cynn i'm using wireless w/ my powerbook which has an airport card.....the router is from verizon using their DSL....it's not a "verizon" router.....like you said...a router is a router.....but you saying that the dell router only came w/ software for windoze......perhaps it's a dell proprietary router.....sound like something dell would do.....but all other routers i've ever dealt w/ were just routers....and i've never ever had to use software that came w/ a router to get a connection.

i'm running ox 10.3.9...and at the top menu bar....there is a airport status indicator, which tells me the airport is on, and the signal strength. are you seeing that?

that is also where you enable and disable the airport. you can also go into system preferences under the heading INTERNET & NETWORK | NETWORK to do the same thing.

all macs running OS X that i've dealt w/ have never had problems connecting to a wireless. i'm pretty good w/ wireless.....i have 2 cisco ap's ( access points) in my office at work that the entire 4th floor of my dept uses. i've brought my powerbook into work many times....and it finds the ap's w/ out a problem.

if you're not seeing the status of the airport, go into system preferences under the heading INTERNET & NETWORK | NETWORK, and select "show airport status in menu bar"....you should then see the indicator in the menu bar....and be able to tell if there is a connection. right now...mine has 4 bars....which is full strength.

the router itself is pretty simple to setup......just plug your phoneline into the DSL uplink....and that's it.

look at the box the router came in....perhaps it says winblows only.

my line is open for tech support only until noon.

Argh. I can't find anyplace to enable Airport. I see a grayed-out airport window in one place.

=grumble=

Thanks Hax. I appreciate your advice!

well it's obviously not enabled.

at the top menu bar you should be able to click on the airport indicator and either select | turn airport on | turn airport off.

you're on OS X right?

if ya want i can PM you my number and try and walk ya through it.

I'm on hold w. Apple, right now. God, thier hold guy is annoying.

The music is pretty cool, but every 15 seconds this stupid guy comes on and tells me all the representatives are busy. I mean, duh. If they weren't busy, I wouldn't be hearing freakin' music, right?

I can't find a control panel where I can enable Airport. Maybe there's some other stuff I need to turn on, like sharing or whatever. Dunno. Maybe I just have a bad ethernet cable.

i'm assuming that you're running OS X?
you don't need an ethernet cable connect to the mac for wireless....hence the word wireless

do you mean connect to the router?
i have my phone line into my router.
are you using DSL or cable?

you don't need to turn on sharing either.
if you see the grayed out airport on your menu bar.....just click it...it should give you the option to turn it on or off.

The cable connects the router to my DSL modem, silly.

Yep-- X.3.

I think Tiger came out today, which is probably why I am still on hold.

silly? me?

tiger officially came out yesterday.

dude trying to get an answer out of you is like pulling teeth.

i have no ethernet cables connected to my DSL router....only the phone line...

since you didn't answer this the last two times....i'll ask it one more time.

if you see the grayed out airport on your menu bar.....just click it...it should give you the option to turn it on or off.

good luck

Sorry. It's hard to type and cradle the phone at the same time.

No, there is no Airport icon in my top menu bar.

i'll ask this again...

if you're not seeing the status of the airport, go into system preferences under the heading INTERNET & NETWORK | NETWORK, dbl click NETWORK to open, and select "show airport status in menu bar"....you should then see the indicator in the menu bar....and be able to tell if there is a connection. right now...mine has 4 bars....which is full strength.

once you see the airport indicator in the menu bar you should be able to just click it to give you the option to turn on or off.

unless you don't have an airport card.....you're not going to see anything.

Ha ha! Now you tell me.

I don't have an Airport card, I'm setting up my eMac as a base station so we can get internet access on the other computers. THEY have cards.

Anyway, the tech support guy walked me through the setup--I had to use the Airport Admin Utility, not Airport Setup Assistant. And even he said it's counterintuitive.

Thanks for all your help, though!

screwloose brought it up, so since you didn't indicate whether or not you had one...
i just ASS-u-ME you had one

no worries...i still love ya

wireless or not...have a great weekend!

It's working, now. Just had to use the Airport Admin Utility, not the Airport Setup Assistant. The instructions that came with the freakin' router *said* to set it up with Airport Setup Assistant, and made no mention of the admin thing. It's just stupid that there's so much paper in the box with this thing, and not a single piece of it was helpful.

Anyway, the laptop is now happily surfing, thanks to the router. So it's all good. Having two computers that can go online is a big plus, in this household. (I'm not gonna give the kiddo internet access for a while, though.)

yeah ! The Drama comes to a HAPPY ending! Cynn can now, with much ease, surf for PRON anywhere in her home!!! ISN'T TECHNOLOGY WONDERFUL???

And, Cynn, you may be interested in ordering a Her Happy Place™ chair to relax in whilst you surf!!