AirPort Base Station (Graphite)
AirPort
Base Station (Snow)
AirPort Extreme Base Station
Figures 1.1 - AirPort pane (click to enlarge)
Configuring an AirPort Base Station at the University of Wisconsin
The AirPort Base Station can allow one or more computers equipped with wireless cards to use an Internet connection without being physically attached to a network or phone line. In order for you to be able to use your AirPort Base Station to connect wirelessly to the Internet, it must be properly configured. The AirPort Base Station can provide this type of capability using a normal ethernet network connection on campus (such as is available in University offices and University-owned dorms), an ethernet connection through a DSL modem or cable modem, or a dial-in phone line. This document will describe how to configure your AirPort Base Station to work in any of these environments.
First, you must have the AirPort software installed on your computer, and you must physically set up your AirPort Base Station. Follow the instructions that came with the AirPort Base Station for installing the AirPort software and connecting to your AirPort Base Station to configure it for the first time. A utility called AirPort Admin Utility will be installed on your computer when you install the AirPort software. This is the utility that you will use to configure your AirPort Base Station. When you open AirPort Admin Utility, it will prompt you to connect to an AirPort Base Station. Refer to the instructions that came with the AirPort Base Station or contact the DoIT Help Desk if you need help connecting to it the first time. Once you connect to it, you will be presented with a configuration window with four tabs, or panes: AirPort, Internet, Network, and Access Control. Depending on how you will be connecting to the Internet, some of these panes will need to be configured differently.
1. Configuring the AirPort pane
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AirPort Extreme Base Station |
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Figures 1.1 - AirPort pane (click to enlarge) |
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The first pane you will need to configure is the AirPort pane. The Base Station section does not affect the operation of the Base Station, but should still have accurate information entered. Change your Base Station password from its default to something only you will know by clicking the Change Password... button. You will need this password every time you configure the Base Station with the AirPort Admin Utility.
The AirPort Network section contains some important information. First, Name is how your Base Station will appear to wireless computers connecting to it. Give it a name that you will remember, and that perhaps describes its location. Everyone will be able to see this name when they are in range of your AirPort Base Station. If you would like, you can click the Create a closed network checkbox. This requires that the name of the network be specifically entered every time you want to connect to it, and also requires that you check the Allow selection of closed networks checkbox in the AirPort settings on your wireless computer(s). Channel frequency is the channel that your AirPort Base Station is operating on. If you have interference, a poor signal, or do not believe you are getting the range you should, you can change this in the future. For now, leave it at its default setting. Finally, you can elect to enable encryption (using WEP, or wireless encryption protocol) over your wireless connection. Because a wireless connection goes through the air, anyone with the proper equipment in range may be able to spy on your Internet traffic. While this is very unlikely, you can protect your connection if you choose by enabling encryption. This will require you to set a Network Password (which is really an encryption key) that must be entered every time you use the Base Station.
We're now done with the AirPort pane.
2. Configuring the Internet Pane
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AirPort Extreme Base Station |
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Figures 2.1 - Internet pane, ethernet using DHCP (click to enlarge) |
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Figures 2.2 - Internet pane, using modem (click to enlarge) |
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Ethernet (UW office or ResNet) WiscWorld
dial-in (modem) DSL University office: If you are using your
AirPort Base Station on campus in a University office, you
will need to talk to your departmental computer
administrator to find out how to properly set up your
AirPort Base Station and wireless computer(s). Also, you
should register your AirPort Base Station with DoIT
here. ResNet: If
you are using your AirPort Base Station on ResNet in a University-owned
dorm, or most private dorms, you will configure the Network pane
as shown in Figures 3.1. If you are dialing
in to WiscWorld using a telephone line, configure the Internet pane
as shown in Figures 2.2,
inserting your own NetID into the Account Name field.
After you configure your wireless computer to use AirPort, the AirPort
Base
Station
will automatically
dial in whenever it is needed (unless Automatically dial is
unchecked). With most
commercial DSL and cable modem services, you will configure the
Internet pane as shown in Figures 2.1. TDS Metrocom
DSL and Charter Pipeline: configure as shown in
Figures 2.1. TDS Telecom
DSL and SBC/Ameritech DSL: Set Connect Using to PPPoE and
enter the appropriate information.
Cable
modem
3. Configuring the Network Pane
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AirPort Extreme Base Station |
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Figures 3.1 - Network pane using bridging (click to enlarge) |
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Figures 3.2 - Network pane using NAT (click to enlarge) |
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Ethernet (UW office or ResNet) WiscWorld
dial-in (modem) DSL University
office: If you are using your AirPort Base Station on
campus in a University office, you will need to talk to your
departmental computer administrator to find out how to properly
set up your AirPort Base Station and wireless computer(s). Also,
you should register your AirPort Base Station with DoIT here. ResNet: If
you are using your AirPort Base Station on ResNet in a University-owned
dorm, or most private dorms, you will
configure the Network pane as shown in Figures 3.1. If you are dialing in to WiscWorld using a telephone
line, configure the Internet pane as shown in Figure 3.2.
This will allow one or more computers to share a single
WiscWorld dial-in connection. With most
commercial DSL and cable modem services, you will configure the
Internet
pane as shown in Figures 3.2. Important note:
Do not check Enable DHCP server on
Ethernet on a graphite base station unless you know
what you are doing.
Cable modem
4. Configuring the Access Control Pane
You may wish to restrict
access to your AirPort Base Station even more than passwords and encryption
allow. The Access Control pane
allows you to add computers that you would specifically like to
access the Base Station. When the Access Control pane is blank, all
connections are allowed. Once you add one entry, only the computers
added into the Access Control list will be allowed to use the Base
Station. To add a computer, click the Add... button and enter
the computer's AirPort ID. The AirPort ID,
also known as the wireless MAC address, can be found in Apple System Profiler
under AirPort. Other types and brands of wireless cards, as well as the
AirPort card, will have this address printed on the card itself.
For more information
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Apple AirPort home page |
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Apple AirPort support page |
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WiscWorld |
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Wireless WiscWorld |
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UW ResNet |
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DoIT Apple Support |
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DoIT Help Desk |
Questions? Concerns?
If you have any problems or questions, or have concerns about security, contact the DoIT Help Desk at (608) 264-HELP (4357) or help@doit.wisc.edu for assistance.
Document created
by Dave Schroeder of
DoIT
(das@doit.wisc.edu)
03/07/2003.
Copyright 2003 Regents
of the University
of Wisconsin. All rights
reserved.
