Hypothetical question (OS9 and WPA)

#1 Mon, 26 Nov 2012 - 00:26

I recently got my Pismo up and running again; the issue turned out to be a fried CPU card, and I got a replacement on the cheap. Unfortunately, the new card is a 400MHz G3, as opposed to the 500MHz I had in there before. That's a bit of a problem as I found 10.4 to be only just tolerable on the 500MHz card, and I don't expect it's going to be particularly nice at 80% speed. At the moment, I've just put OS9 on it, which is really all I need (the machine is only intended as a secondary writing laptop.) The downside is that OS9 never got support for WPA/WPA2 wireless encryption...I could, I suppose, set up a secondary MAC-filtered WEP network just for this thing, but it's just so annoying that there was never an update for this...

Which brings me to my question: given that classic Mac OS has a long and rich tradition of third-party developers filling in gaps until Apple got around to them (if they ever did,) is it possible to hack up an extension to add support for this? Can an extension hook itself into another extension, or would you have to replace the AirPort extensions altogether? Is there enough information out there on the networking API to do either?

#2 Mon, 26 Nov 2012 - 14:38

You'd probably have to replace it; I don't think there is any real modularity to the AirPort encryption. But why not just get a wireless game converter? My TiBook in 9.2.2 has a Netgear wireless converter Velcroed to the back. It takes its power off FireWire and connects over Ethernet, and I can configure it in Classilla.

#3 Mon, 26 Nov 2012 - 20:13

I do the same thing with a Netgear WNCE2001 on my WS and Duos.

#4 Mon, 26 Nov 2012 - 20:15

I didn't know that was a thing, hmm. I might just try that.

#5 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 - 01:36

I do the same thing with a Netgear WNCE2001 on my WS and Duos.

Just Googled that thing. It has the same design elements as a PowerBook G3 with the "tuxedo" look. Would look pretty cool, actually, on the backside of the LCD if I worked up a bracket (or maybe just some velcro.) Especially if I got the USB powered one. Pretty seamless.

#6 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 - 01:41

Just found this on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Netgear-WNCE2001-Universal-WiFi-Wireless-N-Extender-Ethernet-Network-Adapter-/270921577406

$30 with no tax and free shipping. About as cheap as they get. I just grabbed one, though I really shouldn't have. I'll have to skip a few lunches to pay for this one.

#7 Tue, 27 Nov 2012 - 15:51

Damn, I could swear one of the Mac accessory makers made a PCMCIA 802.11g card that supported WPA with custom OS 9 drivers, but now I can't find it......

#8 Fri, 30 Nov 2012 - 17:12

Cisco, maybe? Their Aironets are fairly comprehensive, and their software still supports Mac OS 9.

#9 Sun, 2 Dec 2012 - 01:39

I just got my Netgear. That thing is TINY. It lends itself very well to being hackable. A great item to buy for any vintage Mac, especially 68k machines. I'm thinking of getting a 2nd one, then hack up an Apple modem and stick it in there. They're just 2.5x3.5" big, and as thick as the ethernet port.

#10 Sun, 2 Dec 2012 - 21:38

for WiFi to ethernet conversion, I have a WRT54G running DD-WRT set up in wireless bridge mode

#11 Sun, 2 Dec 2012 - 21:43

Eventually, I'd like to grab another WNCE2001 and mod it into my 16sce for DuoDuties.