Please help a networking-challenged Mac user

mrg3013 · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 25 Oct 2005 Posts: 11

I am trying to migrate from dialup access to EVDO access using the KR1. My previous setup employed an Apple Airport Extreme base station (located in the attic) to connect to my ISP. My wife's laptop (powerbook G4, 10.4.x) and my desktop (imac G5, 10.3.x, located in the basement) both connected wirelessly to the Airport. I also added an Airport Express base station to which I connect my inkjet printer via USB and laser printer via ethernet. I am having difficulty restoring access to either printer after having hooked up the KR1 and both computers.

I initially tried plugging the laserwriter's ethernet cable into one of the LAN ports on the KR1, but it doesn't show up in the window for adding an Appletalk printer, although it does show up in the list of DHCP clients on the KR1. I have a similar problem with the Airport Extreme/Inkjet printer - shows up in the DHCP client list but not in the printer list.

Is there some firewall setting in the KR1 I need to disable or change to accommodate Appletalk/Rendevous/Bonjour traffic or is a similar setup just not possible?

I could probably share both printers from my desktop machine, but then my wife would (probably) have to wake it up in order to print.

Any help / suggestions / explanations would be very much appreciated.

Mackieman · EVDO Junkie Joined: 31 Oct 2005 Posts: 451

KR1 probably won't pass Appletalk packets. You'll need to use EtherTalk probably, but that is just about the end of my experience with Airport stuff.

Scott · Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2006 6:35 pm Post subject:

It may be beneficial to do your WiFi with the Airport Extreme and Express, and turn off the WiFi on the KR1.

Use the Ethernet connection (<--->) on the Airport Extreme to connect to one of the KR1's switch ports.

Turn off the DHCP server on the Airport Extreme (and set it either to *aquire an address* via DHCP or to an appropriate static address) and let the KR1 handle the DHCP address serving, since that way the Powerbook and iMac will get the correct gateway and DNS addresses, should they change.

Guessing that the Express "talks" to the Extreme via WDS, but you didn't indicate. That could add another little layer of weirdness when adding the KR1 into the WiFi mix.

You may want to check that both of the Apple machine's printer configs are updated to any new/different printer IP's as well, since those will change depending on how things are setup (just re-run the Printer Setup Utility app located in your Applications>Utilities folder).

The KR1's subnet defaults to 192.168.0.1-254, where the Airport stuff uses 10.0.0.1-254 by defualt, I believe. As well, depending on the printer, you don't have to do Appletalk, Bonjour, etc... you can just do IP printing.

Have fun. *wink*

mrg3013 · EVDO Fledgling Joined: 25 Oct 2005 Posts: 11

Yes, I believe the Express used WDS to talk to the Extreme - I set up the Express using the airport "Assistant" application (which was unbelievably painless I might add, something other router companies like Kyocera could learn from). The down side of course is that I don't really understand what all it did.

I was able to get the Inkjet printer back on line by setting the Express up in wireless client mode (Join an existing wireless network option) instead of "Home router" mode w/ WDS. (Is WDS an Apple standard or Wireless standard?)

I can also print to the laserwriter now if I set it up as a unix printer - it looks like maybe I can set up the KR1 to give it a "static" TCP/IP address, so this might be the less hardware intensive / less complex option.

Looks like I'll have some more fun tomorrow.

Thanks for your suggestions.