Wireless Home Networking - Index of

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Part III: Installing a Wireless Network
Understanding AirPort Hardware
Back in 1999, Apple Computer had a product launch for the iBook notebook
(remember the multicolored curvy ones that looked like nothing in the world
quite as much as they did a toilet seat?), and part of that big dog-and-pony
show (all Apple product launches are extravaganzas!) was the introduction of
the AirPort Wi-Fi wireless networking system. AirPort was the first mainstream,
consumer-friendly, and consumer-focused wireless networking system. Over
the years, AirPort (it’s gone through a few name changes and design upgrades,
as we discuss) has become an integral part of the Apple product lineup and is
installed (or available) in all of Apple’s desktop and notebook computers.
The AirPort product line includes both client adapters (known as AirPort
cards), which are installed inside Apple computers, and wireless routers
(known as AirPort base stations) that act as the base station for a Wi-Fi
network.
Apple’s current AirPort products use the newest Wi-Fi 802.11n draft 2.0 technology,
which is (as we write) the state of the art in the wireless LAN world.
Apple computers equipped with AirPort Extreme cards can connect to any
Wi-Fi compatible 2.4 GHz 802.11b, g, or n wireless network, as well as 5 GHz
802.11a and 802.11n networks — regardless of whether the network uses
Apple equipment or wireless equipment from any other Wi-Fi certified vendor.
The current generation of AirPort products (dubbed AirPort Extreme) is compatible
with the 802.11n draft 2.0 standard. You may also run into some older
generations of AirPort equipment (just plain AirPort by name, as well as earlier
editions of the AirPort Extreme) that are compatible with the older
802.11b or g standards but that don’t support 802.11n or a.
Getting to know the AirPort card
Apple computer models were the first on the market to feature a special wireless
adapter — known as the AirPort card — as an option. The original AirPort
card was similar in form to a PC Card (a Personal Computer Memory Card
International Association [PCMCIA] Card) but was designed to be installed in
a special AirPort slot inside an Apple computer. If you get your hands on one
of the original AirPort cards, you should not try to use it in a PC Card slot
found on most laptop computers. As we mention in the nearby sidebar, “The
amazing disappearing AirPort card,” the original 802.11b AirPort card is no
longer being produced and supplies are limited — luckily, all Macs built in
the past two years support the newer AirPort Extreme card, and all Macs
built since late 2006 support the 802.11n version of AirPort Extreme.