Wireless router or just USB wireless?

[daziphone]

Help....I have no wireless in my home. I have 2 Macintosh computers that have USB ports but too old for built-in wireless. My question is I only need WiFi for my iPhone so do I really need a wireless router or will these new USB wireless hubs I see do the trick?

[ColsTiger]

The wireless you're talking about act as wireless cards for your computer only. I don't think they broadcast a wifi signal to other devices. Have you got a link?

[KNK]

You need to have a router in the house for the wifi. You need a DSL modem coming into the house. You need to have one of your computer with a hardwire to the router to set up the router with the settings etc. Then the iPhone can join the wifi.

[Lincoln]

As KNK said, you need a Modem and a Router.

I would go ahead and get one, as it's very useful when it comes to speed and iTunes.

- John

[meiphones_brill]

Originally Posted by MacManPro

As KNK said, you need a Modem and a Router.

I would go ahead and get one, as it's very useful when it comes to speed and iTunes.

- John

Sure is - and if you get a lovely, lovely Mac one you can plug an external hard drive into it and use the time machine on all your Leopard Macs. Time Machine is super duper

[daziphone]

Originally Posted by ColsTiger

The wireless you're talking about act as wireless cards for your computer only. I don't think they broadcast a wifi signal to other devices. Have you got a link?

These are not cards. I've seen them at best buy. I beleive they plug into a USB port and a small tower sits on your desk to transmit wifi. That's my understanding anyhow. I have my computer online with cable modem and a non wireless router to hook up my other mac.

[meiphones_brill]

Originally Posted by daziphone

These are not cards. I've seen them at best buy. I beleive they plug into a USB port and a small tower sits on your desk to transmit wifi. That's my understanding anyhow. I have my computer online with cable modem and a non wireless router to hook up my other mac.

That'll be a simple wireless access point. This will do the trick but doesn't add any routing or firewalling or NAT features. If your existing cable modem is coping OK with these - then that'll do the trick for your iPhone as well.

[daziphone]

Originally Posted by KNK

You need to have a router in the house for the wifi. You need a DSL modem coming into the house. You need to have one of your computer with a hardwire to the router to set up the router with the settings etc. Then the iPhone can join the wifi.

I do have a router its just not wireless. My idea is not to buy another (wireless)router if I don't need to. I wondered if anyone has had any experience with using this USB transmitter with a iPhone.

[daziphone]

Originally Posted by meiphones_brill

That'll be a simple wireless access point. This will do the trick but doesn't add any routing or firewalling or NAT features. If your existing cable modem is coping OK with these - then that'll do the trick for your iPhone as well.

thanks wouldn't it just use the existing firewall of my router?

[meiphones_brill]

Originally Posted by daziphone

I do have a router its just not wireless. My idea is not to buy another (wireless)router if I don't need to. I wondered if anyone has had any experience with using this USB transmitter with a iPhone.

If you have more than one computer on the internet, then It's most likely that you have come 'device' somewhere that is allocating local IP addresses to those macs (192.168.x.x or 10.0.x.x probably) - this is called Network Address Translation or NAT. This is the main function of a router really.

The sort of thing you need will have an RJ45 (ethernet) socket to connect to your existing hub/modem. If it just has a USB connection / or you don't have an ethernet hub in your setup - then you will need to go with some other alternative.