Anyone have any experience with Airport card range in the DVI Powerbooks vs. third party cards sticking out of the PC card slot?
I have a DVI 667 PowerBook from last summer that I want to use to hook up to my Netgear wireless router. It appears that the two pieces of plasic on either side of the computer are to extend airport range after the earlier problems of low signal from TiBooks. Is there really a big difference, stories from the web seem mixed.
It would seem to be a little more elegant -although slightly more expensive - to have an airport card hidden inside the 'Book than to have to keep sticking a third party card in and out of the PCMCIA slot several times a day. Like every time I throw the PowerBook in the tight fitting padded compartment in the briefcase.
On a related note, and as mentioned elsewhere on the board, old "b" airport cards seem to be drying up at local retailers, with Apple apparently going to release a new "old" card. Any known info? I'd hate buy a card then have a "g" Airport card released for older Macs.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
DkC
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I have used an after market wireless device, it can be used i think on almost any Macintosh computer and it supports os x 10.3 and higher, i think they have ones for 10.2 and lower also. The one i have is made by a company called after the mac (check google for their site) the one i bought for 50$ is a b/g but they now have a wireless n usb too. They say on their site that they have 10x the range of an original airport card.
I have had no problems at all with mine, it works perfectly and is really easy to install, only annoying this is that you have to unplug it and plug it back in every time you turn on your computer, i guess so it will recognize it, idk this may just be on my computer.
On a related note, and as mentioned elsewhere on the board, old "b" airport cards seem to be drying up at local retailers, with Apple apparently going to release a new "old" card.
No, I wasn't commenting on your comment at all. I was commenting on the rumour at the time that Apple was going to re-release/re-work the original Airport card for all the people who finally discovered wireless computing three years after Apple discontinued the card. Heh, funny.
^^^
Yeah, Apple was sure dumb because the only profits to be made were by their competition when so many people went to DLink or Belkin. Of course when Airport came out, there were no WiFi hotspots, so no one bothered because who was going to drop large cash on something that had no use. And after, Apple completely dropped the ball not bringing out more progressive minded models - so it is all about going to DLink, Belkin, Linksys or any other manufacturer.
It's kind of like the number of customers they loose because they don't have a Netbook (or even a 12" notebook that is portable), and because they do not have a mini or mid-tower so people can actually put some perpherals on their machines. Lucky the Apple world is crowded with nutters that will buy deficient products simply because the Apple logo is stamped on the casing...
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