No extra hardware needed. I think any Mac as recent as 3 years old will have the wiFi hardware built 
in. Just set up your password protected wireless router, turn on the Apple WiFi in the system 
preference and it should find the router. Then just select the router from the WiFi icon at the top 
right of the menu bar of your screen, enter the password and it will be set up.

Of course there can always be issue with specific hardware and wireless protocols, but if anything 
has a chance of working on the first go with no specific knowledge, it will be your WiFi Mac.

Your description of your Verizon wireless router sounds odd, so I could be all wet with the above 
advice. I have a verizon supplied wireless router and a 3 year old macBook with OS 10.5.8. The 
wireless connction is not a problem at all, USB ports play no part in the connection.  I can not 
imaging a MacBook Pro not being able to do this out of the box with no extra hardware needed.  Is 
your WiFi turned on in the Mac preferences?

Britt

On 5/4/11 11:54 AM, Consie Powell wrote:
> Dumb question time:
> Can someone tell me whether, in order to tap into a wireless
> modem/router system (MiFi HotSpot, to be specific) with my MacBook Pro,
> do I need to have another little Apple gizmo or some such piece of
> equipment, in order to make the wireless technology on this computer
> work? My MacBook Pro is just over 3 years old and has OSX 10.5.8 on it.
> Up until now I have had no need for any kind of wireless with it; hence
> the cluelessness. But we are presently looking to upgrade our internet
> connection capabilities, and if this HotSpot thing will work, we can get
> that, and then both my husband and I can hook up to internet at the same
> time. Presently we have been using a Verizon wireless modem (that has a
> dedicated data line of its own) that plugs into a USB port (and that
> means only one of us can use it at a time). We have to use some sort of
> this kind of wireless system, because we are offgrid and do not have any
> cables or other grid-tied lines of any sort coming in.
>
> I'm thinking that there is some supplemental something I'm supposed to
> have in order to make this work, but searching the internet is not
> helping me know this. I think this is a piece of knowledge that is so
> elementary that the computer companies presume everyone already knows
> it. So, any input you guys have will be appreciated.
>
> Thanks.....Consie

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