What AirPort capabilities are provided by the Power Mac G4 Cube? How do you install an AirPort module? Are third-party options available?

The Power Mac G4 Cube models are equipped with internal support for an AirPort card (802.11b). Installation is straightforward and Apple provides both text and video instructions to perform the upgrade.

However, as AirPort cards of this vintage are difficult to find and expensive when they can be found, those interested in saving time and money would be wise to instead purchase an external wireless USB module. Please note that because the Power Mac G4 Cube models only have USB 1.1 ports (rather than USB 2.0 ports), USB modules will operate at less than their maximum possible speed.

Site sponsor Operator Headgap Systems sells an 802.11b/g wireless USB module for less than US$25 including shipping in the domestic US. Site sponsor Other World Computing also has a variety of inexpensive options.

How do you add Bluetooth to a Power Mac G4 Cube without internal support?

The Power Mac G4 Cube models are not equipped with internal Bluetooth. However, it is easy to add Bluetooth support with a USB Bluetooth dongle.

A number of Bluetooth dongles are available, but site sponsor Operator Headgap Systems sells one using the Broadcom chipset guaranteed to be compatible with MacOS X 10.2.8 or higher for less than US$20 including shipping. Site sponsor Other World Computing also has a variety of options.

What type of modem is provided by the Power Mac G4 Cube?

The Power Mac G4 Cube models shipped standard with an internal 56k v.90 modem. It uses the same "modem filter board" as the "regular" Power Macintosh G4 series.

For extremely technical users, the excellent CubeOwner has a hack to replace the modem with two extra external USB 1.1 ports and one extra internal USB 1.1 port. Probably not something you will want to attempt, but an interesting read nevertheless.

What type of Ethernet is standard in the Power Mac G4 Cube? Can it be upgraded?

All Power Mac G4 Cube models shipped with 10/100Base-T Ethernet. Upon its introduction, Apple promoted Gigabit Ethernet as a build-to-order option for the Power Mac G4 Cube. However, as noted by the excellent CubeOwner, this upgrade option never shipped.

Essentially, it is not possible to upgrade the Ethernet in the Power Mac G4 Cube.