Wireless Home Networking and all that bull...

[Reeves]

Firstly, let me start off my apologising for these non-stop technical queries I seem to end up flooding this forum with, but heck, you guys help a lot. Hopefully, as I thought with my last post, there shouldn't be any reason to post another query again after this one... not for a while anyway...

So, I've not long got a Macbook Air and now I think it's a good time to set up this remote file sharing networking cack so I can access my main iMac, as well as my Mum's Mac Mini so I can send files back and forth etc. I tried working that out, and nothing worked, because whilst I have all of them using the same wireless router, I don't have any home network set up or anything to allow my computers to talk to each other.

So then I start Googling and searching for How-to guides on Youtube and I come across two issues several times - one is the mention of DSL modems being connected to my router or some rubbish (and I haven't had a DSL modem for a long time which is why I have a router) and the other issue is the constant mention of Airport (...I don't want Airport)

By the looks of things, I'm stuck. People with PCs don't need Airport and I'm more than sure that people with wireless routers don't use modems anymore. I'm simply trying to get some Mac computers to work with and talk to one another, but for the first time in a long time, the tech world has got me stumped. Could any of you fine Metropol users be able to assist me in how to set this up or, if possible, point me in the direction of a simple How-to guide which doesn't require either Airport or some modem connection...

Many thanks

[Sput]

If they're all on the same wireless router at the same time then they're on the same home network. Simple as that. As macs are fab, it SHOULD be easy to get them to see each others' files. Airport is just what apple calls Wifi.

Example: If you're on your macbook air and want to see files on the iMac's hard drive, then on the iMac you want to go to Preferences > Sharing > File sharing. You'll want to switch that on and add the relevant folders to the list in the middle panel. You'll also want to what kind of people are allowed to look at the files using the right-hand panel. If you're not worried about who sees the files on your network then check "read only" or "read & write" for the "Everyone" entry.

After you've done that, it should show up in the Finder of the Macbook air in the left hand panel (provided "connected servers" is included in the Sidebar preferences (right-click the sidebar and go to Sidebar preferences to check this, but by default it's on).

That should be your lot!

[Reeves]

Thanks very much, Sput! I don't know how the hell I managed to make such a mountain out of that molehill. I was about to say it wasn't working but typing the afp:// into Safari connected it. I can only assume the password requests on top of the key for my router makes it secure enough?