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bdugan

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 14, 2006
104
0
I dont quite understand what the airport extreme does. It will let me get onto the internet no matter where I am? Does that mean I can cancel my comcast internet and still get onto the internet because I have this card, or is service required?
 

WildCowboy

Administrator/Editor
Staff member
Jan 20, 2005
18,490
2,991
You need to have some sort of internet access, whether it be your own access through Comcast, another available wireless access point set up by someone else, etc.

The typical setup would be that you would have internet access in your home (from Comcast in your case) and some sort of wireless access point, whether it be a wireless router supplied by Comcast or one of your own (either an Apple AirPort Express or AirPort Extreme base station or a third-party wireless router) connected to their modem. This will set up wireless access for your home. Your computer equipped with an AirPort Extreme card will be able to connect to this network and receive internet access.

Otherwise, you're relying on having access from someone else.
 

iW00t

macrumors 68040
Nov 7, 2006
3,286
0
Defenders of Apple Guild
I dont quite understand what the airport extreme does. It will let me get onto the internet no matter where I am? Does that mean I can cancel my comcast internet and still get onto the internet because I have this card, or is service required?

It is a magic device. Data vanishes into the "ether" on your end and magically appears at the destination host :rolleyes:
 

flopticalcube

macrumors G4
It is a magic device. Data vanishes into the "ether" on your end and magically appears at the destination host :rolleyes:

There really is no need for that. :p

Think of Airport Extreme as Bluetooth but higher speed and further away (up to say 150 feet or so). You will need to connect a cable modem (from Comcast, for instance) to the Airport Extreme to access the internet. Sorry, no magic.
 

bbydon

macrumors 6502a
May 18, 2005
589
106
ATL
its nothing but a named wifi card
it needs a wifi hub like lynksys or the apple hub
and an internet source like comcast
 

orangemacapple

macrumors 6502
Sep 1, 2006
442
0
Raleigh
it's like a cordless phone

think of your extreme or express as a cordless phone. you need telephone service to your house. then you can hook up a cordless phone and walk around while talking. that's what wifi is -- the cordless part of your standard service.
 
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