robin-fo
Well-known member
You would need a LocalTalk to ethernet bridge and two AirTalks for that
Releasing AirTalk: Wireless plug-and-play LocalTalk dongle
- Thread starter daanvdl
- Start date
robin-fo
Well-known member
I‘m not entirely sure if that‘s 100% correct.. Even the Mac mini G4 has an integrated ESCC..
But yes, it‘s not accessible. 
twelvetone12
Well-known member
I wonder how difficult it would be to write an LToUdp bridge for open transport... 
cheesestraws
Well-known member
I wonder how difficult it would be to write an LToUdp bridge for open transport...
Probably not that hard if you have the patience to deal with STREAMS. I wanted to do one for classic networking but MacTCP doesn't support multicast
.
Any off-the-shelf wifi-to-ethernet bridge should do the job there - I haven't used it personally but I gather the Vonets VAP11G is a popular and easy-to-use choice for that.
The only snag is that not all wifi access points handle AppleTalk traffic correctly, so while something like that will work just fine for web browsing and AppleShare-over-IP, it may or may not work for AppleTalk.
Scribe
Active member
I have a TP-Link Deco mesh network. The Deco units have ethernet ports. I can connect my Mac SE (with ethernet card) directly to a Deco and it handles AppleTalk with no problem. Unfortunately, I want to move the Mac to another location that is too far from the Decos to run a cable.
I guess I should try a wifi-to-ethernet bridge.
Thanks!
CC_333
Well-known member
Well, technically there is one iMac model (for sure the Rev. A and B tray loaders, maybe C and D too; the slot loaders for sure don't, as they're an all new design) that seems to have something that looks – and presumably functions – very much like a serial port feeding the IrDA transceiver. Whether it's implemented either as a fully functioning serial port via a discrete Zilog SCC or a custom integrated version, or as a limited port that electrically is only capable of supporting IrDA, I can't say. All I know is that it's there, so maybe something can be done with it.
To that end, has anybody ever tried plugging normal serial peripherals into that port? If so, what were the results? Was there any special software voodoo that had to be done?
c
LaPorta
Well-known member
The Griffin iPort may have taken advantage of that fact. I installed one (and it’s still in there, to my knowledge) in my original rev. A iMac. Has a serial port right in it, and works in tandem with the irDA port. You could switch between the two with a control panel.
Scribe
Active member
I got a Vonets VAP11G-300 and tried hooking it up to the ethernet port of my SE… Annnnnnd it seems that this is one of those access points that does not handle AppleTalk traffic correctly.
Just to make sure I set up the Vonets thingy correctly, I plugged it into the ethernet port of a slightly more modern Mac (PowerBook G4) and shut the built-in WiFi -- it worked fine. I also double-checked that the ethernet port on the SE was still working by plugging in a cable from the router -- that also worked fine.
So unless anybody has any other ideas, it looks like I'm back to square one: Looking for an inexpensive and unobtrusive ethernet-to-WiFi bridge that can connect to my home network and handle AppleTalk traffic.
$25 down the drain. Oh well. Live and learn.
LaPorta
Well-known member
Two things to add:
If you want an access point that shuttles AppleTalk properly…just buy an AirPort. Last gen if you want to make it simple.
If you are trying to get a MacCON working with that SE, you need a router/switch that will allow you to manually set one of its ports to 10 ONLY. Any auto sensing stuff confuses the incredibly old SE cards and won’t work properly.
If you want an access point that shuttles AppleTalk properly…just buy an AirPort. Last gen if you want to make it simple.
If you are trying to get a MacCON working with that SE, you need a router/switch that will allow you to manually set one of its ports to 10 ONLY. Any auto sensing stuff confuses the incredibly old SE cards and won’t work properly.
Scribe
Active member
Can the AirPort work as a wireless bridge to my main (mesh) WiFi network? Since it is older tech, I assume it is slower and less secure than modern devices. Will it impact performance or security for the rest of the network or just on devices that are connected to the AirPort itself?
Not sure what "MacCON" is. The SE works fine on the network I have (TP-link router, TP-link deco mesh WiFi devices) as is -- as long as the SE is connected with an ethernet cable. It even works if the ethernet cable connects the SE to a Deco mesh device which is communicating with the router wirelessly. My problem is that the place where I want to put the SE does not have easy access to the router or any of the Deco units.
LaPorta
Well-known member
MacCON is one of the common SE ethernet cards. I thought perhaps the one you had was that. If yours already works just fine as it is, then you are good to go. The last gen AirPort supports the most modern standards as far as I know. Someone else here with more knowledge can fill in. As far as mesh with your existing setup....good question. That I do not know. They can do so with other AirPorts....not sure regarding those. My house network is All-AirPort and ethernet based, so I never have had to worry otherwise. Sorry I am not sure if it will work in your specific situation.
Any trusty Linksys WRT-54G running ddWRT or other Linux firmware can shuttle AppleTalk just fine. Both OpenWRT and ddWRT appear to support the proper packet translation. I have a modern "pocket" router from GL.iNet (stock firmware is OpenWRT based) that works just fine with AppleTalk.
Also keep in mind if running a bridge. The bridge AND the router on the other end both have to properly support AppleTalk.
Also keep in mind if running a bridge. The bridge AND the router on the other end both have to properly support AppleTalk.
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