Mac OS X Broadband

Connecting a Mac to a broadband network is really quite easy, which may not be the impression you'll get when you ask PC-centric service providers.

This article hopes to set the record straight.

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Bernard Teo
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Mac OS X Broadband

A home without the Internet is like a house without an access road. It's hard for you to get anywhere, and it's hard for people to bring things to you. Works the same for businesses, too.

Broadband makes it possible to bring the Internet into the home, for a resonable price, and at a reasonably fast speed. This article will show you how to set up broadband access for a Mac running OS X.

How OS X Works with Broadband

One. First, make it easy on yourself. Use modems that are known to work. The idea is to convince the ISPs that Macs are easy to support. The Mac community has a very active self-help ethic. You can be sure that the more adventurous will use the Internet itself to publicise new ways that work.

So focus yourself getting on the quickest and easiest path to broadband nirvana, which is a Mac running OS X (preferably, 10.2 onwards), in conjunction with Ethernet-based broadband modems. On the Mac, you don't need to load any drivers, even from the modem manufacturers, because the Mac has got them all built-in. All you need is to plug in the modem.

Here's a bit of superstition - USB-based modems have more driver incompatibility isues with Macs. As I don't know enough to refute this, I can only tell you to stay away from them and use ethernet-based ones.

Two. Decide which ISP to use. The big three in Singapore are :

Note: if anybody has confirmation of more modems which work with each ISP, please let me know so that I can update this table. Singnet supports Macs officially now.

Three. Get the broadband account activated. Then concentrate on getting the broadband modem working with the Mac.

From here on, I'm only describing ethernet-based modems. Maybe when I have some experience with USB-based ones, I can come back and add to it.

Concentrate first on the modem. Connect the modem to the wall - power outlet to power socket. And (for SingNet and PacNet) telephone line outlet to the telephone socket. Or (for SCV) cable TV line to the cable TV wall socket.

You can use the same phone line for voice and fax even as you use it for broadband. Therefore you may want a tee-joint for the wall socket. There's also a plug called a filter which you should place between the tee-joint and your phone.

For SCV, you will also see a tee-joint because you'll be connecting the TV and broadband line to the same point.

Then connect the modem to the Mac, using an ethernet cable which should come with the broadband modem. The ethernet cable is a bit thicker than a phone cable and has a bit bigger end connectors.

Just two or three connections and you're set, as far as the physical wiring is concerned.

Turn on the modem first and wait for about a minute for most of the lights to stop flashing (and turn, usually, from red to yellow/green).

Four. Then go to the Mac and do the following.

Go to Systems Preferences and open the Network panel.

(a) For SCV-Starhub users

You only need to deal with the TCP/IP tab. Choose "DHCP" like below and then click "Apply Now" and that's it. Fire up Safari and browse to your heart's content. That's why so many Mac users are on SCV.

(b) For PacNet and SingNet users

You should first choose the PPPoE tab, activate PPPoE, like below:

This is where you enter the User ID and password given by the ISP. Enter them exactly as given in the ISP's instructions. (For example, for SingNet you will need to include the "@singnet" in your ID, whereas for PacNet, you do not).

Make sure you have the choice boxes checked as shown above, especially the "Show PPPoE status in menu bar" option.

Next click on the "PPPoE Optons" button. Unless you want to experiment further, you should set the following options :

You may want to set the system to connect automatically when needed. Quite a lot of people prefer to leave the system connected even when idle, so they leave the "Disconnect if idle" option unchecked.

Finally, click OK, close the options.

Next, choose the TCP/IP tab, and make sure "Using PPP" is chosen, like below: Then click the "Apply Now" button.

Finally, look for the PPPoE menu in the menu bar and look for the Connect command, like below :

Click Connect and, in about five seconds, you should be connected. (You don't have to do this if you have chosen to connect automatically in PPPoE options. But I just thought I should show you where to find the Connect command.)

Fire up Safari and Happy Surfing.

Summary

At this point, I hope you can see why it is so important to take a route that has been successfully used by others. Firstly, it's not at all hard to set up the Mac for broadband. If you've used a combination that is known to work (more importantly, also known to work by the ISPs), then you have more right at your side when you call up their tech support.

For example, it has happened that the ISP may need to tweak something at their end. That is, you suspect that everything is actually working correctly on the Mac and the modem, and between the Mac and the modem, but you still can't connect. If you can show, for example, you can take the whole Mac-and-modem combination, connect to a friend's line (using the same ISP) that you know is working, and prove that your Mac-and-modem combination works, then you may be able to ask the ISP tech support to help out by checking their end.

If this has helped anyone get on broadband, please let me know. There's a related article on the use of the Airport Base Station. Here.

.

• MacSingapore's Broadband in Singapore
• MacSingapore's collection of links on where else to get information on broadband for the Mac
• What is DSL?
• What is ADSL?

Definition of Terms:

• PPPoE
• DHCP
• You get the drift? Why not do it yourself? It's in Safari, top right hand corner.