I have a fried ethernet (iMac)... and no solutions from anywhere so far. Did anyone try the "Expressnet" USB->Ethernet Adaptor from jaton.com? I'd like to know the results, or any other suggestions that might help (that don't include purchasing a new machine or motherboard). Very frustrating! This does seem to be an habitual iMac problem. Anyone get anywhere with Apple? I think there should be a product recall! Thanks.

The Jaton Expressnet only supports Windows. I
don't know of any similar product for the Mac.

If you have a slot-loading CD or DVD drive iMac,
you can purchase an Airport card and Base
Station. It's a very nice solution, but it will set you
back $299 for the Base Station and $99 for the
Airport card.

James

Plenty of third-party base stations work great with AirPort cards (and give better reception) for a lot less than $299. D-Link and Belkin come to mind...

p

Be aware, if considering a 3rd party wireless
Router or Access Point, they do not bridge
Appletalk between the wireless and non-wireless
networks.

This means, if you have a printer using Appletalk
(either directly through Ethernet, or over Localtalk
using an Ethernet bridge), plugged into the
Ethernet on the WAP, you will NOT be able to see
it on the wireless side.

If you're not using Appletalk, or if your printer
supports another protocol such as TCP/IP, you're
fine. If you need Appletalk, get the Airport Base
Station.

James

To respond to the INITIAL issue, Yes, in fact, jaton DOES have Mac drivers for the USB XpressNet, and yes, they work beautifully in OS 9. They do not have OS X drivers available yet, and there's no word when one might be ready. Any developers out there?

My mistake. Jaton lists Windows support only for
their product specs on the USB xpressnet. When
you go to their driver downloads, however, they
do have drivers for the Mac. Thanks for correcting
us Sam.

James

I concur. Had one of these beauties installed for a customer on a Blondie Blue IMAC when her ethernet and modem ports were fried. At about $25 sure beats out a $300 board repair price. Works like a champ, just make sure you change all of your settings to use the USB Ethernet instead of the internal after you install the extensions. Supposedly there is also a driver made by the chip manufacturer for a Netgear USB Ethernet adapter. Tried it out, but could not get the device to recognize the installed extension. You win some, lose some I guess. Enjoy. Surfs up dudes.