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How to connect iMac G3 Tray loader to wifi

Angelgreat

Well-known member
Hello, I'm thinking of getting a iMac G3 tray loader, but I'm wondering how would I connect it to the internet. I don't think it supports a Airport card, and I don't want to have to use Ethernet. Would someone like a Airport base or a modern Ethernet to wifi Adapter work?
 

Torbar

Well-known member
Even if it did support Airport, those are limited to WEP security(which you don't want to run on your wifi)

Best bet is a modern ethernet to wifi adapter("Wireless Ethernet Bridge" is sometimes another name for it)
With one of those, from the iMac's side it will just see it as a regular ethernet network, and then the bridge itself is what will connect to your wifi.
(I don't have any partiuclar brand/model to recommend, I used to use a Linksys one for my xbox, but that was in like 2004)
 

Garrett B

Well-known member
I use an AirPort Express to bridge my WiFi 6 mesh network with the old Mac stuff. Just get the AirPort on the network and use one of the two RJ45 ports to connect to the Mac!
 

Angelgreat

Well-known member
The iMac G3 is able to use an Airport card, but only with the special daughter card.
But only on the slot-loading version of the iMac G3. The tray-loader doesn't support a Airport card or the daughterboard adapter. The only way that AirPort can work on a Tray-loader is to use a Airport Base Station.
 

Angelgreat

Well-known member
I use an AirPort Express to bridge my WiFi 6 mesh network with the old Mac stuff. Just get the AirPort on the network and use one of the two RJ45 ports to connect to the Mac!
So, like one of these?
 

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Garrett B

Well-known member
I have one of these, but the earlier version should work as well, so long as it can connect to your home network!
 

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Garrett B

Well-known member
I’ve used it on machines with 8.6 and it works just as well as it does 10.3, which is pretty handy.
 

Cory5412

Daring Pioneer of the Future
Staff member
If this is a modern AirPort device: you probably need to manage it from a modern OS X mac (like 10.13 or newer, probably) or an iOS device.

You don't need to do this with an airport, there's other wifi routers that have client mode and one of those would also work. (for example if you wanted to use wifi 6) Depending on your home network and the air space and your needs, you can get newer/faster wifi routers. That device would probably need to be configured from a modern browser, but it wouldn't have to be an Apple device.

Some older routers with DD-WRT can also be configured to use client mode, even if the original firmware didn't have that functionality.
 

LaPorta

Well-known member
I have an all-AirPort network at home, so it is very easy to just "add one more" as needed to do this sort of thing. I tried to do some crazy "Old base station to base station with ethernet cable, then separate unsecured network for old machines with old AirPort"...and so on, and I could never make it work, and it would have been unsecure, anyway. The method described by those above works very, very well.
 

reallyrandy

Well-known member
So, what you're saying is get a wifi extender with an ethernet port, like this one:
619pWp9HvhL._AC_SL1280_.jpg
Get the wifi extender onto your wifi network and then plug the ethernet into your G3 or G4 Mac.
I do this with my Legends Ultimate Arcade because it's wifi is wonky.

I would love to find a way to set up a wifi network for my Airport capable Macs to log in to. Maybe an Airport extreme plugged in to my router/modem and then set it up like a 90's wifi network?
 
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