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Although setting up a simple Wi-Fi network with Apple gear is no longer an especially geeky endeavor, making an existing network work optimally still takes some effort, given the numerous possible options and places where problems can crop up.

Wi-Fi wizard Glenn Fleishman helps you create an fast, reliable, and secure Apple Wi-Fi network using 802.11ac or 802.11n AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express, and Time Capsule base stations. You'll find plenty of practical directions for working with Apple's AirPort Utility 6 configuration software (for Mac and iOS), including steps for setting up a base station, swapping in new gear, adding base stations to extend your network's range, attaching a USB printer or hard drive, enabling security, creating a guest network, and more.

You'll also learn about what's going on behind the GUI in AirPort Utility. If you better understand channels and bands, for instance, you may be able to reconfigure your network to dramatically improve performance. And, Glenn provides advice and directions for coping with tricky IP situations.

For those using older base stations or AirPort Utility 5, the ebook includes a free download of any prior edition, dating back to 2004.

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\"If anyone knows about real-world Wi-Fi, it's Glenn Fleishman.\" —Mark Frauenfelder, co-founder of bOING bOING
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You'll learn how to:

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Create a basic Apple Wi-Fi network, and connect Macs, iOS devices, and Windows 8 computers to the network.
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Efficiently swap in a new base station in place of an old one.
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Extend the range of a network by connecting base stations with Ethernet or Wi-Fi (or a mix).
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Print wirelessly to a Wi-Fi or USB-connected printer.
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Add a USB-attached drive to a Time Capsule or AirPort Extreme, and setting up user access.
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Keep intruders out by setting up reliable and relevant security for your network.
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Easily put visitors on the Internet with a guest network.
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You'll also find information about how to:

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Back up to a Time Capsule, and work with the Time Capsule's internal drive.
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Pipe audio through an AirPort Express.
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Share files the new Apple way with AirDrop.
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You'll find lots of problem-solving help about:

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Avoiding interference problems.
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What the icon on your Wi-Fi menu means.
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What the colored light on your base station is trying to tell you.
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Dealing with a base station that can't be found on the network.
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Making a base station assign an IP address to a client.
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Finding a MAC address. (Hint, 1 Infinite Loop is not the MAC address that you seek.)
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Updating the firmware in your base station, and reverting to an older version.
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And, on the geekier side, you'll learn about:

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Putting computers more directly on the Internet with port mapping or a default host.
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Setting up Software Base Station.
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Ad hoc networking.
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Saving effort and avoid problems by exporting a backup copy of a base station configuration.
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Accessing a base station remotely, whether to get at the contents of its drive or to configure it, via iCloud's Back to My Mac service.
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