11n worth it?

I was thinking of buying a used 11g airport base because I'm not convinced that I want to spend $200 on an 11n. However, it looks like people selling their 11g's on eBay want premium prices for their used 11g airport bases. I currently have the old airport snow base (11b) and want a bump up in speed in my house. However, it looks like it's almost worthwhile to spend another $100 to get the 11n - especially as I look at possibly getting a Mac Mini in the future to work with my home theater system. I also like the idea of hooking my LaCie hard drives up to the 11n and not having to start up my G5 just to access the LaCies that are connected to it.
Are there any reasons to not get the 11n?
Also... I bought my MacBook in October and it's not a Duo 2 Core - so I don't have the 11n built in. I don't see any airport cards in the store that are designated as 11n -- or am I missing something?
Thanks for any input!
--LM

there are no official apple options...
here is an unoffical one
http://feeds.tuaw.com/~r/weblogsinc/tuaw/~3/99534059/

Similar Messages

Worth to move to 802.11n?

Related to my previous topic, the fact is my Airport express in only capable to run 802.11g, now I considering to move to Airport extreme which seem to be advantage by 802.11n and Airdisk.
My set up is one Imac (new 2008 version) which having 802.11n, one PC (my son) and one printer that I want to share this printer, internet and Wlan with the PC.
The question is:
Does it worth to move to 802.11n in term of wireless speed and range?
Does some body experiences pro and con on Airdisk usage?
Thank you very much for your advise.
Choun.

1. For internet usage, no. For huge backups or data transfers between computers on your private network, then maybe yes.
2. Pro for Airdisk usage is that you can share a network drive wirelessly and you can also allow wireless Time Machine backups. You can also enable file sharing over the internet so your Airdisk can act as a file server that can be accessed remotely.

HP Color LaserJet 1500L - drops off the 802.11n network

My HP Color LaserJet 1500L drops off the network (it just stops printing). This happens when it is plugged into the usb bus of my new 802.11n base station or directly into the usb bus of a computer. The only way to fix it seems to be to plug it directly into a computer and unplug the usb plug and replug it, or to add the printer again. This problem has occurred in the past, but over time, and after various upgrades to the operating systems and hardware, etc, the situation tends to change. Before I installed the 802.11n base station the printer was staying in contact with my computers, but now it is misbehaving again. I doubt there is a real solution out there now, because it happened before and I never did discover a direct fix, but I thought the problem to be worth posting. This problem does not happen with my Canon PhotoPrinter iP6000S, which sticks to my network like glue whereever I plug it in (airport express, airport extreme, direct to computer, etc.) The HP loses contact with either of my computers in exactly the same way.
Mac Pro Intel Core 2 Duo, and iMac Intel Core Duo Mac OS X (10.4.8) airport express, airport extreme 802.11n, cable modem
iMac Intel Core Duo Mac OS X (10.4.8)

To use the OS X standard network protocols (Windows/IP printing), you must have either a postscript printer (the driver in that case is just a ppd for the OS X postscript output) OR, a driver designed to work with CUPS (CUPS driver). HP doesn't provide CUPS drivers for OS X (who knows why, since they do for linux).
You need to install foomatic and ESP ghostscript:
http://www.linuxprinting.org/macosx/foomatic/
then, install the foo2oak driver:
http://www.linuxprinting.org/showprinter.cgi?recnum=HP-Color_LaserJet1500

Is it worth to get a used macbook pro

hi, guys.
I am looking at a used macbook pro from early 2009 with configuration
2.66Ghz Core 2 Duo
8GB of DDR3 RAM (2x4GB)
500 GB SSD hard-drive [which advertisement said it was upgraded at Apple Store for 600 dollars]
Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT (512MB) and Nvidia GeForce 9400M (256MB)
17" Hi-Res Antiglare TFT active-matrix
1920 x 1200 Native Resolution
FaceTime HD Camera, Omnidirectional Mic
Slot-Loading SuperDrive
802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
Mac OS X 10.6.8
there's a dent on the right lower corner, which is acceptable.
the reason the guy sell it is that he got a new model.
why I plan to buy it is that I need to implment all kinds of programming stuff. I have a thinkpad with Ubuntu, but its wifi connection is very bad.
Mac is perfet for programmers.
New mac are pricing.
Any inputs will be appreciated. I want to konw
is it worth to invest a 4 years old macbook pro?
if i buy it, what should I check?
seller said 1000 dollars for the machine.
thanks

It's worth 4 to 500 dollars, none of the 'extras' (the HDD and the Ram) make it any more valuable.
How long it will last is speculative, I have a G4 portable that is 8 years old and works fine still, and I have seen Macs die when switched on for the first time so ....
Offer 400, 500 max, if it lasts a year it was expensive, 2 years it was a fair price, 3 years and you got a deal.
One more thing, as it was delivered new wth Leopard or Snow Leopard you must INSIST on receiving the original discs that accompanied it, they can not be downloaded and you will need them.

Is wireless 802.11n better than Draft-n?

I have altered my network following new supply of optical-fibre connection and have found a speed slowdown which may be due to one old Airport Express in the network which is rated as 'Draft-n'. Will it be worth upgrading this unit to a new on rated as 802.11n?

Will it be worth upgrading this unit to a new on rated as 802.11n?
Not really, if this is all that you are looking at, since the standards adopted were essentially the same as "Draft-n".
However, the dual band capability of the new Express will allow you to use both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands simultaneously. If you are using dual band AirPort routers elsewhere on your network, the new Express version will provide the same simultaneous dual band wireless performance.

Duel Band what does it do and worth it?

I am looking around to get an Airport Extreme.
I am looking at getting one because i read that it solves the WPA security dropout problem with the Macbooks, is this correct? So i can have WPA rather than WEP without any problems?
There seems to be a few around.
Airport Extreme
Airport Extreme Duel Band
Airport Extreme Time Capsule
Airport Extreme Time Capsule Duel Band
The Duel band on average can add upto £60 ($99) onto the price.
So is it worth it, what does it do really i am wondering?
Currently i have a cable modem (not ASDL) and have 2 macs running off it wirelessly, 1 ethernet connected and 1 pc laptop.
Also will the duel band really add anything, will it make my wireless as quick as being connected by ethernet for example?
Many thanks

Here are my thoughts:
*1) "WPA dropout"*
I have not heard of this but did a quick brush up on it. I don't know about this personally because I always use WPA2. I have an array of Apple wireless devices on my network and have not had any problems with dropout.
It may be an easy solution to switch your wireless network to WPA2 (or WPA2 Personal in AirPort Utility) and then reconnect your wireless devices using WPA2. This may solve your 'dropout' issue.
As far as "wireless security" goes, the order of security increases as you go from WEP to WPA to WPA2. Personally, I use WPA2 for all my wireless devices along with a long password and you should too unless you have a device (or devices) that can't use it. Unless any of the computers you listed are pretty old, they should all support WPA2.
*2) "Dual Band"*
The answer to this question relies on your answer to these two questions:
1) Do any of your devices work on "Wireless N" or 802.11n wireless networking?
2) Do you have any devices that only work on 'wireless g' or 802.11g?
If your answer is 'no' to the first question, then there is no reason for you to spend the extra money to get a dual band router. If all your devices only work on 'wireless g', then save the money and keep the single band router you have now as there would be no benefit to you if you purchased a dual band router when you could only use one band.
If, however, you answered 'yes' to the first question and 'no' to the second, then you have what some call a 'mixed network'. This means you have wireless devices that work on both frequencies (wireless g & wireless n). In that case, you would benefit from a 'dual band' wireless router like the Apple products you mention. Whether the extra cost is worth it to you is a question only you can answer.
Here's the difference:
The networking world is ruled by negotiating a connection. When any connection is negotiated, the two sides tell the other what their fastest speed is. They then agree to use their highest common speed.
If you have a single band router, it can only create one network. So any device trying to connect at a higher speed (like ‘wireless n’) will have to switch down to the highest speed of the wireless network before it can connect.
Having a dual band router is great because each frequency (wireless g & wireless n) have their very own networks. A dual band router can create two separate networks. One network for ‘g’ devices and one for ‘n’ devices. This allows all devices involved to connect at their best possible speed.
+Real world example:+
I have two AirPort Express' and an iPod touch. The Express' can work on either 'wireless g' or 'wireless n' but my iPod can only work on 'wireless g'
I had the previous generation AirPort Extreme base station which is a single band router so I had a 'wireless g' network running. I had it streaming music to the Express' and used my iPod to control iTunes all over the same 'wireless g' network. This bogged things down as streaming takes up a lot of bandwidth. This made using my iPod to control iTunes sluggish. The commands from the iPod had to wade through all the streaming traffic and that slowed things down.
With the new Dual Band AirPort Extreme, I now have two separate networks running, a 'g' and an 'n' network. This allows me to move the streaming traffic to the 'n' network so it will work better and frees up the 'g' network for iTunes control via the iPod and other devices.
Assuming any of your devices can use 'wireless n', you would benefit from a speed boost using the wireless network and accessing the internet as wireless n is faster than wireless g.
*3) Wireless vs Ethernet*
Ethernet is faster. I don't know of any real world situation where a wireless connection is faster than Ethernet. If you want more technical numbers on this you can read the section titled 'Wireless vs Ethernet (qualified)' at the end of this reply.
*4) Extreme vs Time Machine*
Only get the Time Machine's if you want to use the Time Machine feature of Mac OS X 10.5.x (Leopard). Your PC won't be able to use the drive for anything and any Mac's without 10.5.x installed won't be able to use it either. This choice alone can save you $100.00 or more.
=====
Wireless vs Ethernet (qualified)
The most common implementation of Ethernet in computers today is the 10/100/1000Base-T set of standards. the 10, 100 and 1000 actually refer to the speed achieved with each. 10 is actually 10Mps, 100 is 100Mps and 1000 is 1000Mps (also known as Gigabit Ethernet). Most computers created in this millennium support the 100 or 1000 speeds which means that those computers can run at either 100Mps or 1000Mps when connected with an appropriate Ethernet cable.
By the numbers, 'wireless g' and 'wireless n' are both faster than Ethernet 10 (10Mps) but as most computers can run at the faster speeds, Ethernet is always faster.
Let's compare theoretical maximum speeds (as no network speed given as a numbers is the exact speed you'll get when actually using it):
802.11g (wireless g) = 54Mps
802.11n (wireless n) = 70Mps
100Base-T Ethernet = 100Mps
1000Base-T Ethernet = 1000Mps
=====
Sorry this was so long. This is something that I've dealt with recently and wanted to pass onto others. Good luck!

Is it worth buying the Airport N Upgrade.

Hi,
Is it worth buying the N upgrade for my Macbook. I have an Intel Core Duo and no problems with my network e.g. no network drop outs etc.
Would the N upgrade boost my network performance or anything else?
Thanks,
Andrew.

I have an Airport Extreme (802.11n) and a C2D Black Macbook, and this is my first experience using "802.11n".
Compared to 802.11b/g, there's no difference in internet browsing speeds--it's no faster on my Mac than it is on my XP notebook (802.11g). However, I will tell you that 802.11a (5Ghz) gets a lot less interference and the range is mildly increased for me (avg. 1 more bar than 802.11g). To my knowledge, the original Core Duo Macbooks do support 802.11a
File transfer is a whole other story... I run a 40GB hard drive off of the Airport Extreme and you can see a HUGE difference between my Macbook (running 802.11n) vs. my XP machine (802.11g).
Unless you are doing a lot of file transfer between machines on your network, it will not make any difference.
Black C2D Macbook 13" Mac OS X (10.4.9) 14" HP Pavilion DV1000 CoreDuo XP SP2 iPod 30GB 5.5Gen

Is the apple router really worth it?

it is time to upgrade my router. I have an older linksys 802llb. Originally I had my heart set on going all apple but at almost $200 vs about $50 for a non apple version I am wondering if it makes a difference and if the apple router is worth the more $$$ and why.

sseligson wrote:
is the apple router really worth it?
Yes.
or
No.
Depends on your personal needs and perspectives.
Personally I love the style and ease of configuration of the Apple base stations.
However non-Apple routers are relatively easy to configure as well.
Printing and sharing hard drives certainly adds value to the 802.11n Airport Extreme, whilst AirTunes is a nice feature on the Airport Express.
In the end only you can decide.
Question, did you buy the cheapest computer you could buy, or were there other factors which influenced your purchasing decision?
iFelix

Unusual setup experience on AEBS 802.11N

I got my new AEBS 802.11N only 3 days ago, this was intended to upgrade my old AEBS 802.11b/g device. I installed the new Airport Utility software on my MacBook Pro, it went through the usual setup steps.
My MBP saw the old AEBS when Airport Utility was open for first time, I saved the config file of the old AEBS onto my MBP, shut it down and then started up the new AEBS 802.11N.
Since new AEBS device was at factory default, I imported the old AEBS config file into new AEBS, noticed that it would automatically set the Wireless security to None. The old config file definitely had the security settings on WPA/WPA2 Personal.
After applying the config to new AEBS noticed that it will not even advertise the SSID which I had set and yellow light was lit steady, probably meaning - no security enabled.
My MBP's Airport will not see the new AEBS' SSID no matter what I tried WEP, WPA, WPA2, even tried joining it manually with no security. Occasionally when security was set to None, the SSID would appear on my MBP momentarily then when I try to join it, it would say "Error Joining network".
I do have Airport Extreme Update 2007-001 installed too, even a reboot of my MBP did not help. I even reset the new AEBS to factory default and started fresh, it still did not work, it simply will not advertise it's SSID even when setting for Closed Network was left unticked in the Wireless Options pane and network mode was in Create a Wireless Network??
However I was able to get to the Internet when using the Ethernet ports on new AEBS which was connected to a DSL Modem but not on Wireless because the SSID is not advertised??
Next I fired up my MacMini which I had been using as a Media Center, it came on and saw the new AEBS SSID and joined it just fine at 54Mbps 802.11g (MacMini has no N) by this time I had the new AEBS set to WPA/WPA2 Personal security. ??
So I went in and tinkered further with the new 802.11n AEBS, I decided ah well lets create a WDS network pairing with my old AEBS, I set the new AEBS to WDS Main and old AEBS as WDS relay.
The new AEBS decided to announce Network Status as Error WDS, I went in and set the correct MAC addresses for the peer-to-peer WDS and then suddenly at this point the new AEBS refused to restart?? I really thought ah well it's time to call Apple?? Then I decided to unplug power source wait 60 seconds and started up the new AEBS again, it still reported Error WDS probably because old AEBS was also off by then.
I decided to go back to "Create a network" and suddenly voila the new AEBS started to work, the SSID was appearing on my MBP's Airport pane and I could join it. My MacMini was at this point happily chugging along on Wireless Internet as well. However my X-Box360 wireless will not join even when I selected WPA, it worked fine on my old AEBS in WPA Personal security mode.
There is something not right with the new AEBS 802.11N that I got, could it be a firmware issue? I have version 7.0 on mine. Just out of curiousity, I restarted my old AEBS and it works fine on 802.11b/g with all my devices including the XBox360.
My MBP reports it's only running at 144Mbps on the new 802.11n AEBS, is this right? I thought N could go higher or could it be because I have radio mode set at 802.11n (802.11B & G compatible) ??
Anyway thought it was worth reporting this.

I discovered something new with these AEBS 802.11N (firmware ver 7.0) devices last night.
It seems when I set it on Create Wireless network, 802.11n (b/g compatible) with WPA/WPA2 security and Channel selection set to Automatic (13), the unit will not advertise it's SSID even when Closed Network is deselected?
My MBP C2D and PB 15in will not pick up the SSID at all.
Howver when I switch the Channel selection from Automatic or anything other than channel 13, the SSID is picked-up by the MBP and PB and able to join the network perfectly ??
Has anyone out there discovered this issue with the new AEBS 802.11n? Does anyone have fix for it yet?
However my MacMini C2D seem to chug along just fine in any setting i select on the AEBS?
XBox360 only works in No security settings.
MBP C2D, MacMini C2D, PB Alu 15in. Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Your 802.11n experience

I have an old Airport Express (without 802.11n) and I am considering buying the new 802.11n Airport Express. But I wonder how fast 802.11n actually is. For those of you who experienced the transition from 802.11a/b/g to 802.11n, would you tell me how faster you feel? And for one who already has an old Airport Express, is it worth paying the same amount of money again to acquire a 802.11n Airport Express?

Ok, well first of all 802.11n has a 2x range benefit over the g model that can be taken advantage of by any wireless device. However, the (supposed) 5X speed benefit can only be utilized if you have an N compatible wireless card in your computer, the patch upgrade is not the same as an N wireless card, it allows compatibility but not capability to utilize the speed increase.
That being said, I actually have a question too, concerning the 5x speed increase. I am using an 802.11N airport extreme as my main router, with an airport express (also 802.11N) extending the network (+airtunes) and a brand new MacBook 2.4G with an 802.11n airport card. So basically the full Apple network, my connection works consistently and it works fast, but my roomate's MacBook with a G wireless card works even faster. Plus, my airtunes cuts out if i download large files.
I am broadcasting on 2.4 Ghz so i can share with the roomies, interface robustness enabled, only 5 computers are ever on the network at once.
So is there something i am missing? I don't do huge downloads or online gaming or anything, so it doesn't hurt me too bad, but i feel like after setting up such an expensive network, it should be capable of more.
Thanks!

About My New Apple Airport Express 802.11n Wi-Fi Router

Yesterday on Saturday after i finshed work I Went out & Bought a New Apple Airport Express 802.11n Wi-Fi Router for My Apple iMac Computer & for My Apple iPhone 5 & Apple TV & I Set it up & everything & everything worked out well so i had a question about it, that Green Solid New Light on Apple Airport Express is it suppose to always stay on even if my Apple iMac Computer is Sleeping like other Wi-Fi Routers??? cause i'm wondering cause it looks Very Nice & White & Shiny & New & i don't really want it to Fail on me cause i do like it & it does not take up a lot of space witch is a good thing so just had to ask???
how many years will My Apple Airport Express Wi-Fi Router will last for since it's as Big an an Apple TV, just was wondering if this thing is really strong & stuff to like hold out for years time maybe???
will My Apple Airport Express Wi-Fi Router Software ever get Outdated like my other Wi-Fi Router??? & they stopped making that Belkin Wireless n Router that i had & they stopped Updating it's Software & then The Software became not usable at all so I Had to go out & buy an Apple Airport Express 802.11n Wi-Fi Router.

Hi Byron,
on the first question: take a look at your manual; I have a different router, and on it the light stays on all the time, but I don't know if the Airport works the same way. On mine, it simply means that it is on and ready in case you need it. You should worry when there is no light, LOL.
Second question: with electronics, can't tell at all how long they will be good for. They are made to be compatible with a certain range of devices and software - and will be updated for a while when those devices and softwares are updated. After a while, too many new routers are available with too many new features that are compatible with new devices and softwares, so it's not worth updating the old ones. It's a question of money - they don't want to give you free updates forever, they want you to buy a new piece of equipment.
Third: yes, it will at some point. Everything technology/electronics related is outdated - some very quickly: you buy a new one and the next week you see an ad for a "new, improved" one. Same principle: they want you to buy again.

Best way to configure Airport Extreme Gigabit 802.11n

Hi, new to this router stuff. Just bought the Airport Extreme Gigabit 802.11n. Seems to be working much better than my old router furnished by my cable company. Still, wondering how to get the most out of it. So, have a few questions...
1. How do I know If I'm getting the "n" connection. Don't know if the modem they gave me works with this. Is there a way to see which connection is working? G/B/N?
2. Channels: I'm on 6 by default. Is it worth trying others to see if one is faster than another? How?
3. Firewall: I was told the router already has a firewall in it. So, turned off the firewall on my mac 24. If true, do I still need to configure this firewall on the router side? HOw? To what? Don't know the best configuration to use as a rookie.
4. Any other ideas to tweek this baby to get the most out of it?
Thanks all. I'll defer to the experts now.

Please check out the following Apple Support article for details on the various options available to you with using multiple base stations for extending a wireless network. If you have any questions or need further assistance please don't hesitate to post back.

Replace Airport Extreme with new AE(802.11n) on G5?

My existing wireless network includes the last version of the Airport Extreme (b/g?) and an Airpot Express is working fine. But since I'm planning to go to an Intel-based Tower sometime in the near future, I bought the new AE(n). I haven't installed it and wanted to check here first to see if it's worth the trouble before I have a MAC that can take advantage of the newer tech.
Is there any advantage for PPC-based MACs? Is there a way to safely save the configuration so I can revert to my existing setup if the new one proves problematical?
Thanks!

well,
my network is exactly the same as your so I'll give it a try. First update to the latest version of the OS (10.4.8) & run software update till you have nothing else to update. I configured mine using the setup and then going back and tweaking some of the settings. 1, find a channel that no-one is using in you area. sometimes wireless base stations on the same channel cause interference with each other. 2, after i set up my new airport extreme and setup the express to extend the network. i did find that the setup program setup the express as 802.11b only and it did slow up my network a bit (bump it to 802.11B/G). overall the performance was ok. I was getting 700kbs with my old extreme set up my way and with the new extreme I've been averaging 750kbs to 800kbs (iTunes tv show download)on my iMac G5. about the only thing that concerns me IMO is that with the old extreme, you could set the base station to any type you wanted to in my case "802.11G only" was the way I set up my old extreme. with the new one you only get 2 choices 802.11N or 802.11N B/G compatabile.
either way, I'm happy with my new base station. and I'm sure that when you do buy your next mac you'll certainly see a speed increase.

802.11n or no n?

I'm trying to buy a used AE but want to make sure it's one of the newer generation units that offers 802.11n. Knowing that older Express units have only b/g, is there any easy way to tell the difference on its surface without having to plug it in?

The part number should be printed on its case. These numbers are for the United States.
Express with 802.11g: M9470LL/A
Express with 802.11n: MB321LL/A
Used ones typically sell for over $60 plus shipping. Apple's price is $99 with free shipping, but you'll pay sales tax. Decide for yourself if this difference is worth the lack of a warranty.
Not that you asked but here are some Extreme part numbers for reference.
Extreme with 802.11n, but only 100 base-T: MA073LL/A
Above Extreme plus Gigabit Ethernet: MB053LL/A
Above Extreme plus dual band: MB763LL/A

AirPort Extreme 802.11n* Enabler Problems

I just bought the AirPort Extreme 802.11n* Enabler for my 2 GHz MacBook with and Intel Core 2 Duo processor recently and when I try to install it, it tells me, "Your computer does not meet the hardware requirements for this update." I have installed all of the software updates that are available and it is still not working. Anyone have any ideas?!

There isn't much you can do... There are ways of taking apart your macbook and replacing the Airport extreme card inside but it probably isn't worth it. I guess thats about it.
Just next time, make sure you check what hardware you have before buying.

11n worth it?

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