TMO Quick Tip - Managing AirPort Base Station Modes

by , 7:30 AM EDT, August 27th, 2007

Most wireless network access points, like Apple's AirPort Extreme Base Station, are compatible with more than one Wi-Fi standard. While the ability to use a Base Station with 802.11b, g, or n-compatible computers is nice, machines that are compatible only with older wireless protocols will slow down the entire wireless network.

If you want to prevent older computers from slowing down the wireless part of your network, reconfigure your AirPort Extreme Base Station to work only with one protocol. For example, let's say you have a Base Station that is compatible with both 802.11b and 802.11g, and you don't want older 802.11b-compatible Macs to slow down the data transmission rate.

If you are using Airport Admin Utility, do this:

• Select your Base Station from the Base Station list.
• Click Configure.
• Select the AirPort tab.
• Choose the Wi-Fi protocol you want the Base Station to recognize from the Mode pop-up menu. In this example, I would choose 802.11g Only.
• Click Update.

AirPort Admin Utility

If you are using Airport Utility, which is included with 802.11n-compatible AirPort Extreme Base Stations, do this:

• Select Base Station from the Base Station list.
• Click the Manual button.
• Select the Wireless tab.
• Choose the Wi-Fi protocol you want the Base Station to recognize from the Radio Mode pop-up menu.
• Click Update.

AirPort Utility

I use this trick when I have more than one Base Station available and I know that some of the computers on the network have older, slower, AirPort cards installed. I set one Base Station to use the newer and faster protocol, and the other to use the slower protocol. That way the older Macs don't slow down the network for the newer models.

Jeff Gamet is TMO's Morning Editor and Reviews Editor. He lectures, teaches and speaks on Mac OS X and design-related topics, and is the author of The Designer's Guide to Mac OS X from Peachpit Press.

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