I think you have gotten a few things confused, because they all have
the name airport on it.
The Apple airport technology is nothing more than what is commonly
known as WiFi or 802.11. It is the technology that let you create a
wireless network. It has nothing to do with connecting to the
Internet (that comes later). Because it is wireless, anyone who has
a wireless card (or an Airport Card) can join the network (this is
the watered down version, but you don't need to know the technical at
the moment).
As for connecting to the Internet wirelessly, you need to get
yourself one of those router+wifi access point or an Apple Airport
Base Station. What this device do is connect your wireless network
to the Internet. These devices usually have a WAN port to connect
your cable modem/DSL modem or in the case of some models of the Base
Station - a dial-up modem to access the Internet. Because it has a
wireless access point, it is just like a computer on your network.
So, if you have a wireless access point + router device, you can
create a wireless network that can let you connect to the Internet.
As to how your niece can connect to the Internet at your parent's
condo - that can be because a) your parent has one of those wi-fi
access point + router device. Even though they may not use the
access point portion of the device, your niece may be savvy enough to
figure out how to work it (it may need some minor tinkering to get
the wi-fi to work, but then, it may not). Alternatively, one of your
parent's neighbor may have a wifi access point+router device. Since
any Wi-Fi device has a range or some 100 feet, your niece may have
picked up one of them on her laptop and had a free ride (this is the
simple version).
What it means for your parents is that if they got an airport card in
their computer and if they have a router+wi-fi access point, they can
eliminate the cable that connect them to their router and/or cable
modem/dsl modem etc. If your parents have laptops, they can take
their laptops anywhere in the house and not have to be tied to a
specific place. You still have to pay for Internet access,
unfortunately.
As for the ads at the apple website, you got a few things confused
also. First of all, Apple has came out with this product called the
Airport Express. It is a base station with some extra capability.
One of them is the ability to "stream" songs on your iTunes to the
Airport Express. If you connect the Airport Express to your stereo,
you can listen to the music that is being streamed from your iTunes
through the Airport Express to your stereo. You can also use the
Airport Express to extend the range of your Base Station (assuming
you have an Extreme Base Station). And if you are traveling, you can
bring it along and if you plug it to ethernet cable in your hotel
room and pay the outrageous Internet Access price, you can surf the
web wirelessly, because it is a router+wi-fi access point device.
And because it has a range to it, that means if you are traveling
with friends or co-workers, they can all sure that one Internet
connection, assuming they have some sort of wi-fi device (like the
Airport Card) in their laptop.
As for the part about not having to buy any CD any more - that is
because Apple has started a music distribution business using the
ITunes, called the iTunes music store. You go to the iTunes music
store via iTunes and you can download songs, CDs, to your iTunes at
the price of 99 cents a song or $9.99 an album.
Hope all these help.
Sherman
On Sep 16, 2005, at 11:53 PM, LN wrote:
I'm feeling a bit lost on this one. Can someone either give me a
simple explanation or
point me to a good educational link to understand the Airport concept?
First confusion, regarding internet connectivity: My neice has an
airport card in her
laptop and was able to connect at my parent's condo. Does this
mean that if my parents
get an airport card in their computer they will no longer have to
buy internet access?
Second confusion, regarding other uses of airport: How does this
idea eliminate the need
for me to buy cds? I went to the Apple site and they were
suggesting hooking up my stereo
to the airport and ????
It suddenly occurred to me that I don't understand what this
airport thing is really about.
Please, can someone point me to a good educational overview of the
concept?
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