EXCLUSIVES

By Trey Yancy

When I installed my home network I tried to place the Ethernet drops in the most convenient and well-reasoned locations possible. Considering such obstacles as hidden drill-resistant steel trusses and the pitch of the roof in certain parts of the attic, this was not always possible.

Such is the case in my kindergartener's room. (Yes, I am a techno-geek and yes, she uses her hand-me-down iMac that much!) The arrangement of furniture was determined by the location of a closet and a window, and her desk ended up on the opposite side of the room from the drop, but rather than running conduit, pulling up baseboards, or tacking cable, I decided to take the wireless approach. The Rev B iMac didn't have a slot for an Airport card, so the solution was an USB wireless adapter. The one I tested was the AeroPad from MacSense.

The AeroPad is a small device, measuring approximately 2.5"x3.5"x.75". It has a molded-in three-foot USB cable, which is of ample length to place it in a convenient location. The unit draws its power from USB and has a built-in antenna, so no other cables are required. It has two green LEDs on the front, one indicating power and the other indicating an active link. It has an oval base that can be rotated, making it much more stable than one would expect for such a small device. If you want it to be absolutely rock solid, you can attach a couple of adhesive foam dots from the local hardware store.

Regarding the physical design, my only complaint (and I'm picking nits here) is that the status lights are on the side of the unit and perpendicular to the molded USB cable. If the lights were on the edge of the unit (like the sleep LED on the lids of some PowerBooks) and opposite the USB cable, they could be easily read from a much wider angle. Again, this is a minor quibble. I am perfectly content to tuck the AeroPad out of sight in the handle recess of the iMac.

At the time of this writing the AeroPad only comes with software for OS 9. OS X software is currently in development and an alpha version is available for download, but the finished version should be available by the time you read this. The software installation for OS 9 requires the drag and drop of a control panel and an extension followed by a restart. Basic setup would appear to be very easy but I found that in order to make the settings stick I had to input one setting at a time, apply it, then close and reopen the control panel. That aside, setup was simple, taking a total of three minutes, including installation and restarting the computer. The unit comes with a getting started brochure that is helpful, but insufficient. The PDF documentation on the installation CD, however, is quite thorough and covers everything you need, including the above-mentioned settings peccadillo.

The AeroPad control panel has tabs for configuration, encryption, and information. As expected, the control panel provides a full range of options, including MAC hardware access control, 64 bit and 128 bit WEP security, and the like. As a convenience, the panel includes buttons for opening the AppleTalk and TCP/IP control panels directly. You can choose to join an existing network or create one ad-hoc. The only thing lacking in terms of OS 9 software is a control strip module. Once things are set up, everything works just as one would imagine ­ Internet, file sharing, and web sharing run perfectly. The signal strength seemed a bit weaker than I would have hoped, but it was more than sufficient for most situations.

Conclusions

The AeroPad is a handy little unit. OS 9 software is a touch finicky, but it does everything you need it to do. Unwilling as I am to review alpha software, I didn't test the unit under OS X but I see no reason to doubt the quality of the software once it is available.

AAs with other MacSense products I have owned, the AeroPad is well made, attractive, and it does its job well. If you have a USB-based PC or a Mac with USB but no AirPort slot, take a look at the AeroPad.

AeroPad Pros: Simple, compact, physically stable, good cable length Cons: Unable to test OSX software, no control strip module Price: $129 www.macsense.com