Finally ditching the modem

I finally upgraded from dialup to broadband. Huzzah! Well, maybe it's too early for huzzahs... I'm not so crazy about Comcast, especially after that time they parked their van in front of my garage, preventing me from getting to work. But it's either them or RCN. And now I've got fast internet that doesn't tie up the phone lines.

Speed doesn't come cheap. The service itself is $45 per month. Cable modem rental, $3. Then, since my apartment isn't wired for cable TV, I needed a wireless router. Apple's AirPort Extreme BaseStation sells for $200, but Linksys sells essentially the same thing for $70 ($50 after rebates). But we're not done yet! Although Apple says that the Mac G5's all come with built-in wireless capability, that claim is a bit deceiving; except for the antenna and the daugtherboard connector, the wireless hardware does not come installed on the motherboard. So I still needed to buy the Apple AirPort Extreme daughterboard for $80.