Wireless Hacks for G4 PowerBooks?

NunDLess asks: "G4 PowerBooks have absolutely dreadful wireless range due, I've been told, to the fact that the internal antennas are underneath that slick Titanium case. Has anyone heard about a way to set up an external wireless antenna on a PowerBook? I've been looking for supported PCMCIA wireless cards, but haven't found one with Mac OS X drivers."

Comments

Common Sense AirPort Performance Tips

[daviddennis]

At least if your computer already includes an AirPort card, you should try it out before rejecting it out of hand. Better yet, find a friend who already owns it and run a few tests.

I found that AirPort with my Titanium PowerBook/400 worked very well, as long as I kept my desktop G4 on top of my desk, and my AirPort base station on top of my desktop. It would be even better on top of a tall bookshelf.

Of course your mileage may vary, depending on where you use your system. If you have an enormous house, it's going to be harder than if you have a small apartment or (as in my case) a small but cozy two-bedroom house. If you tend to use your TiBook in one specific room, place it as close as possible.

If you put your AirPort base station on your home ethernet network and connect that to a DSL or T1 connection, you have a lot of flexibility as to where the base station can be situated. Use that flexibility to your advantage. Remember, it doesn't have to be near anything save the Ethernet hub.

So position your AirPort base station near the center of your house, as high up as possible. That will help you a great deal.

Hope that helps.

D

Re:Common Sense AirPort Performance Tips

[Sleepyguy]

Height isn't probly that much of an issue. The radiation pattern on the base station is roughly spherical (well probly more like a bloated torus).

The titaniums definatly have problems though. Side by side with my Pismo (previous powerbook model) the tiBook consistantly has two less "bars". Both cards are mounted internally.

It is my understanding that the rev. 2 tiBooks have slightly better range than the rev. 1s .. I haven't heard any reports about the new tiBooks.

I haven't heard of anyone doing this but I belive the antenna itself is flat, it seems like you might be able to mod the case to get the antenna on the outside. Though it would probly impact the tiBook's good looks.

_

Re:Common Sense AirPort Performance Tips

[daviddennis]

In my testing, I found that I had problems until I raised my base station up high. So yes, height really does help, probably for the same reason it helps any form of radio reception.

Unfortunately, I think the AirPort card is pretty deep in the TiBook case - I seem to remember that the installation process is a horrid mess, so I think extending the antenna would be likewise, alas.

D

my solution: a pigtail and external antenna

[ubiquitin]

The lucent/orinoco pigtails that are sold on eBay and other places will work with the TiBook. Just run the wire out through the PCMCIA slot. The internal wireless card is on the same side as the PCMCIA slot, parallel to it actually, with the antenna connector at the edge of the external titanium shell so it all works suprisingly well. If you're willing to have a wire hanging out of your TiBook, just leaky coax will improve signal, but a nice passive high-gain antenna does wonders for increasing both signal to noise and range.

Antenna Recipe

[Anonymous Coward]

I have *very, very, very* good performance from my homemade antenna on the tibook. In the business they call it a "quarter wave whip" omnidirectional. It will take you two minutes to build.

Here, get these:

http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5F na me=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F005%5F003%5F001%5F0 05&product%5Fid=910%2D0607
http://www.fab-corp.co m/ (go to "Radio Pigtails", and you want the top item, "12 inch ORiNOCO / Avaya to N-Male Pigtail")

Get some 12-gauge copper wire from your hardware store, cut a piece to be exactly 1.21 inches, and stick it in the nub of the N-female (the thing from radioshack above). Tape it or solder it in place. Then pop open the tibook, string the pigtail from the airport card through the PC-card opening, (you have to remove the bottom panel to do this), and screw the N-Male end into the N-female connector.

Voila. First time I did this I discovered 2 networks in my bedroom.

If you want more power, you can get a big 40oz can of any Nalley product (chili con carne, beef stew, etc), convince someone else to eat the contents, and put a hole in it for the end of your antenna. It's a waveguide, much more powerful than those Pringles yagis.

For more info on where to put the hole see http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/cantennahowto.ht ml

Enjoy!