Take Control of Your Apple Wi-Fi Network

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Take Control of Your Apple Wi-Fi Network

Covers 802.11ac and 802.11n

About the Book

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.

"If anyone knows about real-world Wi-Fi, it's Glenn Fleishman."    —Mark Frauenfelder, co-founder of bOING bOING

You'll learn how to:

  • Create a basic Apple Wi-Fi network, and connect Macs, iOS devices, and Windows 8 computers to the network.

  • Efficiently swap in a new base station in place of an old one.

  • Extend the range of a network by connecting base stations with Ethernet or Wi-Fi (or a mix).

  • Print wirelessly to a Wi-Fi or USB-connected printer.

  • Add a USB-attached drive to a Time Capsule or AirPort Extreme, and setting up user access.

  • Keep intruders out by setting up reliable and relevant security for your network.

  • Easily put visitors on the Internet with a guest network.

You'll also find information about how to:

  • Back up to a Time Capsule, and work with the Time Capsule's internal drive.

  • Pipe audio through an AirPort Express.

  • Share files the new Apple way with AirDrop.

You'll find lots of problem-solving help about:

  • Avoiding interference problems.

  • What the icon on your Wi-Fi menu means.

  • What the colored light on your base station is trying to tell you.

  • Dealing with a base station that can't be found on the network.

  • Making a base station assign an IP address to a client.

  • Finding a MAC address. (Hint, 1 Infinite Loop is not the MAC address that you seek.)

  • Updating the firmware in your base station, and reverting to an older version.

And, on the geekier side, you'll learn about:

  • Putting computers more directly on the Internet with port mapping or a default host.

  • Setting up Software Base Station.

  • Ad hoc networking.

  • Saving effort and avoid problems by exporting a backup copy of a base station configuration.

  • 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.

About the Author

Glenn Fleishman
Glenn Fleishman

Glenn Fleishman was trained as a typesetter, received a degree in art, and works as a journalist and programmer. Glenn is a regular contributor to the Economist, where he has filed hundreds of online stories and dozens of print features. He also appears regularly in Boing Boing, TidBITS, Fast Company, MIT Technology Review, Macworld, and Six Colors. His blog is http://glog.glennf.com, and he overshares on Twitter at @glennf.

Table of Contents

  • Read Me First
    • Updates and More
    • Basics
    • What’s New in Version 1.2
    • What Was New in Version 1.0 and 1.1
  • Introduction
  • Apple Wi-Fi Quick Start
  • Quick Troubleshooting Guide
    • Resetting a Locked-up Base Station
    • Wi-Fi Network Won’t Assign IP Address
    • Device Can’t See Base Station Network
    • Personal Hotspot Not Working
    • Other Troubleshooting
  • Mac Wi-Fi Iconography
  • Light Reading
  • Learn Wireless Basics
    • Adapters and Access Points
    • Wi-Fi Spectrum
    • Wi-Fi Standards and AirPort Hardware
  • Wi-Fi Gear from Apple
    • 802.11n, 802.11ac, and Apple’s Choices
    • AirPort Base Station Models
    • Adapters in Current Apple Devices
  • Meet AirPort Utility
    • View Your Network
    • Keep Up to Date
  • Plug In Your Base Station and Get Started
    • Unpack and Power Up
    • Connect to a New Base Station
  • Set Up a Network
    • Picture Your Scenario
    • New Network, Single Base Station
    • Extend a Network via Ethernet or Wi-Fi
    • Replace an Existing Base Station
    • Create Separately Named 2.4 and 5 GHz Networks
    • Configure IPv6 Networking
  • Pick the Right Place and the Right Channel
    • Spectrum Trade-offs
    • Pick Compatibility and Set a Channel
    • Pick the Right Place
  • Advanced Networking
    • Get a WAN Address
    • Hand Out LAN Addresses
  • Connect Your Devices
    • Connect in OS X
    • Connect in iOS
    • Connect in Windows 10
    • Connect in Android
    • Connect in Chrome OS
  • AirPort Express Extras
    • Stream Audio with AirPlay
    • Share with Airfoil
    • Connect to Any Base Station
  • Connect Multiple Base Stations
    • Know the Basics
    • Add Access Points via Ethernet
    • Bridge Wirelessly
  • Reach Your Network Remotely
    • Know Your Options
    • Map Ports for Remote Access
    • Punch Through with NAT-PMP
    • Set a Default Host for Full Access
    • Access a Base Station via iCloud
  • Set Up a Shared Printer
    • Add a Printer with USB
    • Add a Wi-Fi Printer Using WPS
    • Add a Shared Printer to a Mac
    • Add a Shared Printer in Windows 10
    • Troubleshoot an Unavailable Shared USB Printer
  • Set Up a Shared USB Disk
    • Prepare Your Drive
    • View and Manage Connected Volumes
    • Work with Time Machine
    • Grant Access
    • Gain Access
  • Connect with a Personal Hotspot
    • Turn On Personal Hotspot
    • Connect to a Personal Hotspot
  • Share Files with AirDrop
    • Configure AirDrop
    • Share with AirDrop
  • Secure Your Network
    • Simple Tricks That Don’t Work
    • Use Built-in Encryption
    • Set Up Guest Networking
  • Overcome Interference
    • Do Some Basic Testing
    • Try a Solution
  • Appendix A: Configuration Files
  • Appendix B: Setting up a Software Base Station
    • Software Base Station
    • Ad Hoc Networking
  • Appendix C: Channels Explained
    • 2.4 GHz Channels
    • 5 GHz Channels
  • Appendix D: What and Where Is a MAC Address?
  • About This Book
    • Ebook Extras
    • About the Author
    • About the Publisher
  • Copyright and Fine Print

About the Publisher

This book is published on Leanpub by Take Control Books

With its Take Control series of ebooks, alt concepts inc. covers a wide range of technology topics, with a special emphasis on Apple products and services. Our catalog comprises over 100 titles, and we’ve sold hundreds of thousands of ebooks in the process of providing expert advice and technical know-how to tens of thousands of readers around the world. Join us today!

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