The Actiontec router they are using is not a bad router. You may be quite happy with the wireless coverage. If you are not happy with the wireless coverage you could always turn off the wireless radio in the Actiontec and connect the Apple Airport base station via Ethernet and use it as a wireless access point. Airport Express units will work fine for AirTunes, but I do not think you will be able to bridge an Airport Express the same way you did with the Apple base station. Your Printer should work fine with any router if it is a network printer.

Also, does the fios wireless have better reach than my apple extreme base station?? We currently have our network extended in a large home by using an Ethernet wall bridge with an airport express in another room (which manages to cover the rest of the house) and another wall bridge the kids’ xbox is hooked in to. I’m hoping perhaps the fios has broader wireless reach and I might not need one or either if I use that instead of the apple base?

Thanks so much for the response. I’ve not yet used “Airtunes” so I don’t see much sense in not using the Verizon provided router–as you’ve suggested. Your suggestion on switching the wireless security to WPA is also duly noted.

While I’m wary of making the change from a system that works, I think/hope it will be the right move in the end. The main reason I’m doing this is because I am disatisfied with Comcast Cable TV..too much money, poor service. But I have to admit that the cable modem was working just fine. Now Verizon will be my provider for TV, Phone, Wireless Phone, and Internet. Maybe they can take over my electric and gas too.

Thanks again,

John

If you like you can have Verizon install the router, turn off the wireless portion and connect your Apple Airport into one of the Ethernet ports and use the Airport as a wireless access point. The only reasons to do this is to give you the wireless access point you are comfortable with or if you are using the small Apple Airpot Express that has a “AirTunes”

I personally use the Actiontek provided router, a Gigabit switch as I have way more than 4 endpoints and 4 Apple Airpot Express usnits in various rooms to use for AirTunes, so I can stream iTunes around our home. I have 3 wired desktops, 2 wired Apple TV, 1 wired Vonage phone, 1 wired Tandberg Videoconferencing unit, and about 5 Mac laptops, 1 wireless PC laptop and am having no problems.

I know it’s been a while since this thread was active, but I was looking for a bit of advice. I work from home. I have a 2 month old iMac and macbook running 10.4.10. I currently have cable interent access and iI use Airport Express router for my wireless network, which is essentially 3 computers (the iMac, Macbook and another older eMac plus a printer). I need the higher speeds tha FIOS promises, so I am going to make the switch. But what I can’t figure out is whether I will still need my AIRPORT Express Router or if there are any advantages to keeping it. If so, are there any tips you can give me to make my FIOS installation more smooth…perhaps questions or instructions to give to the FIOS Installer.

JM

When FiOS gets installed, Verizon will set up an Actiontech router. All you need is the password to the wireless network so the Mac can join. The technician should be able to give you the password. It will also be written on the router in most cases. All of this is easy and will just work.

You should be all set.

Subsequently, Verizon is telling me I have to order an adaptor to go from the router to the computer, but I thought wireless feature was built into the iMac.

Thank you, in advance, for any help or guidance you can provide.

To answer your questions.

This post was written July 2005 and at that time there were many posts on various sites claiming problems with the OS X stack with high speed networks and also claiming Verizon was not supporting Macs. I had many customers asking about this.

Verizon has supported Mac OS X from the start and there were few problems with FiOS and Macs as this older post shows. In fact the setup is seamless and sometimes easier than Windows. So it was NEVER true.

I suggest that experienced users not bother with loading the software offered by Verizon as it has NO premium stuff in it as you suggest. Any experienced user can load MSN, Yahoo and bookmark a page if they need to. Loading up your machine with branded toolbars, useless bookmarks and ads is hardly “premuim” stuff. There have been countless stories from my readers of the software loaded by Verizon techs “REPLACING” all of their bookmarks and hosing their computer. My opinion is why do you need this stuff!

I also suggest to many of my readers that they consider not using their ISP’s supplied email, and sticking to Gmail, Yahoo, or another. ISPs have long used email as sort of a “lock in” to keep their customers as few allow you to forward your email after you leave. I personnaly know many people who paid for AOL for years after getting broadband and never using anything but the mail and paying for AOL.

Thou hast no right but to do thy Will.

I’m a bit confused by one of the caveats you have in your otherwise mostly-glowing review:

What makes the Mac compatibility issue with Verizon FiOS a bit murky, is the software Verizon wants to install on the customer’s computer. The software includes MSN which is not compatible with Macintosh OS X…. All you need to do is bookmark the Verizon Central page with your browser and login with the user-name and password Verizon gives you.

Are you saying that Mac users will need to take this additional step just to use FiOS, or that we will need to do so if we want to use the “special” services (MSN etc)? I’d be delighted to ditch the “premium” services (especially if indeed it lays advertising etc all over one’s browser), but I don’t want to have to log in every time I want to go online.

Also, in saying that

I would suggest experienced Windows users may not want to install this either

… are you saying the same thing for Windows users (and if so, which same thing — ie, that if we don’t install it we’ll just lose the “Premium” stuff, or that we’d have to log in every time we wanted to go online)?

Thanks!

Love is the law, love under will.

-Michael

If you have any Mac from the last few years, you will be fine.

Some people have experienced slower download speeds due to the high latency Verizon FiOS sometimes has. Try reading this post Apple Releases Broadband Tuner for FiOS Users as this may help.

Also some have reported slower speeds due to simply the way they tested the speed on the Mac as some of the so-called speed tests are not accurate in non-IE Mac browsers.

The broadband tuner Apple has realeased should help and if not it has an easy undo.

Stephen Antonucci
ReelSmart.com

I believe the TCP stack explaination to be “urban” myth. In fact many Macs even come with Giga-bit Ethernet buit-in. The only way to really test speed is to actually download a specific file, knowing the size, and timing it. If you check around you may find this type of test. Either way, enjoy FiOS!

See this story from MacFixit:
Wednesday, May 25 2005 @ 07:30 AM PDT
Odds and Ends: Slower Verizon Fios speeds on Macs when compared to PCs? (#2); Knowledge Base updates
Slower Verizon Fios speeds on Macs when compared to PCs? (#2) Yesterday we noted users of Verizon’s relatively new Fios, service (a high speed fiber optic broadband connection) who are noting slower throughput speeds on systems running Mac OS X when compared with Windows-based PCs.

Try downloading large files from known, high-speed sources (Apple’s QuickTime trailers or software update downloads usually deliver good throughput) and calculate download speeds in that fashion if you are concerned.

Stephen Antonucci