Do you have a computer with a dead ethernet jack? If so, you can always go to a tech and pay a good amount of money to have it repaired. If it is a tower, and you are handy with computers, you can always replace the ethernet card. However, if you have a laptop or a computer like the latest iMacs, replacing the ethernet card is easier said than done. There is another solution out there that will cost under $30, and you don’t have to take your computer apart.
The solution? A USB to ethernet adapter and an open source driver called Pegasus.
I use to have a G3 iBook at work with a broken ethernet port (from a kid tripping over the cord and the iBook taking a dive). After weeks of searching for a solution, I stumbled on this one. I don’t remember where I found this, but I’m glad I did.
A USB to ethernet adapter is not easy to find. It is even harder to find one that is Mac compatible. From all of my Google and Apple Discussion searches, the Belkin USB to Ethernet adapter was the way to go.
http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=104991
You can find it for under $30 at Amazon.com and other websites.
The technical specifications for the Belkin will not mention being Mac compatible. However, with the open source driver called Pegasus, it will be Mac compatible. The driver can be downloaded free from this site: http://sourceforge.net/projects/pegasususbmacx/.
Once downloaded and installed, restart the computer, plug in the adapter and you will be good to go.
The iBook I used the adapter on was running 10.3.9. I don’t know if it will work on earlier or later operating systems, or Intel Macs. However, if you have no other solution than spending a lot of money for a repair, for under $30 it is worth trying. You can always return the adapter and uninstall the driver.
That’s it!
Not a long Macspiration this week, but hopefully one to help you out.
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