I am interested in down-grading my Airport from an AirPort Extreme (don't remember if it is the one with Power over Ethernet or not) to either a Graphite or Snow model.
The big pro in doing this is a base station that s compatible with my Newton, which connects on a Bronze card. This card is not compatible with the AirPort Extreme base stations at all and I cannot go higher on the Newton end. That being said, I want a dedicated airport for Newton connectivity (I may or may not offer my AP Extreme as fodder).
Which Airport would be the best and why? The Snow seems good with the dual ethernet, but I am not sure - can I hook that into the output of a DSL or cable modem as I do with the AP Extreme?
TIA
--ddtm
There's a few issues with downgrading your airport: You'll be losing some functionality, and the older 802.11b airport cards command a premium price.
What you might want to investigate is getting an 802.11b access point. Without being a full router, they're cheaper. A good metaphor is to think of them as a device to convert 1 port on your e-net hub to wireless (IIRC from your setup, you've got a base station, plus a hub, cct?)
A selection of access points on ebay Here
I did use a 2100 with a Belkin access point. You might want to read up on models, as I found the Belkin difficult to connect to.
A Linksys WRT-54G is, IMHO, the best wireless router you can get for the money. The firmware will allow you to force it to 802.11b mode if necessary, and there are third-party firmwares available for the WRT-54GL variant (which runs Linux). Mine was the best $60 or so I've ever spent on networking gear.
Having long ago picked up my Linksys router, switch, and Cat 5 cables for dirt cheap--I think about $10 for all--and not having a laptop, I've never even considered investing in wireless, but I am curious what the speed comparisons are. 1 Ghz wired is faster than wireless, right? But how does 100mhz compare? And is internet speed any different? Or am I confusing things?
I actually just sold last week on eBay an Airport 802.11 card which I pulled out of a discarded iMac DV, and have another from another discarded iMac DV which I plan to put up for auction next week. Luckily, no bidders asked me any questions about it, because I wouldn't have had a clue, and also luckily, the buyer said it tested out just fine and gave me positive feedback. I had my fingers crossed.
Also, if you downgrade, the new AirPort Admin software doesn't support anything older than the AirPort Extreme anymore. So you'll have to find the older version and keep that kicking around.
my wireless G+ belkin router works 100% with my MP 2100 with the lucent silver card. there is a option in the internal setup in the belkin router that allows you to use both B and G modes at the same time. something allot of routers have and some dont. and i only paid $40 for it at walmarts so i cant beat it
+2 for the linksys wrt-54G. They go pretty cheap, easy to setup, work well and most have a built in 4 port switch.
I have a WRT54GS running the third-party Tomato firmware and it works perfectly for everything I've used with it. I will probably buy an Airport Extreme for the printer sharing and hard drive sharing features once I move, but for $50 you really can't beat the WRT54G.