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Wireless networking is a reality. Apple’s AirPort cards and basestation let those with iBooks and the latest PowerBooks (and desktop Macs) speak to each other and get online without a single physical connection. If you don’t have one of the very latest PowerBooks you can’t use an AirPort card. But this doesn’t mean you’re out of luck, as Farallon have a solution for any PowerBook with a PC Card slot: the Skyline 11Mb.
The first SkyLine wireless PC Card came out late last year, and allowed PowerBook users to connect to other Macs and networks at 2Mbits/sec - useful, but a fifth of the speed of AirPort’s 11mbits/sec. The new SkyLine 11Mb card changes that, bringing the rest of the PowerBook world up to full AirPort speeds. It is also almost £100 cheaper than the original SkyLine card. The growing interest in 11mbit/sec wireless technology has led to economies of scale as manufacturers get their production lines up to speed.
We tested the SkyLine 11Mb with an AirPort-equipped iMac DV, and after a little work setting up the software we were able to establish a wireless network link and perform network tasks over the airwaves. In a few of our tests the raw data throughput didn’t always match the speeds of a regular wired 10base-T Ethernet link, sometimes peaking at 50% of the total performance. But these hiccups may have been to outside influences, as in general it performed very well. It was a liberating experience to be able to walk around the building with a PowerBook, printing, copying files from a server, and running network monitoring software - not to mention the odd game of Unreal Tournament, and the speed was perfectly acceptable for real-world use.
The SkyLine card is designed to maintain a connection at distances up to 150ft, although when working within buildings, particularly those with a large amount of radiowave-shielding cable infrastructure, the effective distance may be reduced. The SkyLine Configuration panel provides a real-time bar-style signal meter which shown the current strength of the wireless network signal, as well as details on the connection itself. The data transmission speed will drop back from the top 11Mbits/sec to 5.5mbits/sec, and right down to 1mbits/sec.
The SkyLine 11Mb card looks like a regular type II PC Card device, with an extra section added to the end. This projects from the PC Card slot when the device is in use, and is where the radio transmit and receive hardware is housed. The SkyLine software adds a Farallon Wireless option to the AppleTalk control panel. Picking this while the SkyLine 11Mb card is inserted is the first half of getting connected to a nearby SkyLine or AirPort-equipped Mac or AirPort basestation, the rest is handled by Farallon’s software, used primarily to determin which of the two connection methods is to be used.
For simple peer to peer links with other wireless users the Ad Hoc network is best. This provides a very simple way to talk directly However this doesn’t include access to regular network services and hardware, such as corporate Internet access, office laserprinters or file servers. This level of connectivity is provided by the Infrastructure network option, but this is only available if there is an access-point hardware device, such as an AirPort basestation, within range. With this in place a number of SkyLine-equipped PowerBooks could connect to a regular network simultaneously.
Users can select from a number of different channels, which provides a method for separating out access across multiple hardware setups. Security is also dealt with; as well as the standard AppleShare-level name and password access restrictions provided by Mac OS networking, there is built-in encryption to encode and decipher data.
Regular network connections involve trailing cables around the room or burying them under carpets or floorboards. They are also difficult to reposition once in place, which puts a major cramp in any office reorganisation plans. Wired networks may be moving towards the high-speed standards of 100base-T and even gigabit (1000base-T) Ethernet, but although wireless solutions peak at around the old Ethernet speeds, they are still fast enough for general use. And of course they don’t require expensive wiring installations, and don’t tie people to particular spots.
If you have a PowerBook and need to hook up to your office network, the wireless route makes a lot of sense. Farallon’s dramatically reduced price makes the new SkyLine card more competetive, so if you’re after a wireless connection then the best choice may well be the SkyLine 11mb card - maybe even for AirPort-ready PowerBooks. |
