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Apple made a number of changes to internal components in OS X Lion, including not installing Java by default and changing it’s SMB (Samba) Windows networking code. These changes have broken some previously working setups but fortunately there are workarounds:

I recently upgraded to OSX Lion, little did I know that samba was removed. Now I cant get on to my DNS 323 and my laptop is piling up with junk. I’ve seen on the net that there are way to install samba but all of them are out of my expertise. Can you help me and put it plain english steps?

Alon

Hi Alon,

Lion still has SMB capability, Apple has just replaced the older Samba code with a different implementation. If that’s not working for the shares you need to access, one simple solution is to install Thursby Software’s DAVE on your Mac. This is a fully compliant SMB/CIFS environment which provides much better Windows network support than Apple’s included offerings, and is very easy to install.

DAVE costs $119 but there’s a 30-day trial to see if it meets your needs, and you can get technical support from the vendor if required.

Readers, have any additional suggestions on this topic, or corrections/clarifications on the advice above? If so, please leave your thoughts in the comments.

Got a question about your Mac or iOS device? Email (sorry, you need Javascript to see this e-mail address) and we’ll try to help out.

Review by Kelly Keltner

I have a love/hate relationship with routers. I love what they do and the freedom they give me; hate that they never quite live up to my expectations. I’ve been through numerous routers over the years and have yet to find one that truly impressed me. However, Belkin’s N750 DB Wireless Dual-Band N+ Router ($130) might be the first that I’ve had a good overall experience with right out of the box.

The Good:

Setup with the N750 DB is ridiculously simple. Without a doubt, this is the easiest router I’ve ever installed (and I’ve installed many). In fact, the N750 nearly installed itself. The accompanying setup CD did most of the work for me.

It’s a dual-band router, broadcasting on both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands simultaneously; this means you should have at least one path to the ‘net functioning perfectly at all times, even if one band sees interference — a perfect companion for Netflix or playing games on OnLive.

As far as speed, the N750 is probably comparable with most other routers within its range. It seems to handle large file downloads and streaming about as well as most other routers, so you won’t find it doing any sort of grand hocus pocus there — though if you have a really fast pipe, the N750 is able to handle speeds of up to 750 Mbps.

The N750 was also able to handle numerous devices simultaneously without interruption. I’ve tested this router with a MacBook, a Windows laptop, an iPhone 3Gs and a Kindle all connected simultaneously to the router over wifi and there was no interruption of service with any of the devices. Each device connected automatically and stayed connected when the other devices connected to the network.

The router’s range was also impressive — I couldn’t find any dead spots within a nearly 150 foot radius, and my laptop kept an excellent-to-fair signal throught that radius; no doubt this has something to do with the N750’s whopping five antennas — more antennas than any other router in Belkin’s N line.

Another great thing about the N750 is that the router’s diagnostic firmware updates and security are all handled through the software packaged with the router. Since I’ve had the router, the software has updated my firmware at least once, notifying me of the update when it became available. Through the software, you can also set up easy guest access for family or friends who pop over.

Finally, the N750 includes a media-sharing capability. Two USB ports located on the back of the router allow you to attach an external hard drive (or thumb drive) and share files, basically turning the router into a network-attached storage device; or plug in a printer and you’ve got wireless printing from an older printer that isn’t so wireless. The streaming works well (even for movies); like many NAS devices, it’s a little slower than a direct connection though. Also, it’ll only stream over the local network — there’s no way to stream over the Internet.

The Bad:

It’s pricey. There’s a lot of bang for buck here, but for some the features and power will be overkill.

Verdict:

This is it: the whole shebang, the supreme burrito, the  U.S.S. Enterprise. The N750 is stuffed with features, does what it’s supposed flawlessly, with numerous devices and without a fuss. Of course, all that comes at a fairly steep price; but if you live in a large house, need an all-in-one router/NAS solution or are a heavy streamer of games and movies, the N750 is a great choice.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

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It’s updates all around for Apple’s full-sized routers, as the AirPort Extreme joins the Time Capsule with a new model number today. Neither the AirPort Extreme nor the Time Capsule have been updated since early 2009, so refreshed hardware isn’t really a surprise.

The new AirPort Extreme still carries the same product description and specs as the old version, so it isn’t exactly apparent what has changed about the Wi-Fi router. It still provides 802.11a/b/g/n wireless networking, and simultaneous dual-band 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency support for improved network performance and decreased interference. It also has the same three Ethernet ports for wired connections, and a USB port for hooking up a printer or external hard drive.

It’s likely that Macworld is right when it suggests that any changes made to the AirPort Extreme happened under the hood, and are likely meant to boost performance. Wireless technology hasn’t stood still for two years, after all, although it also hasn’t exactly seen dramatic changes in the consumer electronics sector. The successor to 802.11n is in the works, but it’s still probably quite a ways off in terms of general use and wide adoption.

The bottom line is that if you’ve been waiting for an AirPort hardware update in order to get a new router, now’s probably a good time to buy. The new Extreme might not boast revolutionary changes, but if Apple’s track record proves correct, it’ll most likely be better than its predecessor.

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There are many layers to securing your Apple products as well as many techniques.  From simple best practices when setting up user accounts, to creating secure disk images for your most private data, to setting up some boundaries for your family’s home computing use. But even if your device security may be solid, your wireless network may not be.  There are some key features of Apple’s AirPort networking technology that, if used properly, can provide ample security for most households.

Apply Software and Firmware Updates

While many check for iOS releases and Mac OS X updates, it is a little less common to remember to update your AirPort products.  In addition to the security updates that you get with OSX and iOS releases, there are actually two additional components that you need to track of, the AirPort Utility application, and your AirPort products’ firmware.  To determine if your AirPort devices are all up to date, launch the AirPort Utility and select “Check for Updates…” from the AirPort Utility menu.

Setting Up Your Wireless Network

There are five basic things to keep in mind when setting up your wireless network. Once a device is on the network, these settings will not make any devices themselves secure from an attack.  These particular settings will just make it a little harder for rogue devices to find and connect to your wireless network.  To access these settings, launch the AirPort Utility, select your AirPort device from the left and click on “Manual Setup.”

1. Disable WAN Setup — This feature of AirPort allows one to configure their network from the internet.  By disabling this feature, you will be limited to applying updates from inside your network.  This setting is located on the AirPort configurations under Time Capsule or Base Sation (depending on which product you are configuring):
2. Set a Hidden Network Name — While many network client access software packages seem to do a pretty good job of locating hidden networks, it is still a good idea not to broadcast your networks name.  This setting can be found under the AirPort configurations under Wireless, by clicking on the Wireless Network Options button:
   
3. Use WPA2 Encryption — Wi-Fi Protected Access II (WPA2) is now mandatory on all Wi-Fi devices.  It is based on the IEEE 802.11i standard which includes “government-grade” data encryption. It’s much more effective than either WEP or WPA protection.  This setting is located on the AirPort configurations under Wireless:
4. Choose a Strong Password — Apple provides a password assistant to help you establish a strong password for your network.  Be sure to use a mixture of uppercase, lowercase, numbers and characters when choosing your password.  It is also a good idea to use at least twenty characters.  When setting your WPA2 security settings, click on the Key icon to display a password helper:
5. Establish MAC Address Filter — This configuration when used properly can be thought of as a managed list of exactly which devices will be permitted on the wireless network.  If your device’s MAC address is not on the list, it will not be alb e to joint the network.  This is only manageable when working with a finite number of devices on a network that has the same users day in and day out, which is often the case in a home.  This setting is located on the AirPort configurations under Wireless.  Click on the “plus” sign to add a new device. See the next section for advice on finding your device’s MAC address.

Determining your MAC Address

A Media Access Control (MAC) address is a series of six groups of two hexadecimal digits separated by a colon.  On a Mac, you MAC address can be found by clicking on the Apple in the upper left corner of your menu and selecting “About This Mac.”  From there, click on the “More Info…” button and navigate to the “AirPort” section under “Networking.” Be sure that your AirPort is turned on in order to see the settings.  On your iOS device, launch the Settings App and navigate to “General” then select “About.”  Here you will be able to locate the Wi-Fi address.

Securing Your Devices

This gets a little more complex as it depends on how functional you want your devices to be on your local network.  As soon as you start sharing printers, files, and screens, you open up each device a little more and make it less secure.  Enabling Bonjour services, allowing remote login, and configuring services like Back to My Mac over the internet also compromise security.  If you want maximum protection, the only option is to disable all of those services, block all incoming connections, turn on your firewall and enable stealth mode. For most users, of course, this is probably overkill, so pick and choose these options based on how you use your network.

Conclusion

With all of the new Apple products and other connected devices available, it is quite a hassle to register each devices MAC address as well as configure your hidden network settings with a strong password.  But once set up and configured properly, you will have about as secure a network as is possible for consumer-based, off-the-shelf wireless security.

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As most of the ISP now following the MAC base network security, some time you may need to change your mac book/iMac’s ethernet cards MAC address. It’s now too simple on mac os x. just open a terminal and paste this command, and don’t forget to change this command with your correct mac address.

sudo ifconfig en0 ether aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff

That’s it. Now check the magic