Imac in one room, speaker(s) another
in [Mac Systems]
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From: David Empson on 30 Oct 2009 18:06 Robert Montgomery <info-block(a)northern-data-tech.net> wrote: > David Empson wrote: > > Robert Montgomery <info-block(a)northern-data-tech.net> wrote: > > > >> nospam wrote: > >>> In article <TS8Fm.50281$PH1.18185(a)edtnps82>, Robert Montgomery > >>> <info-block(a)northern-data-tech.net> wrote: > >>> > >> I just tried ethernet-cabling the Express to the router, but that cuased > >> my Internet connection to drop. > > > > That's because the Airport Express default configuration is to act as a > > DHCP server via Ethernet (and WiFi), and it will be conflicting with the > > DHCP server in the D-Link. They might also be trying to use the same IP > > addresses, which is a no-no. > > What's the difference between my old D-Link router and the new ones, > which people say provide "Wi-Fi"? Don't the more modern routers act as > DHCP servers? Yes, they do. The issue I was referred to above is that you can't have two routers connected to the same local network, both acting as DHCP servers. If a computer tries to get an IP address it will ask for a DHCP server to supply one, and if there are two of them, a different one may respond to each request. This could result in computers being assigned IP addresses in completely different ranges (so they are unable to talk to each other), or two computers being assigned the same IP address (which causes all sorts of problems). It may also result in a computer trying to use the wrong router to access the Internet, so it won't actually have Internet access. (This is the symptom you observed.) The specific issue with WiFi in your old D-Link router (from what nospam said - I haven't looked up the specifics of your router) is that it has a very old implementation of it. Specifically: 1. It only supports 802.11b, which is the oldest and slowest of the WiFi standards in common use. For decent performance, you want to be using 802.11g, or with newer devices 802.11n. 802.11b is slow enough that it may limit the performance of your Internet connection and/or streaming music to the Airport Express. 2. It only supports WEP for encryption, which is the oldest and least secure method of protecting a wireless network. It is now regarded as completely useless - software is readily available which allows anyone to hack into an 802.11b WiFi network, probably in a few minutes or faster. For decent security you need to be using WPA2/AES encryption, though WPA/TKIP is still "good enough" to require major effort to crack. In order to use 802.11g/n or better security methods, your base station must be new enough to support these features. > I looked up the definition of Wi-Fi on the Web. I got this result at > http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&safe=off&defl=en&q=define:wifi& > ei=3ADrSv3OCJG-sgOCk9jfCA&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title&ved=0CA0QkAE > wireless local area network: a local area network that uses high > frequency radio signals to transmit and receive data over distances of a > few ... > wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn. > > That definition of Wi-Fi implies to me that I have Wi-Fi already, > because when I looked at my PC's network setting, it said that it was > attached via a local area network to my Imac, and I was able to connect > the two computers wirelessly. From clues earlier in the thread, I think that's because your Mac is creating a wireless network via Internet Sharing and its built-in Airport card. Your D-link router is not involved in that wireless network at all. > That Web page also has a link that defines Wi-Fi router: Wi-Fi Router - > IEEE 802.11 is a set of standards carrying out wireless local area > network (WLAN) computer communication in the 2.4, 3.6 and 5 GHz > frequency bands. They are implemented by the IEEE LAN/MAN Standards > Committee (IEEE 802). I'm not aware of 3.6 GHz being in common use. 802.11b and 802.11g run on 2.4 GHz (as do Bluetooth, a variety of other devices such as cordless mice with USB transceivers, microwave ovens and some cordless phones). 802.11a (same speed as 802.11g) runs on 5 GHz. 802.11n (the latest and fastest standard) runs on either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz, and Apple's 2009 Airport Extreme and Time Capsule can support devices using both frequencies at the same time. -- David Empson dempson(a)actrix.gen.nz
From: David Empson on 30 Oct 2009 18:06 Robert Montgomery <info-block(a)northern-data-tech.net> wrote: > David Empson wrote: > > > What sort of connection does your D-Link have to the Internet? > > How can I find out? I checked my router's configuration data in a > browser, and System Profiler, but I can't translate the geekese there > into regular English. How does it physically plug into the Internet? What sort of cable is used between the D-Link and the Internet, and what is the socket on the D-Link labelled? Does that cable plug into some other device? If so, what is the brand and model of that device, how is the socket to the D-Link labelled, and what does the connection look like between that device and the Internet? Alternatively, does the cable from the D-Link plug into a wall socket? Note the subtle difference between telephone sockets and Ethernet sockets. The US uses RJ-11 (six pin) telephone sockets, though only two of those pins are used. Ethernet uses RJ-45 (eight pin) sockets which are similar in appearance but wider. If the D-Link plugs into a standard telephone socket, possibly via small device mentioning "Filter" or similar, with sockets labelled PHONE and COMPUTER (or DSL, or DATA) then you have a DSL connection (it might mention ADSL, VDSL or SDSL somewhere). The D-Link may also have DSL in its model name, or mention one of these terms in its description on the device, or the web interface, or the user manual. -- David Empson dempson(a)actrix.gen.nz
From: David Empson on 30 Oct 2009 18:12 David Empson <dempson(a)actrix.gen.nz> wrote: [snip] > The specific issue with WiFi in your old D-Link router (from what nospam > said - I haven't looked up the specifics of your router) is that it has > a very old implementation of it. Specifically: > > 1. It only supports 802.11b, which is the oldest and slowest of the WiFi > standards in common use. > > For decent performance, you want to be using 802.11g, or with newer > devices 802.11n. 802.11b is slow enough that it may limit the > performance of your Internet connection and/or streaming music to the > Airport Express. > > 2. It only supports WEP for encryption, which is the oldest and least > secure method of protecting a wireless network. It is now regarded as > completely useless - software is readily available which allows anyone > to hack into an 802.11b WiFi network, probably in a few minutes or > faster. Sorry - slightly bad wording there. Second sentence should start "WEP is now regarded as completely useless..." > For decent security you need to be using WPA2/AES encryption, though > WPA/TKIP is still "good enough" to require major effort to crack. > > In order to use 802.11g/n or better security methods, your base station > must be new enough to support these features. -- David Empson dempson(a)actrix.gen.nz
From: Sander Tekelenburg on 30 Oct 2009 21:29 In article <nospam.m-m-B16E37.11452130102009(a)cpe-76-190-186-198.neo.res.rr.com>, M-M <nospam.m-m(a)ny.more> wrote: > In article <zyDGm.49845$Db2.6654(a)edtnps83>, > Robert Montgomery <info-block(a)northern-data-tech.net> wrote: > > > the issue is not "very simple", which > > is what M-M claimed. > > It would be if you get rid of your d-link router. Just out of curiosity: how exactly does that that router prevent AirTunes from working? -- Sander Tekelenburg, <http://www.euronet.nl/~tekelenb/> Mac user: "Macs only have 40 viruses, tops!" PC user: "SEE! Not even the virus writers support Macs!"
From: Jolly Roger on 31 Oct 2009 11:35
In article <Fx_Fm.50578$PH1.27455(a)edtnps82>, Robert Montgomery <info-block(a)northern-data-tech.net> wrote: > Jolly Roger wrote: > > In article <1u9Fm.50284$PH1.46216(a)edtnps82>, > > Robert Montgomery <info-block(a)northern-data-tech.net> wrote: > > > >> I'm tempted to give up my dream of getting music to play in the > >> adjoining room. I just spent the last two days on this problem. Now I'm > >> being told I have to embark on an entirely new tack � one which, I'm > >> sure � will be fraught with lots more difficulties, especially because > >> what you're proposing sounds like jerry-rigging, so there's probably not > >> much documentation available. > >> > >> If I have to buy a new router, I have to deal with all the headaches > >> that will surely ensue. The more I try to solve this problem, the more > >> problematic it becomes. > > > > It's not nearly as complicated as you make it out to be. No offense > > intended, but you're having this much trouble because you're making > > decisions out of ignorance. > > > >> If I were to buy a new router, would this one be good? It's price is > >> low: http://www.dlink.ca/products/?pid=478 > > > > Have you considered the "lowest price" may not be exactly conducive to > > "just works"? > > Yes. That's why I asked for opinions about that router. Ok. Personally, I wouldn't waste my time or money on it. > > I would think the plug-and-play nature of Apple's Airport Extreme router > > would be quite attractive to someone who obviously doesn't know much > > about networking! > > Is that so? I didn't know the Airport Extreme is a router. The Apple Web > site (http://www.apple.com/airportextreme/features/frequency.html) > doesn't identify the Airport Extreme as a router. It identifies it as a > device for "wirelsss network users" and as a "base station". I didn't > know that "base station" is synonymous with "router". > > Are you sure that an Airport Extreme would replace the D-Link 604+ > router without any negative side effects? Advice must be clear for me to > comprehend it. It would replace it and then some. It has *more* functionality - not less. > (Remember: I was advised by some folks that if I have a wireless > connection, I needed to buy only powered speakers, an Airport Express > and a cable to run between them, to get music to play in the next room, > and that turned out not be be the case. It's been made clear by this > thread that I must additionally either buy a more modern router, or > fiddle with the delicate network settings on my current D-Link router > and maybe Imac, too.) > > I thought I already have a wireless connection, because I was able to > wirelessly connect my Imac with a PC in the next room, so I must have > misunderstood what was meant by having a wireless connection. I didn't > know that "having a wireless connection" can mean two totally different > things. No, that's what a wireless connection is. You do have one. -- Send responses to the relevant news group rather than email to me. E-mail sent to this address may be devoured by my very hungry SPAM filter. Due to Google's refusal to prevent spammers from posting messages through their servers, I often ignore posts from Google Groups. Use a real news client if you want me to see your posts. JR |