Apple’s Time Capsule

How about switching on your personal computer (PC) and getting connected to the Internet instantly? No wires, no plugs, no dialling. Yes, I am talking about turning your home into a WiFi zone.

The benefits are immense. You can download stuff into your WiFi-enabled phone or iPod and network all your home computers wirelessly.

All you need is the latest and fastest WiFi technology. Over the last few months I have gone through a series of wireless routers and I find that the Apple Time Capsule is the best. It works with both Mac and Windows. But more on that later.

So how do you go WiFi? If you are on Windows the basic requirement is an ethernet card which I am sure your desktop has. Next, you need a Wireless USB network adapter. I really like Linksys’ Wireless-G 2.4 GHz adapter. This works best with the Linksys Wireless G Broadband Router model no WRT54G. This is also called the Access Point. The adapter is installed using a setup wizard that comes on the CD enclosed with the product.

I will briefly tell you how to set it up. Remember not to connect the adapter to your PC until you are instructed. Insert the CD and when you get to the welcome screen click “Click Here to Start”. Accept the licence and click Next. Now the wizard will ask you to connect the adapter to your PC’s USB port. Make sure you have a USB 2.0 port.

In Step 2, connect one end of the included USB cable to the adapter’s port. The other end should go into the desktop’s USB port. A green light should light up as soon as you do this. Raise the antenna so that it points straight. Click Next on the “Connecting the Adapter” screen.

Plug in the relevant wires from your ADSL modem to the router. If you are using Linksys’ WRT54G broadband router the next screen will show you the available networks. You will see your network listed here. If it is not listed click on the Refresh button. Select your network and click on Connect. I suggest you use the SecureEasySetup button and the follow the directions on the screen. Make sure your choose WPA2 encryption so that others do not use your Internet connection. You will be asked to choose a password. Use one that has numbers and alphabets.

And you’re done. Your other computers at home will automatically detect your wireless network. On a Mac it will show up in the Airport icon instantly. In Windows you may need to go to Control Panel and click on the Wireless Setup Wizard to connect to the Access Point.

The technical term for WiFi is 802.11. The most popular is 802.11b. This operates in the 2.4GHz range and offers speeds of up to 11Mbps. 802.11g will give you speeds of up to 54 Mbps. The latest, which comes with Apple's Airport Express base station or access point, is 802.11n where you will get 100 Mbps throughout.

The next wireless router I tried out was the Airport Express. This, too, works with both Macs and Windows. It is quite affordable at slightly over Rs 4,000. Linksys is, of course, much cheaper. With Airport Express you can print wirelessly and even stream music throughout the house. To be able to stream music you need your music to be stored in iTunes. Also, you can connect up to 10 computers with the latest version of Airport Express.

I have now dispensed with Airport Express and taken Time Capsule. It is a wonder of a product. This router or base station uses the latest, greatest and fastest 802.11n wireless technology. In addition, it backs up all your data in all your computers. Time Capsule comes with a storage capacity of 500 GB and 1 Terabyte. The 500 GB model costs around Rs 12,000 and the 1TB model about Rs 20,000.

It works seamlessly with OS X Leopard’s Time Machine. It backs up your data automatically. The router in it gives a huge boost to your internet connection. You can run several computers and get around 2Mbps or more on each computer running simultaneously.

Just get it from your nearest Apple Premium reseller.

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