Wireless networking through Netgear router

[Glenner]

For various reasons we have
1) a Mac mini without airport installed but connected through an Ethernet cable to a Netgear DG834G wireless router,
2) a Powerbook with an Airport Express card, and
3) a Windows laptop with Win2000 and a Netgear WG111 USB wireless dongle.
We have moved to an area where ADSL is not available but I want to share the dial-up connection of the Mac mini with the other computers. Is that possible? I can exchange files through the router with all computers but it seems to be impossible to get the internet connection working. What am I missing here? Any clever advice greatly appreciated!

Martin

[barhar]

Option 01:
'Airport Extreme with modem'; since two of three of your computers are wireless.

Option 02:
'Airport Extreme with modem' and a multiple port switch (1, 2, 3, etc.); should you want to connect more then one computer to the internet, via ethernet cables.

[theDan]

You're in luck, my friend! Mac OS X Strikes again!

First, connect the ethernet port on the Mac mini to the WAN/ and or Uplink port on the Netgear.

Then, Fire up the mac, and go to System Preferences, sharing, internet panel, and click on the Pop-Up Menu. From there select Modem or AOL or whatever... then click the on checkbox next to Built in Ethernet. REad the Warning and click ok no matter what you think :-). Click Start above and Let us know!

Cheers!
theDan

P.S. if any of the network connections i mentioned are unavailable, Post back for help. HTH!

[Glenner]

Thanks to both of you for your suggestions! I had looked at option 3 before but that didn't work for me. I was wondering though whether I need to configure something within the router to make this work, but then me not being a network expert ....

I was also wondering whether I should pick up a relatively cheap original base station with a modem and use it just for the internet connection as bahar suggests but use the wireless connection of the Netgear for the rest since the old base stations seem to be not very secure to me as far as encryption goes. From what I have been reading about the base station it should be possible to link it to an ethernet network while the Netgear has autosensing ports. Any views on this?

I let you know how I am getting on.

Martin

[barhar]

'From what I have been reading about the base station it should be possible to link it to an ethernet network while the Netgear has autosensing ports. Any views on this?', I have connected an (original) Apple Airport Base Station, and then replaced it with a wireless 'b' LinkSys router, to a wired Vonage VoIP LinkSys router - and a wireless based PowerBook accesses the internet, and other network based Macs (via 'file sharing'), as expected.

'... then me not being a network expert ....' ... '... but use the wireless connection of the Netgear for the rest since the old base stations seem to be not very secure to me as far as encryption goes.'; yet, the dg834g_ref_manual.pdf shows the DG834G router to only incorporate WEP; whereas, the Airport Extreme, via Designing_AirPort_Extreme_Networks_v3.4.pdf, allows one to incorporate WEP or WPA.

Additional links:
Netgear DG834 web page.
Airport Extreme Setup Guide [manual].
WEP vs WPA search results.

[Glenner]

Bahar wrote: yet, the dg834g_ref_manual.pdf shows the DG834G router to only incorporate WEP; whereas, the Airport Extreme, via Designing_AirPort_Extreme_Networks_v3.4.pdf, allows one to incorporate WEP or WPA.

That may have been an earlier firmware version manual, but this model now supports WPA.

[barhar]

'That may have been an earlier firmware version manual', yes - that is correct. As per the 'Additional links: Netgear DG834 web page', the 'dg834g_ref_manual.pdf' file referenced is identified as the 'Original Reference Manual'.

The DG834 link also contains two additional, Firmware dependent, 'Reference Manuals'; which, do mention WPA incorporation.

[baba]

Question. I have a cable modem that I am going to be putting a Netgear wireless router behind for my iBook and connecting directly to my desktop with an ethernet cable. I also have a Vonage router. Where does that get hooked to?