Ok, I Didn´t Know..., AirPort Card Options

[emgcarra]

HI All:

I know this could sound weird but I´ve just find out that my Mac Pro 2.6 did not have the ability to connect wireless to nothing....
I was letting it be a happy box with just Logic and almost nothing else, then I decided to "talk" to an iMac I have for web affairs but it couldn´t be done,

I guess I need a pcie airport card or whatever, in order to do such connection. Any thoughts ?
I ´ve saw a bunch of devices in online stores but couldn´t find out which one I need. Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance and please forget my ignorance.

[deaconblue]

HI All:

I know this could sound weird but I´ve just find out that my Mac Pro 2.6 did not have the ability to connect wireless to nothing....
I was letting it be a happy box with just Logic and almost nothing else, then I decided to "talk" to an iMac I have for web affairs but it couldn´t be done,

I guess I need a pcie airport card or whatever, in order to do such connection. Any thoughts ?
I ´ve saw a bunch of devices in online stores but couldn´t find out which one I need. Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance and please forget my ignorance.

Hey emgcarra,

It depends on what you do have on your Mac Pro and what you already have on it. By default, they are not configured on the online Apple Store with the airport and bluetooth card. You have to select it to get it included (+$50.00 US). After the fact, you might be able to get a card installed by an AppleStore or Apple Service Provider (not sure if you can buy it stand alone).

To find out, open your system profiler. You can do this by going to "About this Mac" under the Apple Menu and then clicking on the button "More Info". Or you can go into your Hard Drive -> Applications -> Utilities folder and launch it from there. Once you have that open, on the left hand side you should see an entry for "Network" and a disclosure triangle. Make sure the triangle is pointing down. If it is , the you should see "Airport Card" as the first entry. Click on that.

On the right side of the window it should tell you what kind of card is installed and if it is "On" or not. If you have a card and it is "On", then your Mac Pro can connect to other wireless devices already. If there is no card listed in the "Wireless card type: " field, then you'll need to get one installed or purchase a third party wireless device (I think there are USB adapters from Netgear available).

If you have a card installed and it is "Off", then you need to open the System Preferences by going to the Apple Menu again and then selecting "Network". Open that and click on the "Airport" item on the left side of the window. In the top right hand corner of the Airport window you should see a button labeled "Turn Airport On" (if it says "Off", your hardware is already on). Click this button and you are ready to go on the Mac Pro (I'd also recommend checking the box next to "Show Airport status in menu bar" if it isn't already).

At this point you can either purchase a wireless access point (router, or simply an access point depending on your network) and connect your wired and wireless networks or just your wireless network together. Or if your iMac has an airport card in it (I believe that is the default configuration; you can check by using the steps above) and it is already connected to the internet via a wire, you can then use the "Sharing" preference pane (back in System preferences) to 'share' your wired network using your iMac's airport card. This will allow you to connect to the iMac and the internet from your Mac Pro.

There are really good help screens (the purple bubbles with the "?" in them) throughout these screens. Good luck.

peace.

[emgcarra]

Thanks a lot...!

I am afraid that this machine has no airport card installed, so I have to move towards the USB adapter.
I saw one that promises to connect so fast, you can deliver audio and heavy stuff, I hope so.

The iMac is in one floor and the MacPro is in the "studio" so I´ve been running up and down the stairs with a flash memory stick in order to send files and the like...

Sometimes you can´t see what is obvious .....Thanks again.

[deaconblue]

Thanks a lot...!

I am afraid that this machine has no airport card installed, so I have to move towards the USB adapter.
I saw one that promises to connect so fast, you can deliver audio and heavy stuff, I hope so.

The iMac is in one floor and the MacPro is in the "studio" so I´ve been running up and down the stairs with a flash memory stick in order to send files and the like...

Sometimes you can´t see what is obvious .....Thanks again.

you're welcome.

Now you can get back to making music instead of running back and forth. ;-)

peace.

[minskybabs]

You don't have to go down the USB route, you might want to if you want to be able to use it on multiple pcs, but otherwise it would probably be easier/more stable/better to buy an airport card for your Mac Pro, these are usually really easy to fit so have a look on apple site (or ebay). That way you don't lose a usb port too.
Minskybabs

[fishboisfo]

Hey -- If you are near a mac store or a best buy, just buy the card and have it installed. If not, they are EASY to install on a Mac Pro and an iMac. Instructions on how to do this are available online. Or, contact Apple -- if you purchased applecare, they can tell you how to do it over the phone.

[SadPandas]

When i ordered mine i thought it was funny that both the airport card and the Blue tooth had to be optioned. I made sure to click it though and would suggest you buy one, you won't regret it and i haven't seen too many N draft USB adapters so you could take advantage of an N radio if your router has one as mine does. Anyway, my studio is on the other side of my property (about 40 feet away) from the router in the window of the main house and it works like a charm . Using speedtest.net i can get anywhere from 15 to 28 megs down at any given time. I have seen it cross the 30 mark only a couple of times but i am super happy with my installed Airport card.... Ok, that was too long.