accessing wireless network using ethernet adapter

Hi can anyone help?
I am trying to get onto our home wireless network using a G4 Powermac a friend has just given me. It doesn't have an airport facility so my friend has also given me a 802.11g wireless ethernet adapter. I have followed the instructions exactly (accessing the adapters internal configuration and setting it to the wireless networks SSID and channel, then going back into the network settings and re-setting it to "obtain IP address using DHCP') When i restart the computer the network status reads as "built in ethernet is active and has a self-assigned ip address. you may not be able to connect to the internet" (the marker next to it is yellow)
needless to say I cannot connect to the internet. I have tried setting a manual ip address, one within the range of our wireless address (192.168.2.5) and then the network status reads "built in ethernet is currently active. you are connected to the internet via built in ethernet" (the marker next to it is green)
But even then when I open safari it says "failed to open page because you are not connected to the internet"
Any help would be greatly appreciated, I'm at the end of my tether!!

I haven't tried one of those adapters, so take the following with a large pinch of salt.

The manual address situation sounds like the best path to take to try to get this going. as it relies on less of the system working properly. So ...

1. When you used a manual address, was it a unique address? Ie are you sure that no other device on your network has address 192.168.2.5?

2. Did you set the router and DNS addresses up at the same time? Your router's IP address should be in both the router and DNS address fields.

3. Open Terminal on the G4, and type "ping " followed by your router's IP address, then hit return. Do you get echo replies from the router?

4. If all else fails, does this Mac *have* to be connected via wireless? Is it near enough to your router so that you could connect it using an ethernet cable?

Another wee one to try: Your router might be set to allow only certain MAC(unique ethernet card number) addresses to connect wirelessly, check for this one under the wireless settings. If it is set then you must set the router to allow the adaptor to connect.

ok...

1.It is a unique address, we've only got 2 other computers on the network and they are assigned to 2.2 and 2.3. I've also tried it with a number of other suffixes on between 1 and 100, with all the same result

2.No I didnt realise I had to put anything into the DNS field! But I have tried it now and it doesn't seem to make any difference.

3.typing "ping" on the terminal comes back with "no route to host. Host is down host is down host is down etc etc.

4.yes, the reason I got this Mac was so it could go in the spare room. Our router is in the other room connected to my girlfriends computer. Incidentally, I have taken it into the other room and connected it directly to the ethernet cable, and the internet works fine.

Thanks for your help.

The ping failure means there's no connection to the router. Either the Ethernet-to-wireless adapter is faulty, or it's incompatible with the Mac. Has it been used successfully in this mode before?

Edited by deleted (Sat 15-Aug-09 21:27:29)