Take Control of Your 802.11n AirPort Network

by Glenn Fleishman
242 pages, 4.1 MB download
PDF format, designed for reading online or printing
Published: October 29, 2008
Free sample available!

Make your 802.11n-based AirPort network fast, reliable, and secure!

Find real-world advice from Wi-Fi wizard Glenn Fleishman on setting up the 802.11n models of Apple's AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and Time Capsule. You'll get help with all the picky networking details, such as how to choose between the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz bands, use older Wi-Fi gear without hurting performance, set up complex Internet addressing, share USB disks and printers, network with and configure an Apple TV, and connect from Mac and Windows clients. You'll also learn how to create a multi-base-station network to extend range, and how to stream music across your network with or without an AirPort Express.

You can jump in and read the topics in this ebook in any order if you're trying to solve a particular problem, but if you start at the beginning, you'll find a primer on important Wi-Fi networking terminology and concepts, and a look at how Apple's 802.11n gear fits into the world of Wi-Fi networking.

With that background, you'll learn how to locate and set up base stations, with diagrams showing common network scenarios - like replacing an old base station or extending a Wi-Fi network - and with step-by-step instructions for configuring key Internet sharing and security options and connecting client computers. For those who have funky Internet connections or tricky IP addressing problems, Glenn provides extended advice for creating a working Wi-Fi network.

Glenn also provides real-world steps for important add-ons to a Wi-Fi network, including:

• Getting started with a Time Capsule and Time Machine backups, plus thoughts on making an offsite backup of your Time Capsule drive and what to do if you want to erase the drive.
• Detailed advice for setting up a USB-based printer and for making connections to the printer work from Macintosh and Windows computers.
• Help with hooking up an Apple TV up appropriately on your network and advice on how to best get going with syncing it to your computer.
• Steps and configuration advice for adding a USB-attached drive to a Time Capsule or AirPort Extreme, with important information about how best to allow and configure client access.
• Tips and setup advice for streaming music from an AirPort Express to your stereo system.
• Detailed configuration advice for multi-base-station networks.

To make your network fly, Glenn also provides help with band and channel choices, and teaches you how to extend your network's coverage while handling any interference. He also helps you consider and configure your wireless network's security, noting oft-suggested security approaches that don't work well and explaining how to implement measures that do work well.