Okay, so I just bought a Wii and want to get it hooked up to the internet.
I currently have a Mac with a DSL modem plugged directly into the computer. If I buy an Airport Express do I have to buy an Airport card for my computer? Or can I still plug "the internet" directly into my computer somehow?
Also, will the Wii pick up the signal directly from the Airport?
Thanks, you techies!

I am pretty sure that you can plug your DSL Modem right into the airport express & should not need a wireless card for the computer.

As long as the Wii is 150 feet from the Airport Express, I think it should work. I'd like someone else to verify this though, so you don't get mad at me if it doesn't. hehe.

This would be great! But I seem to remember "airport ready" being an option when I bought the computer, and I didn't choose that option. But maybe I'm thinking "bluetooth"? I dunno...
If anyone else can chime in on this that'd be great! I have a Mac Mini and it's probably two years old - in case it matters.

I have never been able to get my Wii to recognize my Apple wireless network.

I bought the stupid USB dongle thing, it got way too frustrating.

If I were you, I'd just get a wireless router. We have 3 computers & MY DS & our wii on it

Oh, this would not be good... I need to get my Wii on-line so I can DL some old school games.

Okay, I'm going to show you just how dumb I am when it comes to computers...
What's the difference between a wireless router and the Airport?
What would the set-up involve to get both my computer and my Wii connected to the internet via a wireless router?

Buy this...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6833124190

Plain old Linksys router.

The express is a wireless router, but it is specifically an Apple wireless router, so it connects via Apple's software, through Airport utilities. But you can use any router for your setup really, your Airport card will "see" any wireless network, it ultimately doesn't matter.

EDIT: I am sorry, so your Mac Mini currently does not have an Airport card installed? That will be the first thing you need to do, as you cannot join a wireless network without one.

If you don't have an Airport card factory installed in there, it is a total I FART A LOT to install one yourself. Maybe you should just get an ethernet switcher. Just plug your DSL modem into it, the run a cable to the Wii (you will need the Wii broadband adapter) and then a cable to your mini, and switch it when you need to.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817180002

And the broadband adapter for the Wii:

http://www.ebgames.com/product.asp?cook ... _id=802615

NT-go to the nintendo website and look up the routers recommended for the Wii.There are some that wont work with it and they expain how to hook up to PC or Mac.I also bought one of the usb things and its redundant, you just need a wireless router hooked up to your computer to get online with the Wii.

Once your online, download super Ghouls and Ghost, the hardest game ever made , EVER!

Start by checking to see if your computer has an Airport card.
Go to Apple menu / About This Mac / More Info / Network / Airport Card
It should list the card type if you have one installed.

If you don't have an airport card, you can buy one for $75 or so if you want your computer to be on wireless.

If you don't need to have your computer on wireless, the linksys router will allow you to plug your computer into the back of it with an ethernet cable. Linksys router connects to the DSL modem.

Power everything down. Start up the router, wait till thats online, then start up the DSL modem which should then see and talk to the router. Then start up your computer and it should talk to the router and see the internet. Sometimes, you have to read the quick instructions and tweek things.

I don't have a Wii so I can't comment on that. But if the Wii supports wireless then it should "in theory" be able to talk to the wireless router and then go out across the DSL modem to the internet.

Maybe google Wii and wireless setup:

http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/systems/wii/en_na/onlineWirelessRouterTroubleshooting.jsp

Oh and Mac Minis are a I FART A LOT to open up and upgrade according to a friend.
So you might need to drag it to an Apple store and let them do it.

Again, I have an Apple wireless network and I have never been able to get my Wii to configure properly.

And I dunno if you have ever opened a Mac Mini, but good luck, it sucks. I did it for my girlfriend's mom, her hard drive died so I offered to install a new one. It is not a fun job.

If you don't have an Airport card in there, I would opt for a LAN based connection. Wireless is over-rated anyway, a LAN connection is much faster.

So I can't have a wireless router for the Wii and somehow keep my computer hard-wired to the internet?


This is also a problem as the computer/modem are in a different room than the Wii. I'd have to run wires across three rooms...the wife won't go for that, and I don't think I could deal with it either. But maybe I'll have to do that and only hook up to the internet to DL games.

Yuck...

So ideally, you want to leave the mini connected directly to the wireless router, but broadcast the DSL signal for the Wii to pick up?

Simple enough, this is not possible with an Express. It has 1 ethernet-in connection, and no pass through capabilities. It is possible with the new Airport Extreme, as it has an ethernet out port on it.

Regardless, I still think it will suck. I cannot speak for the new Extreme, but with my old Express my Wii just would not connect to the Apple network I set up. I even talked to Apple support people and they are no help.

you could get the Linksys router above, run the dsl into it, run an ethernet cable to the mini, and your Wii will definitely connect to the Linksys. That seems like the cheapest way to do it.

Ah! Now this sounds like what I was hoping I could do!!!
So buy this thing?
http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Linksys- ... tDetail.do

Nope. I am 99.99% sure that I do not have an Airport card.

NT, reread my post again. DSL, router and Mac mini can live in one room.
If wireless Wii can be set up then there's no need to run extra cables.

Also talk with Bryan, I believe he as a Wii online...

There are definitely no compatibility issues with that Linksys router and the Wii.

I know because I set up my friend's last week.

That's the way to go, you might have some minor issues setting up the Linksys with a mac, since Linksys doesn't support Mac users. But the interface is all web-based, so you should have no significant problems.

Hehe, yeah - I read your post after I posted what you quoted.
So it sounds like I can plug my computer into the wireless router - so my computer won't be picking up wireless internet (it'll be hardwired through the router), but the Wii will be able to pick it up.
I was starting to think that if you had a wireless router your computer HAD to access the internet wirelessly - that was causing me problems. But if I can keep my computer wired and have a router for the Wii then that'll suit my needs perfectly.

Once I buy the router I'll be coming back to read your instructions on the order in which to power things up!

Sorry about any confusion, liquidsky and I are endorsing the same course of action, from the "get-go" I thought you wanted to have like the modem and router in one room, and Mini in another, and the Wii in another, all future-like.

Oops now that I think of it, its power DSL cable up first, then the wireless router and then the Mac...

The model at newegg is better and you will get it faster, newegg is amazing.

Here is the link again:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6833124190

Ahhhhh. No, not quite that intense. Computer, router, modem all in one room - Wii in another.


Okay. It seemed a little odd that the router would get powered before the modem - but I was gonna roll with it cos I don't know much about these things!

Thanks for the help everyone! Looking forward to getting this all set up!

It works.

One more minor thing, I find the Wii likes really simple passwords for WEP, like 5 numbers or something. Don't confuse the thing with capital letters and underscores, etc.

i'm only posting because my name was invoked...

Buy a linksys, they're nice and cheap and they play nice with most anything. I have an old dlink right now and it does the job, but when leopard drops and I get a new laptop with the fancy dancy wireless n, I'll get a linksys that will support.

There's also an article posted on lifehacker.com about easily turning your $60 router into a $600 with minor modifications. I'm sure you can search lifehacker and find it.