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Adam Engst and I have updated our addendum to The Wireless Networking Starter Kit that covers the AirPort Extreme/802.11g standard now that the standard's been ratified and we have more details.
Download it as a PDF file (190K), or visit us in a few days (we'll post again) when it's converted to HTML.
If you want to check out what wireless signals abound as you travel around, MacStumbler 0.7 is the ticket. The latest version adds GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) support so that as it finds and logs access point (base station) details, it can put a virtual pin at a point.
Network administrators have long found the 'stumbling programs useful, as they help plan service areas, chart obstacles to signal strength, and find rogue wireless base stations. Those of us with no system admin duties like to see how many people are using Wi-Fi -- and whether we can hop on for a few minutes of email. Not that I advocate that.
Darn those nit-picking product numbers! Alert reader Dale Rice pointed out that Buffalo Technology actually sells two 802.11g PC Cards: the $60 WLI-CB-G54 card is not actually compatible with AirPort 3.1, whereas the $80 WLI-CB-G54A is compatible. Make sure you get the right one!
Dale also noted that he'd seen reports of AirPort 3.1 working with a Belkin 802.11g PC Card. More interesting, for those people who would like to connect a Power Mac to an AirPort Extreme networking, are anecdotal reports of 802.11g PCI cards from Buffalo Technology and Linksys (the Linksys WMP54G PCI adapter) working with AirPort 3.1. The moral of the story would seem to be that compatibility is broad, but check for specific compatibility claims or at least user reports before buying.
[Adam Engst originally wrote this article for TidBITS: permanent link]
Owners of pre-AirPort Extreme PowerBooks with PC Card slots can now connect to higher-speed AirPort Extreme networks using third-party 802.11g cards. It turns out that Apple's recent AirPort 3.1 update also provides support for PC Cards that use the same Broadcom chip set that Apple uses for internal AirPort Extreme cards.
So, if you've been lamenting the poor signal strength of your Titanium PowerBook G4, you can improve signal strength and jump up to 802.11g's faster throughput with a third party card. Both Asante and Buffalo Technologies claim their 802.11g cards work with Mac OS X and the AirPort 3.1 update; other manufacturers using Broadcom's chip set are likely compatible as well.
Buffalo Technology's card costs about $60 and is available now; the Asante card costs $100 and should be available this month.
[Adam Engst originally wrote this article for TidBITS: permanent link]