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March 25, 2003

Power over Ethernet for AirPort Base Station

Macwireless.com has updated its Power over Ethernet product, which allows you to run DC power over the same Ethernet cable that feeds the network.

What's neat about this revision is that it's just two small sets of plugs (for $30). The original PoE product required a custom built Ethernet cable, but was still a bargain; this is even simpler.

AirPort 3.0 Software Released

Apple has made available as a download the AirPort 3.0 software, which includes the AirPort Admin Utility needed to administer an AirPort Extreme Base Station. This software can be installed for both AirPort and AirPort Extreme, but requires Mac OS X 10.2 to install. (There's a Mac OS X 10.1.5 version, too.)

March 09, 2003

AirPort Bridging Overview

Michael Oh at Newbury Open Networks walks through Extreme bridging, which Apple likes to call Wireless Distribution System for reasons known best to trademark lawyers, I'm sure.

March 06, 2003

New Snow Firmware

MacCentral reports that Apple has released an update to the firmware on snow (only!) AirPort Base Stations to fix a variety of tiny problems. None of this seems to be related to AirPort Extreme compatibility, which makes sense: AirPort Extreme is supposed to work with 802.11b devices without any changes.

March 05, 2003

Ethernet-to-Wi-Fi at 54 Mbps

For owners of older Macs who have 10/100 Mbps Ethernet and want to use 802.11g (AirPort Extreme), the options have seemed scanty at best. If you have a PC Card slot, you'll probably be able to choose among cards and drivers. Power Mac owners with PCI card slots free might have a harder time. And users with just FireWire and 10/100 Mbps seem stuck.

One of the suggestions we've had in the past was an Ethernet-to-Wi-Fi bridge, such as the Linksys WET11, which runs at 11 Mbps. It can take up to 30 Ethernet-connected devices and connect their traffic wirelessly to any access point. You don't need a PC to configure it.

Fortunately, Linksys has planned to update this to the 802.11g standard as the WET54G. They now have a page announcing the product. Watch this space for release details.

Hacking USB Support

Slashdot has a thread on hacking USB support for USB-to-wireless adapters that don't support the Mac.