steward <david@steward4.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:

> I live in a rural part of north east England., too far from a town large
> enough to qualify for broadband internet access from the usual sources.
> However we are due to get a wireless broadband service from Horizon
> soon. Their website is [url]http://www.horizon-wireless.co.uk/[/url]. They are a little
> vague about what hardware I will need to link my
> Mac, using OSX, up to the service. Does anyone have any experience of
> such services? Can you help with any hardware suggestions?
>
> Thanks
> David

This is from their FAQ
<http://www.horizon-wireless.co.uk/FAQs.html#Question3>

Will the software needed be compatible with Mac OSX

Our service will require an antenna connected to a wireless LAN card
(WiFi) in your computer or connected to a separate little box
that then connects to an Ethernet LAN connection on your computer.
To your computer it will look like an Internet connection via
a LAN, so there should be no problem with MAC or any other software.

[David Steward]

In article <harris-E2D60A.11101423082003@juggl7.zk3.dec.com>,
Bob Harris <harris@zk3.dec.com> wrote:

> In article <david-648DE9.10054223082003@slb-newsm1.svr.pol.co.uk>,
> David Steward <david@steward4.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
>

> > I live in a rural part of north east England., too far from a town large
> > enough to qualify for broadband internet access from the usual sources.
> > However we are due to get a wireless broadband service from Horizon
> > soon. Their website is [url]http://www.horizon-wireless.co.uk/[/url]. They are a
> > little
> > vague about what hardware I will need to link my
> > Mac, using OSX, up to the service. Does anyone have any experience of
> > such services? Can you help with any hardware suggestions?
> >
> > Thanks
> > David

>
> This is from their FAQ
> <http://www.horizon-wireless.co.uk/FAQs.html#Question3>
>
> Will the software needed be compatible with Mac OSX
>
> Our service will require an antenna connected to a wireless LAN card
>
> (WiFi) in your computer or connected to a separate little box
>
> that then connects to an Ethernet LAN connection on your computer.
>
> To your computer it will look like an Internet connection via
>
> a LAN, so there should be no problem with MAC or any other software.

Thanks for the reply. I had read their FAQ but they are very vague. I
wanted to know what ³a separate little box² is. They have arranged local
demonstrations but the typical answer to Mac questions is the past at
similar events in local dealers, has been to use a PC.

David

[Phil Stripling]

David Steward <david@steward4.freeserve.co.uk> writes:

> Thanks for the reply. I had read their FAQ but they are very vague. I
> wanted to know what ?a separate little box? is. They have arranged local
> demonstrations but the typical answer to Mac questions is the past at
> similar events in local dealers, has been to use a PC.

I believe they are referring to a WiFi card which you can install in most
modern Macs internally. If not, you'll need an external box which connects
the card. Internal cards need an antenna; my wife's iBook has the card, and
the antenna was built into the laptop.

Check
[url]http://www.maczone.com/[/url]
[url]http://www.macwarehouse.com/[/url]
or other Mac sellers to see what is offered in the way of 'outside'
upgrades for WiFi.

Louise uses her WiFi-enabled laptop and an Airport base station to connect
her laptop to our home LAN, which then gives her access to the web over our
DSL connection. Her laptop communicates by WiFi with the Airport base
station. The base is connected by ethernet to the Router, and the router to
the DSL modem.

I don't know what your service will offer in the way of hardware, but this
is the basic package. If you have only one computer, you won't need a
router. We have 4 computers connected to our router.
--
Philip Stripling | email to the replyto address is presumed
Legal Assistance on the Web | spam and read later. email to philip@
[url]http://www.PhilipStripling.com/[/url] | my domain is read daily.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi,
Wireless is just replacing cable(wire) with radio wave. That little box
is radio device to interface your Mac to the wireless. With something
like registered serial number or tracking number imbedded, so others
can't hitch hike on their system. Only thing is having steady strong
RF signal in your place so you can maintain stable connection.
Other than that, there won't be any difference from cable connection.
That's what I'd think.
After all, if it does not work, you can cancel subscription, can't you?
Tony

David Steward wrote:

> In article <harris-E2D60A.11101423082003@juggl7.zk3.dec.com>,
> Bob Harris <harris@zk3.dec.com> wrote:
>
>

>>In article <david-648DE9.10054223082003@slb-newsm1.svr.pol.co.uk>,
>> David Steward <david@steward4.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>

>>>I live in a rural part of north east England., too far from a town large
>>>enough to qualify for broadband internet access from the usual sources.
>>>However we are due to get a wireless broadband service from Horizon
>>>soon. Their website is [url]http://www.horizon-wireless.co.uk/[/url]. They are a
>>>little
>>>vague about what hardware I will need to link my
>>>Mac, using OSX, up to the service. Does anyone have any experience of
>>>such services? Can you help with any hardware suggestions?
>>>
>>>Thanks
>>>David

>>
>>This is from their FAQ
>><http://www.horizon-wireless.co.uk/FAQs.html#Question3>
>>
>>Will the software needed be compatible with Mac OSX
>>
>>Our service will require an antenna connected to a wireless LAN card
>>
>>(WiFi) in your computer or connected to a separate little box
>>
>>that then connects to an Ethernet LAN connection on your computer.
>>
>>To your computer it will look like an Internet connection via
>>
>>a LAN, so there should be no problem with MAC or any other software.

>
>
> Thanks for the reply. I had read their FAQ but they are very vague. I
> wanted to know what ³a separate little box² is. They have arranged local
> demonstrations but the typical answer to Mac questions is the past at
> similar events in local dealers, has been to use a PC.
>
> David

[David Steward]

In article <tqN1b.819317$3C2.18552941@news3.calgary.shaw.ca >,
Tony Hwang <dragon40@shaw.ca> wrote:

> Hi,
> Have you looked at how much it's gonna cost you?
> Wireless service ispretty expensive. Looked into
> Satellite hook up as well?(maybe cheaper and you can watch
> TV as well)
> Tony
>
> David Steward wrote:

> > I live in a rural part of north east England., too far from a town large
> > enough to qualify for broadband internet access from the usual sources.
> > However we are due to get a wireless broadband service from Horizon
> > soon. Their website is [url]http://www.horizon-wireless.co.uk/[/url]. They are a
> > little vague about what hardware I will need to link my
> > Mac, using OSX, up to the service. Does anyone have any experience of
> > such services? Can you help with any hardware suggestions?
> >
> > Thanks
> > David

>

The costs are expected to be around ?100 for installation and then about
?30 per month for a 512 Kbps service. Much cheaper than satellite.

David

[Harald Hanche-Olsen]

+ David Steward <david@steward4.freeserve.co.uk>:

| However we are due to get a wireless broadband service from Horizon
| soon. Their website is [url]http://www.horizon-wireless.co.uk/[/url]. They are
| a little vague about what hardware I will need to link my Mac, using
| OSX, up to the service.

They are vague indeed, but since they do mention rooftop antennas and
the like, I assume they do not expect to deliver sufficient signal
strength for the use of a built-in wireless card.

They do mention wi-fi at one place in the FAQ, and that could indicate
that they are building on IEEE 802.11 technology, though I wouldn't
bet on it. If my hunch is correct, I would further speculate that
they might have two options for delivering the signal to your machine:
Either via ordinary ethernet, in which case all you need is an
ethernet card (twisted pair - no one delivers thin coax ethernet
anymore), or their antenna might amplify and reradiate the incoming
signal, in which case you need a wireless card in your computer.

But it's rather pointless to speculate, and the information on their
website is definitely not aimed at enlightening the technically
knowledgeable. So I am afraid you will have to talk to someone at
Horizon to get the details.

You don't say what kind of Mac you have, so it's hard to give advice
on available hardware. (I could not help anyway, but others might.)

--
* Harald Hanche-Olsen <URL:http://www.math.ntnu.no/~hanche/>
- Debating gives most of us much more psychological satisfaction
than thinking does: but it deprives us of whatever chance there is
of getting closer to the truth. -- C.P. Snow

[David Steward]

In article <pcod6etpssp.fsf@fiinbeck.math.ntnu.no>,
Harald Hanche-Olsen <hanche@math.ntnu.no> wrote:

> + David Steward <david@steward4.freeserve.co.uk>:
>
> | However we are due to get a wireless broadband service from Horizon
> | soon. Their website is [url]http://www.horizon-wireless.co.uk/[/url]. They are
> | a little vague about what hardware I will need to link my Mac, using
> | OSX, up to the service.
>
> They are vague indeed, but since they do mention rooftop antennas and
> the like, I assume they do not expect to deliver sufficient signal
> strength for the use of a built-in wireless card.
>
> They do mention wi-fi at one place in the FAQ, and that could indicate
> that they are building on IEEE 802.11 technology, though I wouldn't
> bet on it. If my hunch is correct, I would further speculate that
> they might have two options for delivering the signal to your machine:
> Either via ordinary ethernet, in which case all you need is an
> ethernet card (twisted pair - no one delivers thin coax ethernet
> anymore), or their antenna might amplify and reradiate the incoming
> signal, in which case you need a wireless card in your computer.
>
> But it's rather pointless to speculate, and the information on their
> website is definitely not aimed at enlightening the technically
> knowledgeable. So I am afraid you will have to talk to someone at
> Horizon to get the details.
>
> You don't say what kind of Mac you have, so it's hard to give advice
> on available hardware. (I could not help anyway, but others might.)

I agree it is too vague and so were their replies to my questions. I was
hoping that someone had come across such a setup before and could offer
some advice.

I have a twin 1GHz G4, an iMac DV and a G3 Lombard PowerBook all running
OSX on a small ethernet network.

David

[Harald Hanche-Olsen]

+ David Steward <david@steward4.freeserve.co.uk>:

| I have a twin 1GHz G4, an iMac DV and a G3 Lombard PowerBook all
| running OSX on a small ethernet network.

In this case, your best bet may be if they can just provide an
ethernet interface. However, they may not be prepared or willing to
serve more than one IP address through this interface. If so, one
solution might be to put an extra ethernet card in one of your
machines, attaching it to the ethernet interface provided, and setting
that machine up to run NAT for the rest of your network. I'm more of
a Unix guy than a Mac user myself, so I don't know how that is done in
practice. But surely, it must be possible? I am doing something
similar at home, with a PC running FreeBSD as the NAT host and getting
to the Internet via ISDN and a wireless network serving my Mac and
another laptop.

--
* Harald Hanche-Olsen <URL:http://www.math.ntnu.no/~hanche/>
- Debating gives most of us much more psychological satisfaction
than thinking does: but it deprives us of whatever chance there is
of getting closer to the truth. -- C.P. Snow