I'm staying at a hotel that claims it has "high speed internet access"
This means it has Wifi, no cables.
I brought my old Imac, which has the standard internet port, but no wifi capability.
For windows machines, there are these little things that plug into the usb port, but I can't find anything equivalent for a mac.
Anybody got any ideas?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Does it have a USB port? Because some of those dongles claim to be Mac-compatible. I know the one I got a while ago did (not that I've tested that claim), and so does this, this, etc.
Now, I don't know enough about iMacs to know what OS they run on, so that might be an issue . . . Posted by Happy Camper (Member # 5076) on :
Some hotels supply the dongles, though they may not supply Mac compatible ones, you might call and check. Though I'm assuming they probably would have asked you if you needed one if they did supply them.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Happy Camper: Some hotels supply the dongles
Really? I've never been offered one, although the hotels that need cables often offer those.
Apparently I don't stay in snooty enough places. Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
I'm assuming this is an old iBook, not an iMac .
You can actually use a lot (most; maybe almost all) of the dongles with macs . . . but the drivers often need to be downloaded from the maker's website, so unless you have another source of internet, you won't be getting on at the hotel. Your iBook does have a modem, though, so you might be able to dialup and download the driver (whoever you get internet through at home very likely has a dialup service you can use, even if yours is a broadband account; call them up and they can give you a local number).
This is assuming the mac has OS X. I doubt you'll find many OS 9 drivers for USB wifi dongles. Your best bet will be either one stating mac compatibility on the package, or a major brand like d-link or belkin. I don't think linksys generally has OS X drivers, so avoid them.
Posted by Glenn Arnold (Member # 3192) on :
nope, it's an IMac, not an Ibook. Running OS 9.2
I've looked at the dongles before, I actually bought one at best buy, but it didn't work with my mac. I think you're right, I would have to download the drivers, if they even exist.
I thought I had seen something that looked like a router, only backwards, that receives the wifi signal and changes it to an ethernet connection, but I can't seem to find one on line. A Wifi Bridge? I don't have much time to seach because I'm using a coworker's computer at work.
BTW I'm working back at my old combustion job for the summer, so I'm staying in the hotel until the end of August. Unless I can get access I'll be internet deprived.
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
You took a big ol' CRT iMac to a hotel? Wow.
And you might be able to use an ethernet to wifi device, yeah. That's sort of what a bridge is, but usually a bridge refers to extending the range of the wireless signal.
you should be able to get a wireless card depending on how old is old.
My old imac (G3 700mhz) had a wireless card slot just like you'd find on a laptop. Look and see if your's has one by checking the "about this mac" section in the apple menu.
I have no idea where you'd get one that was compatible with such an old machine though... good luck.
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
This is true, my earlier thoughts had been predicated around a short hotel (silly h words that flow similarly in my mind when I'm trying to type and think about other parts of what I'm saying) stay. Luckily, airport cards from that period were pretty common.
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