MacBook Pro® Portable Genius, 2nd Edition

Chapter 3. What Are My Internet Connection Options?

Being able to take advantage of the Internet is almost as important a skill as being able to read (of course, you have to be able to read to be able to use the Internet, and so reading still wins on the importance scale). Fortunately, your MacBook Pro is a perfect tool for getting the most out of the Internet. In order to use the Internet, you must be able to connect to it, which is where this chapter comes in.

Setting Up a Local Network with Internet Access

There are many ways to connect your MacBook Pro to the Internet. Fortunately, one of the great things about using a MacBook Pro and related Apple technology is that you don't have to worry about all the technical details involved. It's quite easy to create and manage a local network that provides Internet access and other services, including file sharing, to multiple computers.

This chapter focuses on networks built around an Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station or Time Capsule because either one of these makes managing a network easy while providing all the features that most people need for a local network (a Time Capsule also provides wireless backup, ideal for your MacBook Pro). MacBook Pro networking technology supports wireless and wired networking standards, so you can use just about any network components designed to the same standards to accomplish the same purposes, but ...