Connecting to the Internet

Getting on the Internet can be a relatively simple process; and, after initial setup, no configuration from that point forward is usually needed. Still, understanding the concepts and some basic behind-the-scenes action will make using and troubleshooting your Mac and the Internet a much more positive experience.

The first thing you really need to access the Internet is an agreement with an Internet service provider, or ISP. Much like the way your phone company provides the services necessary to make telephone calls, an ISP provides the services necessary to access the Internet from your computer. The Internet is essentially a huge, worldwide network of people’s computers, with many different types of services available. The concept of the World Wide Web (www) stems from this worldwide network concept, and refers to the Internet service that you are likely most familiar with, reading Web pages. This giant network exists regardless if you have an agreement with an ISP, which is where one gets the ability to access it. Whenever a Web browser is launched, or an email sent, your ISP is responsible for your computer’s ability to communicate with this world of computers. EarthLink (www.earthlink.net) and AT&T (www.att.net) are examples of ISPs. Usually an ISP charges you a monthly flat rate for their services and provides you with unlimited usage. You can find ISP services advertised on television and in local newspapers. Changing your ISP for better and/or less expensive service can be a healthy move, but keep in mind that an ISP switch usually means that your email address changes as well. For this reason it can be advantageous to have an email address that is ISP independent, such as Apple’s .Mac services, which we cover in Chapter 18. In the past, services were usually billed on a per-minute basis, which quickly got expensive, and discouraged frequent partaking. There are still some pay-as-you-go plans for travelers on portables using services throughout the country or worldwide, and for people who use the Net infrequently. America Online (AOL) is another example of an ISP, but AOL is a special case, because it does more than just provide an Internet connection service, as we describe later in this Chapter.

Types of Internet Connections

Presently, there are two main categories of Internet connection types, especially for the consideration of the home user: broadband, or dial-up. Dial-up has been around in its current form for many years. A dial-up connection is initiated by an analog modem, (MOdulator/DEModulator), which actually dials a telephone number in order to contact the ISP. Modem signals travel over regular telephone lines, the same ones that voice conversations go over, and the function of the device (there will be one on either end of the connection) is to translate the digital information coming from the computer, send it over the analog phone lines, and retranslate the signals back to digital. Every time a dial-up connection is made, there is a waiting period while the connection is initiated and authenticated. When you initiate a disconnect, there is a wait lag as well. Dial-up is slow, and because the signals are often traveling over antique telephone lines, often unreliable. Because dial-up monopolizes the phone line it is using, most frequenters of dial-up connections obtain a dedicated phone line. In many locations, especially ones away from larger urban areas, dial-up is all that is available. Dial-up is however well suited for the traveler and portable owner — anywhere there is a phone line, an Internet connection can be initiated. Because a dial-up connection is not always on, there are also security advantages as well, because your computer is not connected to the Internet full time.

Broadband is so named because of its speed, which is usually around fifty times faster than a dial-up connection. This means that a three-megabyte music file which would take twenty minutes to download over an analog modem would take just seconds to transfer using a broadband connection. If broadband is available to you, get it. Mac OS X thrives with it; it’s the way the Internet was meant to be experienced. Pages load instantaneously, movie previews come up in seconds, there is very little waiting or frustration overall. Gone are the days or reading a magazine and waiting for a Web page to load. Broadband typically comes in two flavors: cable or DSL.

Cable services are usually provided by the same company that provides your cable television; and the Internet signals usually arrive over the same lines that the television is sent over. When cable Internet is installed, a splitter is used to divide the incoming cable TV wire into two separate leads. One goes to the television, as before, and the other goes to a cable modem. The cable modem is then connected to the computer. Although a modem is used, there is no phone number to dial and no lag time in initiating a connection. Cable’s inherent advantages are its “instant on” connection (no waiting to dial-up), its ease of setup, and its speed. Disadvantages are that it’s usually more expensive than dial-up, it’s not as widely available, and that because it’s a shared connection (with other subscribers in your neighborhood) its speeds can decrease with heavy usage. To find out if cable service is available in your area, contact your cable television provider.

Broadband also comes in the form of the Digital Subscriber Line, or DSL. Like dial-up, DSL uses the same phone lines that voice travels over, but uses different protocols to substantiate a much faster connection. Like cable, DSL is fast connection. DSL can be used at the same time the telephone is used, so a separate phone line is not needed. A telephone cable is run from a wall jack to the DSL modem, and then the modem is connected to the computer. DSL’s advantages are that its minimum speed is guaranteed (unlike cable which can slow down under heavy neighborhood usage) and that it’s fast. Its disadvantages are that its setup is marginally more difficult (on the computer configuring side) and that, because its lines are the old telephone copper in the streets, you are left at the mercy of the phone company — which may or may not be the ISP — for repairs and maintenance. On a consumer level, DSL is comparable to cable in the services that are provided, so we do not recommend one over the other. On a professional or enthusiast level, DSL offers more options and more flexibility than cable, which we discuss further in Chapter 10.

Two other connection types worth mentioning are ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) and satellite. ISDN is technically a dial-up connection, and is configured in the same manner. Years ago, it was a faster and much more expensive alternative to dial-up, but today it is rarely seen or available. Satellite is a form of broadband and an alternative to cable or DSL, especially if neither is available in your area. Satellite can be provided by companies that also provide satellite television, or by independent providers. Satellite’s advantage is that it is often available in more remote areas. However, it is often slower than its other broadband counterparts and can be adversely affected by the weather.

It is important to make a distinction between general network connectivity and true Internet connection types. Connecting to a local network in an office, or in a school’s computer lab, might provide you with an Internet access, but the network itself is not the Internet connection type. The network is being provided with an Internet signal by a connection that is distributed among all the machines (usually a high-end DSL). The same goes for connecting to an AirPort wireless network; this is not your connection type to the Internet, it’s a bridge that’s connecting you to the network, which in turn is being provided with an Internet connection shared among its devices.

Making the connection

After you have the capability for Internet access, the next step is to configure your Mac. To help you configure your computer for an Internet connection, Mac OS X includes a Setup Assistant application that leads you through a series of decisions and questions to gather your Internet information. This Setup Assistant runs automatically after installation of Mac OS X, after the registration process is completed (or skipped).

If you are not sure if you have a Net connection, the easiest way to figure that out is to launch a Web browser. Click on the Safari icon in the dock. If the home page loads then you are all connected, and your computer does not need to be configured. If not, read onwards!

Internet setup without the Setup Assistant is an advanced skill that lies outside the scope of this Chapter. If you skipped the Setup Assistant when you installed, you can launch the Setup Assistant manually. There are three places it might be found:

• If you clicked “I’m not ready to connect to the Internet” when you installed, there should have been a Setup Assistant alias placed inside the Utilities folder. Double-click the alias to launch.

• If there no alias in the Utilities folder, you can still get to the application, but it’s a bit buried and requires delving deep into the System folder. In the System folder there is a Library folder, and in the Library folder lies a CoreServices folder. In this folder there is an application called Setup Assistant. Double-click this to launch it.

• A slightly different setup assistant, called the Network Setup Assistant, can also be accessed by clicking Assist Me in the Network Preferences pane.

Internet configuration via the Setup Assistant

The following section walks you through using the Internet Setup Assistant. The Internet Setup has a number of different screens, which correspond to the following section headings, like “Get Internet ready” and “How do you connect?”

Get Internet ready

Figure 6-1 shows the first screen of the Setup Assistan. You see four options:

• Setting up a free trial account with EarthLink

• Using a special activation code for EarthLink

• Using your existing Internet connection

• Connecting later (skipping it)

  
  Figure 6-1: This is the first screen of the Setup Assistant.

EarthLink

Using EarthLink as an ISP will provide you with a dial-up connection. If you have broadband available in your area, you should get it; it’s worth the extra expense, especially considering the cost of adding/maintaining a second phone line and the regular dial-up service costs (in the neighborhood of twenty dollars a month).

If you do not have broadband available to you, then dial-up may be your only option, and EarthLink is a great choice. Besides the fact that the Setup Assistant walks you through creating a new EarthLink account, EarthLink has great service and excellent support. Following the Setup Assistant to create a new EarthLink account requires a credit card, even though it will not charge you if you cancel the account before a charge is incurred. If you have an activation code (which you might have gotten by email or by snail mail) you might be entitled to some free access, but a credit card is still required; choose the I have a code for a special offer from Earthlink option for this. Either way, EarthLink setup will walk you through payment, retrieving EarthLink-specific dial-up settings (such as access phone numbers) and then configuring your computer to make the connection. While it is beyond the scope of this book to walk you through every EarthLink-specific step, the process is straightforward and easy to follow.

Setting up an existing service

If you already have an agreement with an Internet Service Provider, then choose the I’ll use my existing Internet service option.

How do you connect?

You can connect using the five following options (see Figure 6-2):

• Telephone modem

• Cable modem

• DSL modem

• Local network (Ethernet)

• Local network (AirPort wireless)

  
  Figure 6-2: Tell the Setup Assistant how your computer is connected to the Internet in the “How Do You Connect” section.

Each of these should sound familiar, as they were discussed in the beginning of the Chapter. We’ll go through each of the possibilities. Most of these configurations require login and/or account information relating to your ISP.

Tip

Each of these connections, except for the AirPort, is a physical connection to the Internet. A wire needs to be plugged into your computer on one end, and the Internet connection device on the other. Just keep the make-sure-it’s-plugged-in concept in mind when your computer refuses to connect for you; it’s a great first troubleshooting step.

All Macs that support OS X have modems built in, unless you specifically elected not to have included one (it makes the computer cheaper, and in some cases it’s never needed, like Macs in school labs). The modem port has a picture of a telephone handset with some diagonal dots. Think of it as a phone jack; it accepts a regular phone cable, and its official name is RJ-11. All Macs that support OS X have built in Ethernet. The Ethernet port has a picture of three dots with arrows pointing outwards on either end. It looks similar to a phone jack, except wider. Its official name is RJ-45.

If you have a telephone modem connection (dial-up)

Welcome aboard! Plug that phone cable in and follow along. The first screen, as shown in Figure 6-3, asks for your account username, password, ISP phone number, and if you need to dial a number for an outside line, necessary in some offices and schools. If you have call waiting, you can select the Yes box, and the following screen will give you the option to turn call waiting off by typing in a code (*70) while you are on the Internet. This is useful if the phone line you are using is not a dedicated Internet line, and do not want a telephone call to interrupt your Internet session. The next screen asks you what kind of modem you have; unless you are using something other than the internal modem, the answer should be the default, Apple Internal 56K Modem (V.92). Choosing to ignore the dial tone is useful if you are using an infra-red or Bluetooth modem (see Chapter 15) or if you have a phone service with an inconsistent dial tone, such as a phone system that changes dial tone to alert you of a new voicemail. Next comes the .Mac setup, which comes after every configuration option. See the separate “.Mac” section later in this Chapter. The You’re Finished screen is the last to appear. Click the Go button and Setup Assistant transposes your information into the Mac OS for you, and you are ready to go!

Figure 6-3: Set your Mac to dial-up by typing in your name, password, and telephone information.

Caution

Modems are analog. Many telephone systems are digital. Although there is no physical difference in the jacks, plugging your computer into a digital telephone jack is a surefire way of ruining your modem. Hotels often have dedicated analog lines for modems to circumvent this. Many buildings are all digital. If you’re not sure, don’t risk it, and use a digital line tester, available from resellers like CDW (www.cdw.com).

If you have a cable modem connection

What a fast connection you have! String that Ethernet cord from the cable modem to your Mac and you’re almost there. Clicking on the Continue button takes you to the Your Internet Connection screen, as shown in Figure 6-4. The most commonly used connection method for cable modem is via the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, or DHCP. If it’s not set to that already, select Using DHCP in the TCP/IP Connection Type pull-down menu. If you are familiar with the term, you can enter a DHCP client ID, otherwise don’t worry about it and leave it blank. Using DHCP usually means that you don’t have to enter any other information, like the DNS Host, Domain name, or Proxy Server, that the assistant displays. If you are in possession of this information, you should enter it; otherwise leave it blank. In rare cases, your cable modem will use PPPoE to connect. If that is so, check the box and follow the steps in the next section, for configuring a DSL modem. If you are having problems with the aforementioned DHCP setting, check with your cable provider. Next comes the .Mac screen, and then, that’s it. You’re finished! Click the Go button to transpose the settings to your computer, and you’re ready for some surfin’.

Figure 6-4: Using DHCP is the most common method for connecting with a cable modem.

If you have a DSL modem connection

You have a need for speed! Click that Ethernet cable into your Mac and the DSL modem, and hold on. Back at the How Do You Connect screen, click the DSL modem option, and click Continue. The following screen is the Your Internet Connection screen, (shown in Figure 6-5), which asks you to enter the DSL connection method. Almost all DSL modems connect using the Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet, or PPPoE. Pull down the TCP/IP connection type and choose PPP. Make sure the checkbox under the Proxy server window that says Connect using PPPoE is selected. Click Continue to the Connect Using PPPoE screen shown in Figure 6-6). Typing in your service provider is optional and is not part of the connection settings; it’s useful for future reference, so if you know it, type it in. The same goes for the service name. The necessary information is the account name and password. If you do not know these, you will need to retrieve them from your ISP. Clicking Continue takes you to the .Mac screen. After your .Mac choices are made, the last screen, You’re Finished! appears. Click Go to configure your Mac and start some browsin’.

Figure 6-5: DSL usually uses the Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE).

Figure 6-6: After choosing PPPoE, the next screen asks you for your login information.

If you have a local Ethernet network connection

Plug that Ethernet cable into your machine and get started. If you’ve already got a network setup (see Chapter 15 for more on networks), whether it is in your home, office, or elsewhere, you’ll need to configure the Mac to access that network’s services. Clicking Continue from the How Do You Connect screen brings you to one of two screens. It’s possible that your network is configured to provide your machine with the settings that it needs. If this is the case, the Setup Assistant tells you that a configuration has been obtained automatically and gives the option of using it or not (shown in Figure 6-7). Choosing Yes brings you immediately to the .Mac screen, and then the You’re Finished! screen. If you choose not to use the automatic configuration, or your network does not provide your computer with one, the Setup Assistant will ask you to enter the information in manually (shown in Figure 6-8). You’ll need to pull down the TCP/IP connection type menu so that the Manually option is chosen. At this point, you’ll need to enter in a whole bunch of numbers. Unless you’ve set up the local network yourself, these numbers will need to be provided to you by your network administrator, or at least someone who may know them, like the guy in the cubicle next to yours. Continue along to the .Mac screen, and then on to the You’re Finished! screen, click Go, and you’re ready...to go.

Figure 6-7: This display is shown when your Mac automatically retrieves its network settings. You can use the automatic ones, or set them manually.

Figure 6-8: Setting up your local Ethernet connection manually looks something like this.

If you have an AirPort wireless network connection

Lucky you, no cables to plug in! Choosing the AirPort option at the How Do You Connect screen and clicking Continue presents you with the Wireless Service screen (shown in Figure 6-9), which lets you choose the wireless network that you wish to join. Networks that are within your signal range should show up in the list. When you see the one you want, select it by clicking once on it. If the network requires a password, a password field will be provided for you to type it in. For security purposes, some networks are not readily visible, and only the privileged that know its name can have access. If that is the case, you’ll need to select Other Network and type in the invisible network’s name and password. Clicking Continue brings you to the Your Internet Connection screen. The most common AirPort connection method is DHCP; if the TCP/IP Connection Type pull-down menu does not say that, choose Using DHCP. If the network requires a manual connection, you’ll need to pull down to Manually and track down the network administrator (or a computer-savvy coworker) to find out what numbers to type in. After that’s set, click Continue for the .Mac screen, make your choice, and click Continue once more to bring you to the final screen. Hit Go and you’re home free.

Figure 6-9: Choose your wireless network from the list.

Get .Mac

The Get .Mac configuration screen, shown in Figure 6-10, appears after each setup option. It’s where you can type in your existing .Mac account information or create a new trial account. (Apple creates an Apple ID from these, used to login to many Apple Web services, such as purchasing prints in iPhoto and buying music through iTunes). You can also choose the set up later option. Click the Learn More button for an overview of .Mac services. The short story on .Mac is that it’s email, homepage hosting, Internet drive storage space, a backup solution, and virus protection for $99.95 a year. Signing up for the trial version is a great way to see if .Mac is for you. The plus side is that it’s a lot of services that are extremely well integrated into Mac OS X. The minus side is that it costs you money, every year. This could be a great segue into the reality of nothing being free on the Internet anymore, but we digress.

Cross Reference

For an in-depth look at .Mac, see Chapter 18.

So, that’s the Setup Assistant, which provides an easy way to configure the most common Internet settings. For a more in-depth look at networking, and for what all those terms like DHCP and PPPoE actually mean, please look in Chapter 10.

Figure 6-10: Apple presents this Get .Mac options screen after each setup is finished.

Making and breaking the connection

Mac OS X provides multiple interfaces and locations for controlling your Internet connection. Depending on how you see it, this can be a great flexibility or a confusing redundancy. Ahead we discuss the uses of the Internet Connect application (found in the Applications folder) and the menu bar icons as they pertain to managing your Internet connections. The menu bar icons will only be effective if you have already configured your Mac for Internet access — they are just pointers that affect underlying settings. It should be noted that cable and local Ethernet connections are handled automatically by the Mac OS. These are considered to be instant-on connections, and do not require user intervention to connect; you are permanently online. Dial-up, AirPort, and DSL connections do (or can) involve some user intervention, and therefore, they are what the following sections cover. For future reference, it should also be noted that defaults for dial-up and DSL are such that you must manually make the connection, but it is a common choice to automate this by configuring it in the Network preferences pane, covered in Chapter 15. You can also choose to have the session disconnect automatically or manually. Disconnecting from your Internet service when you are done is a good idea if you pay for service based on your time spent online, or if you are paying phone-number charges to connect.

Going through the numbers with dial-up

Open the Internet Connect application by double-clicking its icon from the Applications folder. Depending on your configuration and your hardware, the display might look slightly different then the one shown. You should, however, see an icon labeled Internal Modem. Clicking on this icon brings you to the modem screen; if you have already configured a dial-up account, the information fields should be filled, as they are in Figure 6-11. If they are not, and you are in possession of said information, you can fill it in now. When you are satisfied that the information is present, you can hit the Connect button. The status changes from Idle to Contacting PPP Server, and you hear a brief dial tone, and then some screeching noises. What you are hearing is digital data being transmitted over analog phone lines. It might sound terrible, but it’s perfectly normal, and it’s a great cue as to what your Mac is doing. (In fact, if you’re in the computer support field and you’re troubleshooting a modem connection, that screeching noise becomes your Rocky theme song, which you can even dance to, if no one is looking.) Continue watching the status area for the connection’s progress. While the connection is advancing, you can stop it by clicking the Cancel button (which replaces the Connect button). When the connection is made (the entire process takes twenty to thirty seconds), the status changes to Connected, and the window expands to give details of the connection, such as the time connected, and status bars indicating that information is being sent and received, as shown in Figure 6-12. You can test the connection by opening Safari and seeing if a Web page loads. Clicking the Disconnect button is like hanging up a telephone; your Internet connection is terminated, and the status field goes back to Idle.

Figure 6-11: This is the Internet Connect application showing what the internal modem screen looks like.

Figure 6-12: A successful dial-up connection yields a display like this.

Instead of opening the Internet Connect application every time you want to connect, a preferred way can be to have the Mac OS display a modem icon in the menu bar, and use the menu to initiate a connection. The Internal Modem section of the Internet Connect application gives you access to a Show modem status in menu bar option. When you select this option, a modem pull-down menu, with an icon just like the modem icon on the back of your computer, displays in the menu bar. Pulling down the menu displays some nifty options, but most importantly it displays the Connect option, shown in Figure 6-13. Choosing Connect initiates a connection, and is equal to clicking the Connect button in the Internet Connect application. Choosing the show time and/or show status option causes the information to be displayed in the menu bar along with the icon. When you are connected, the Connect command changes to a Disconnect command and you can choose that to end your session.

Figure 6-13: Click the telephone icon in the menu bar to display modem connection commands and options without opening a separate application.

Zoom through the phone lines with DSL

Open the Internet Connect application by double-clicking its icon from the Applications folder. If you have configured a DSL connection with the Setup Assistant, a Built-In Ethernet tab will be at the top of the window. Clicking on it displays a window similar to the Internal Modem screen, however the only required fields are the Account Name and Password (see Figure 6-14). If these are not present, enter them, and click Connect. There is a slight lag of a few seconds as the connection is made, but that’s about it. Watch the status display to check progress. When you are successfully connected you’ll be presented with a status display with the condition of your connection, displaying relevant information. Clicking Disconnect ends your Internet session.

Figure 6-14: Select the Built-in Ethernet option if you want to connect through a DSL.

A DSL connection can be initiated from the menu bar, as well. In the Internet Connect application, when the DSL configuration is selected (Built-In Ethernet), a Show PPPoE status in menu bar option appears in the form of a checkbox. Selecting this option puts an Ethernet port icon in the menu bar, which can be used to initiate a connection without the use of Internet Connect (see Figure 6-15). Pull down and select Connect, and within a few seconds, you should be wired to go. A successful connection displays a Disconnect option in the pull-down menu; select this to terminate the session. Connectivity can be verified by launching Safari and seeing if a Web page loads.

Figure 6-15: Click the little picture of the Ethernet symbol in the menu bar to see its options.

Ditch your cables and head for the AirPort

Open the Internet Connect application by double-clicking its icon from the Applications folder. If your computer has an AirPort card installed, you will see an AirPort icon in the window. Selecting it brings you to the configuration screen, which provides you with options and information respective to wireless network connections (see Figure 6-16). The first option is the most basic: powering AirPort off or on, which disables or enables your computer’s wireless capability. Connecting via AirPort requires that this capability be turned on. Powering AirPort off is useful on a portable machine, to save battery power if it’s not being used. Click the Turn AirPort On button, if it’s powered off. The next option is Network — use this menu to select the wireless network to which you want to connect. Because wireless networking is a standard, it means that your AirPort-equipped Mac should be able to connect to any wireless network that it sees; an AirPort Base Station is but one way to make a wireless network, and there are many other companies besides Apple whose products produce a wireless network signal that the Mac can access.

Figure 6-16: The AirPort configuration screen of the Internet Connect Application looks like this.

Often, in large buildings, or if you’re lucky, if you’re outside in a park, multiple networks will be in range and you’ll need to choose one. If the network is password protected, you’ll need to type that in when asked. An error message stating, “There was an error connecting to the AirPort Network” can mean an incorrect password was typed in or that you’re too far out of range to sustain a connection. Below Network, the Signal Strength is displayed. The farther the bars are to the right-hand side, the better the base station’s signal strength is. Weak signal strength will manifest itself in the form of dropped connections to the base station and slow Web speeds. The base station ID gives you the hardware identification number of the base station; don’t worry about what that is for now. The status field at the bottom of the window tells you what network you are connected to, and how you are connected to the Net.

Also in the AirPort section of the Internet Connect window is a Show AirPort status in menu bar option. Selecting this option places an AirPort signal-strength indicator in the menu bar. Clicking on the icon brings down a menu that gives similar functionality of the Internet Connect application, including the ability to choose your network and to turn AirPort on or off. Solid black curved lines indicate signal strength; a muted gray display of lines indicates little or no signal. If AirPort is powered off the icon appears as an outline. The AirPort signals are shown in Figures 6-17, 6-18, and 6-19.

Figure 6-17: Full AirPort signal is displayed as thick black lines.

Figure 6-18: No AirPort signal is shown with gray lines in place of black ones.

Figure 6-19: AirPort powered off is displayed as an outline of the signal strength indicator.

Tip

Hold down the command key and then drag a menu bar icon out and away from the menu bar will remove it. You can enable it again by rechecking the box that you checked to put it there in the first place. Have confidence, you can find it again.

Note

Although opening a Web browser is the quickest way to diagnose a successful connection, just because a browser is not loading Web pages does not mean that the computer is configured incorrectly. Your ISP could be having service interruptions, or there could be a problem with OS X. (Hey, it’s not perfect.) When a connection that appears to be configured correctly fails to connect, a deeper delve (the Network preference pane) is necessary.