The Titanium PowerBook G4, aka TiBook,
is a terrific laptop computer, but it has one major drawback: because
of the titanium case, it has poor Wi-Fi reception. Poor reception
translates mainly into limited range; when Dori first got her TiBook,
Tom had an old blueberry clamshell iBook that could run rings around
the TiBook in terms of Wi-Fi reception. The iBook could stay
connected to the living room's base station out on
the front porch, back in the master bedroom, and even in the kitchen;
in short, anywhere in or around the house. By contrast, the
TiBook's range was about half the distance from the
base station as the iBook's. There are a variety of
techniques you can use to improve the reception of your TiBook, and
we'll go through them from easiest to most
difficult.
By the way, later-model TiBooks are an improvement over the original
models, but the difference is not very large. Part of the problem
with all models of the TiBook is the location of its built-in
antennas: you can see them on either side of the computer as small
plastic oblongs. The plastic is much more transparent to Wi-Fi
signals than the metal titanium case, but because of their small
size, reception isn't that great. The reception
problems are greatly improved with the Aluminum PowerBooks, because
the antennas in these machines are on the sides of the screen, where
they are raised when the computer is in use. Apple also increased the
size of the antennas in their later machines.
2.6.1 Orienting your laptop
When you're having problems with Wi-Fi reception on
your TiBook, the easiest solution is to move closer to the base
station. If that isn't feasible, you can try turning
the laptop so that the antennas do a better job of receiving the
Wi-Fi signal. Just turn the laptop 90 degrees in either direction and
see if the signal strength improves. In really dodgy reception
situations, we've found that turning our TiBook can
mean the difference between staying connected?and not.
2.6.2 Checking the AirPort Card
Before trying more drastic measures, make sure that your AirPort card
is seated correctly in its slot, and that the antenna wire is seated
fully into the connector on the end of the AirPort card.
It's possible that the person who installed the
AirPort card didn't seat the connector properly, and
a loose antenna wire can easily be fixed. Chances are good that if
the AirPort card isn't properly inserted into its
slot, AirPort won't be working at all, but
it's easy to check while you're
looking at the antenna connection.
Remove the battery, then remove the bottom case of your PowerBook G4
using the instructions for your model of PowerBook found at
Apple's Customer-Installable Parts page, at
http://www.info.apple.com/usen/cip/.
You'll need a Torx T8 screwdriver, which you can
find at most hardware stores.
Make sure that the AirPort card is seated all the way in its slot.
The antenna cable connector plugs into the port on the AirPort card.
Make sure the connector is straight and inserted all the way into the
port.
Reassemble the computer.
2.6.3 Squeezing the Battery Bay
We haven't had success with this technique
ourselves, but after reading several reports that swear by it, we
decided to include this tip. It may help your reception if you remove
the battery, then press on the inside of the battery bay, which is
near one of the antennas. This method apparently works because the
antenna cable runs in a channel that secures it in front of the
plastic antenna window on the sides of the computer. If the cable has
shifted for some reason, it misses the window. Pressing on the inside
of the battery bay pushes the antenna cable back into its channel and
presumably back in front of the plastic window.
You're trying this procedure at your own risk: we
are not responsible in any way if you break your laptop. We suggest
using MacStumbler to get a numerical reading of your signal strength
before and after the procedure, to make sure that any perceived
improvement isn't just the placebo effect in action.
Follow these steps:
Shut down the TiBook.
Turn the laptop over and remove the battery.
Locate the AirPort antenna on that side of the computer
(it's the plastic strip on the side of the case
outside the battery bay).
With your fingers, press on the inside of the battery compartment
behind the antenna. Press gently but firmly: you're
not trying to deform the case or anything. Press in several places in
the general area, for about 10 seconds, as shown in Figure 2-18.
Replace the battery, boot your Mac, and check your Wi-Fi reception.
2.6.4 Using a PC Card Wi-Fi Adapter
Perhaps the best solution to getting better Wi-Fi reception from a
TiBook is to add a PC card wireless adapter. This route also allows
you to add an 802.11g adapter to get better wireless speeds than an
internal AirPort card (though because of the PC
card's slot's throughput
limitations, you will most likely get slower throughput than a
PowerBook with an AirPort Extreme card). The main benefit to a PC
card adapter, however, is the antenna that projects beyond the
beautiful (but maddeningly radio-opaque) titanium case. Using this
external antenna makes all the difference in receptivity, and the
increased range is equal to that of iBooks and even a bit better than
Aluminum PowerBooks.
You can find a wide range of PC card wireless adapters; no-name
802.11b cards sell from as little as $18. Branded cards cost about
$40, and 802.11g cards go for between $30 and $80.
Many PC card adapters will work, as long as you are running Mac OS X
10.2.6 or later and AirPort software 3.1 or later. These versions of
the system and AirPort software enabled support for third-party Wi-Fi
adapters that are based on the Broadcom and Intersil chip sets.
2.6.5 Installing External Antennas
As mentioned in the last section, the largest improvement in Wi-Fi
reception doesn't come from the PC
card's radio receiver, but from the antenna that
protrudes outside of the PowerBook's case. So why
not dispense with a card and just add an external antenna? A few
companies offer external antennas for PowerBooks, but
we'll just talk about one,
QuickerTek
(http://www.quickertek.com/).
This company makes two antennas for the PowerBook G3 (Pismo) and
PowerBook G4 (Titanium). The $50 Stub wireless antenna (shown in
Figure 2-19) looks like a PC card antenna and snaps
into the PC card slot. The company claims that you can get double the
range of the standard internal antennas with the Stub. The $90 Whip
wireless antenna (shown in Figure 2-20) has a
claimed reception improvement of up to 10 times, and is an external
antenna that mounts to the case of your PowerBook with Velcro.
These antennas require you to open the PowerBook case, remove the
cable connection to the internal antennas, then connect the new
antenna's cable connection to the AirPort card. That
cable is then threaded through the PC card slot and connected to the
Stub or Whip antennas. While the QuickerTek antenna is installed,
you'll lose the use of the PC card slot. And
naturally, installing them voids your Apple warranty (if you still
have one in effect). Both antennas require that you already have an
AirPort card.
Of these two antennas, the Stub should perform similarly to a PC card
Wi-Fi adapter, which costs approximately the same as the Stub. If you
don't already have an AirPort card,
it's a no-brainer to skip the Stub and just get a PC
card Wi-Fi adapter. The Whip is a bit more of a judgment call: if you
need to use exceptionally weak Wi-Fi signals, the reception
improvement of the Whip may be worth the price.
2.6.6 Hitching a Ride
Finally, there is one approach to
wireless connectivity that isn't entirely wireless.
If you are using two laptops in a place with weak wireless access,
and only one of them can receive a usable signal, you can turn on
Internet Sharing and connect an Ethernet cable between the two
laptops. That way, both computers can share the wireless connection.
We've used this approach in cases where
Tom's PowerBook G4 (12-inch) was able to get
reception, while Dori's TiBook could not.
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Incidentally, this approach allows more than one computer to be on
the Net in wireless hotspots that use captive portals to limit access
(and almost certainly violates the terms of service of the hotspot
provider). See Chapter 4 for more information
about hotspots and captive portals.
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This technique is, in effect, the opposite of using AirPort Internet
Sharing, which allows you to share a direct Ethernet connection over
wireless. You'll find more about setting up AirPort
Internet Sharing in Chapter 3.
Follow these steps to share a wireless connection via Ethernet:
Connect the two computers with an Ethernet cable. Most later-model
Macintoshes, including all PowerBook G4 models and iBook (Dual USB
and later), don't require an Ethernet crossover
cable; to check if yours does, see http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=42717.
On the computer that has the wireless connection, open System
Preferences.
In the Internet & Sharing section of the System Preferences
window, click Sharing.
Click the Internet tab, as shown in Figure 2-21.
In the "Share your connection from"
pop-up menu, choose AirPort.
In the "To computers using"
section, select the checkbox next to "Built-in
Ethernet." The Start button will become active.
Click Start. An alert sheet will appear, asking if
you're sure you want to turn on Internet sharing.
Click Start in the alert sheet. The window will show that Internet
sharing is on and that you are sharing your AirPort connection.
On the computer that is connected via Ethernet, open System
Preferences.
In the Internet & Sharing section of the System Preferences
window, click Network.
Click the TCP/IP tab and choose "Using
DHCP" from the "Configure
IPv4" pop-up menu. You should now be able to use the
other computer's wireless connection.
