network advice? switch before airport?

d.mantic

Hope this is the right forum.



Is there anyway to hook up a switch (not a router) between a cable or DSL modem and an Airport express?



I have a powerbook with wireless. I have a gumdrop iMac with no wireless and a big external drive. I want my powerbook to be able to fileshare with the iMac, and I want the powerbook to be able to play music to the express using airtunes.



Can I go from the modem into a switch, and then from the switch run an ethernet to the iMac, and another to the ap express? I know I could buy an extreme *and* an express and do what I want (using the one port on the extreme for the iMac and bridging the express to get the airtunes) but that is really expensive and I live in a two room apartment in NYC and don't need that much coverage. I'd rather just get a $15 netgear switch (or whatever) but I don't know if it will work.



I guess the iMac and the powerbook wouldn't be on the same subnet. That's actually sort of a drag, but short of that can I do it?

cyko95

Not unless the cable or DSL "modem" has a router built in too. The broadband connection needs a primary system to link up to, then you can share the connection. So you would either need the connection hooked up to the router, then out to the switch, and out to all the computers from there. Or...you would need the connection hooked up to the computer, then out of another network card on that computer to the switch, and out to all the other computers from there.



I hope that made sense.

d.mantic

Thanks. That does make sense.



I guess this is the problem. I can't put the switch after the router if I use the express, because it doesn't have an ethernet port. I guess I could put a switch after the extreme, but that doesn't do airtunes. Grrrr. So I have to buy them both.



Unless someone makes a wireless switch? I've never heard of such a thing though, and for throughput reasons I doubt it exists. (I mean, the uplink would be wireless, and the client ports would be wired.)



Or is there a wireless USB thingie I could use to make a gumdrop iMac wireless?

cyko95

Well you could simply get a wireless router from Walmart or some place. They usually have 4 wired ports on them, and all the wireless connections you could throw at it. That seems like it would solve your issues. I think they run aroun $40 - $70.

haylo

Hi, I really hope someone can help me out with this issue. I have a Cable modem connected to my wireless router. I have a PC which connects wirelessly to the internet via a wireless USB adapter. I want to connect an iMac G3 running OS9 to the internet, but when I connect the ethernet cable from my iMac to my router, it doesn't connect to the internet. I was told to connect the cable modem directly to my iMac in order to access the internet from my mac, but if I do this, I will be unable to connect from my PC since the cable modem wouldn't be plugged into the router. The airport cards are expensive and I need an affordable solution to connect both my PC and imac G3 to the internet. I appreciate any feedback. Thanks.

dmz

Quote:

Originally Posted by d.mantic


Hope this is the right forum.



Is there anyway to hook up a switch (not a router) between a cable or DSL modem and an Airport express?



I have a powerbook with wireless. I have a gumdrop iMac with no wireless and a big external drive. I want my powerbook to be able to fileshare with the iMac, and I want the powerbook to be able to play music to the express using airtunes.



Can I go from the modem into a switch, and then from the switch run an ethernet to the iMac, and another to the ap express? I know I could buy an extreme *and* an express and do what I want (using the one port on the extreme for the iMac and bridging the express to get the airtunes) but that is really expensive and I live in a two room apartment in NYC and don't need that much coverage. I'd rather just get a $15 netgear switch (or whatever) but I don't know if it will work.



I guess the iMac and the powerbook wouldn't be on the same subnet. That's actually sort of a drag, but short of that can I do it?

You could hook the PB into the DSL Modem and then use a FireWire [yes, FireWire!] cable to network to the iMac. You can actually use it to 'share' your PB internet connection. You shouldn't need the switch at all.



(assuming you are using a fairly recent version of OSX)

dmz

Quote:

Originally Posted by HayLo


Hi, I really hope someone can help me out with this issue. I have a Cable modem connected to my wireless router. I have a PC which connects wirelessly to the internet via a wireless USB adapter. I want to connect an iMac G3 running OS9 to the internet, but when I connect the ethernet cable from my iMac to my router, it doesn't connect to the internet. I was told to connect the cable modem directly to my iMac in order to access the internet from my mac, but if I do this, I will be unable to connect from my PC since the cable modem wouldn't be plugged into the router. The airport cards are expensive and I need an affordable solution to connect both my PC and imac G3 to the internet. I appreciate any feedback. Thanks.

Read your documentation on the router, there should be a web page on some very basic IP address that you can log into and set up a DHCP server. You would be able to enter that address into your web browser and go to a web page served by the router, and then configure it. You would still need to set up your G3 with a dummy address that agrees with the router's default adress, to contact the router's web server in the first place.



Set up the router, reboot it, then set your G3 to either DHCP or tune your G3's IP address to whatever static IP works, and reboot it as well. If it's 'static', be sure to set what the Gateway address is, and at least one good DNS server.



(make sure that you didn't just need a crossover cable before you do any of this)