Aiport Express vs. Airport Extreme

My Airport Extreme was damaged in a lightning storm. I already have an Airport Express to take it's place for the time being. If I purchase another Express to extend my network, will it not have the range of the Extreme? I need at least 35 feet of coverage for my network.
iMac, Powerbook and iBook   Mac OS X (10.4.7)  

It has a LAN port for wired clients.
It can support fifty wireless clients over the Express' ten.
It can support an external antenna.
One model has a 56K modem which can be useful to a) dial-in or b) when your broadband connection fails.
However the Extreme does not do AirTunes.
AirPort base station differences (original document by Duane)
http://www.ifelix.co.uk/tech/1301.html
iFelix

Similar Messages

  • Aiport Express or Airport Extreme?

    I'm looking for a new wireless router for my home.
    Range:
    In my home (just 1100 sq.ft totally), there are 5 rooms (including living room) all on the same floor, separated by brick walls. The router should be installed in one room that is in one corner of the home.
    Devices:
    And my brother and I each have iPhone, iPod, iPod touch and MBP. If you count other wireless devices, there will be like 11 devices totally at my home. And all of those devices are on different rooms. There is one desktop computer and printer which can connect to the router via ethernet.
    Which Apple router should I buy? Airport Express or Airport Extreme? Since both offer simultaneous dual band capability, I really don't know which one to choose. I need a very good range and speed all throughout my home, no matter which device I use to connect to the internet.
    Pleae advise.

    If you check Apple's specifications for the AirPort Express and AirPort Extreme, you will see that the AirPort Express is rated a bit higher as far as its signal strength.

  • Airport Express or Airport Extreme Base for home wireless

    I've read some of the comparisons between the Airport Express and Airport Extreme Base station to make an informed choice before purchasing. The Airport Express probably will suffice for my needs, plus having AirTunes is a bonus. Mobility is not such a concern (most hotels now offer wireless in any case, making the Express less appealing than when it first came out).
    But my only concern with Airport Exress is durability and quality. Some postings on the Apple site note that these can go bad after a year or so. I realize that only those having problems are posting but wondered if there might be some issues with the Express that would make the Extreme Base station a better decision, especially since it's only $30 more now.
    Thanks in advance.

    Actually it really boils down to your needs.
    Either one will work and work well, but if air tunes, and portability is important Express is the way to go. The Extreme is a very good choice as well.
    I suggest you look over both of these links and decide the features you need.
    http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/
    http://www.apple.com/airportextreme/
    Good Luck
    Don

  • I use my ps3 online gaming, is the airport extreme or the airport express be compatible with ps3? Is it going to be a better connection compair to other router? Which one is a better choice for me, airport express or airport extreme??

    I bought linksys EA3500 router. Its still in the box and before I open it I want to learn more about the apple airport router, is the apple going to work with my online games with ps3? I have iPad, 2 iPhones, apple tv and Mac mini.  If the airport express or airport extreme is a lot better and will work for ps3 which one should I get?

    Airport will work with PS3.  From what you've stated, the Extreme is more than you need.  Buy the Express.

  • I have an AirPort Extreme time capsule . I need to extend my wifi network range. Which devise is better ?? Airport express or AirPort Extreme ??

    I have an AirPort Extreme time capsule . I need to extend my wifi network range. Which devise is better ?? Airport express or AirPort Extreme ??

    Since you have the new Time Capsule, then you will need a new AirPort Extreme to match the performance capabilities of the Time Capsule.
    If best quality is preferred, you will need to connect the Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme using a wired Ethernet connection between the devices. The advantage of doing it this way is that you can locate the AirPort Extreme exactly where it is needed...and there will be no loss of signal through the Ethernet cable.
    A wireless connection will result in a significant drop in performance, but it might be OK for your uses, if you want to try it that way first to see if the performance is acceptable.
    It is really important that the AirPort Extreme be located where it can receive a strong wireless signal from the Time Capsule.
    A line-of-sight relationship between the Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme would be the goal, with the AirPort Extreme located about half way between the Time Capsule and the general area where you need more wireless signal coverage.

  • Is it neccessary to buy an AirPort Express or AirPort Extreme for my macbook pro to connect WI FI or wireless?

    so I have a macbook pro, but i don't know whether i need to buy an AirPort Express or AirPort Extreme to connect to WI FI or wireless.   or i only need to modem??
    HELP!!! :'(

    Airport Extreme is used by Apple for its wireless routers and the hardware inside your MacBook Pro that is used to connect to a wired or wireless router. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AirPort_Extreme#AirPort_Extreme_Base_Station
    While Apple would like you to buy everything from them you can use any brand that will work with Macs. My setup is a Qwest DSL modem connected to a NetGear wireless router. The Airport Extreme card inside my MacBook recognizes them without any problems

  • What's the difference between airport express and airport extreme?

    airport express and airport extreme? whats the difference??

    http://store.apple.com/ca_epp_5000967/product/MC414/airport-express-base-station
    http://store.apple.com/ca_epp_5000967/product/MD031AM/A/airport-extreme-base-sta tion

  • Airport Express and Airport Extreme

    Hello,
    I am trying to setup a wireless network. What is the difference btw Airport Express and Airport extreme. Do i need both? If yes then why?
    Would appreciate a solution from layman's perspective.
    Thanks

    Hello Indian71. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
    Check out this excellent iFelix table to help show the differences (features-wise) between the AirPort base stations: AirPort base station differences

  • I am upgrading wi-fi router from Airport Express to Airport Extreme. I followed set up instructions yet I am still getting the flashing amber light and cannot setup (using manual setup or the continue button).  What should I do??

    Hello,
    I am upgrading my wireless router from an Airport Express to an Airport Extreme.  After disconnecting the Express and plugging the Extreme via ethernet cable to the modem, I am receiving a flashing amber light after connecting the power source.  I also reset the modem while the Extreme was still powered and plugged into the modem, but no luck.  I also tried resetting the modem and the Extreme and still no resolution.  Please advise.  Thank you!

    This error usually occurs when the Windows Firewall and/or anti-virus software blocks the connection attempt from the PC to the AirPort Extreme.
    Microsoft Security Essentials can do the same thing.
    Things would be much easier if you had a Mac or iPhone or iPad to set up the AirPort Extreme. Otherwise try turning off the Windows Firewall and Anti-Virus programs, etc on the PC.
    Restart the PC, then see if the PC can contact the AiPort Extreme. It will likely help to connect an Ethernet cable from the PC to one of the LAN <-> ports on the AirPort Extreme. You can disconnect the Ethernet cable once the AirPort Extreme has been configured.
    Re-enable the Windows Firewall, Anti-Virus, etc and restart the PC.

  • Setting up airport express with airport extreme 802.11n with Airport Utilit

    Hi,
    I'm having trouble setting up my airport express(AX). Having recently bought the new Airport Extreme (AE) basestation, I can't figger out how to set it up to recognize the AX and allow me to stream airtunes. Previously I had the AX setup fine, but once I installed the AE, it no longer was recognized.
    After resetting the AX, the airport Utility recognizes the AE and the AX as basestations, but I don't want to have to switch back and forth from wireless networks everytime I want to listen to music in another room. Airport Admin seemed to have been wiped out when I installed the AE, so any documents I've found on the Apple site refer to AA and not Airport Utility.
    HAs anyone set up their AX on the new AE basestation?
    thanks!
    Rene

    I am currently experiencing the same issue, except that I cannot for the life of me get the AX to:
    1) Stop flashing yellow - numerous resets -soft to default.
    2) The airport utility will not recognize it.
    The airport utility sees the AE no problem, I got that up and running after a few restarts and am now able to log on to the network with my laptop.
    I am new to Mac's and this is the 1st time I have tried to set up a network with one, I was excited about being able to use the AX to play my iTunes through the stereo in the other room and to hopefully use it to connect my X-Box to the internet. But I am starting to think that this is either above my skills or a fruitless endeavor. Any help would be most appreciated!
    Thanks
    Fairbanks

  • How do I know "Roaming Network" is working with Airport Express and Airport Extreme and should I use extended wireless network for third Express?

    Attempting to eliminate a dead spot in Wifi coverage [and implement AirPlay] have one Airport Extreme 802.11n and two Airport Express 802.11n's.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4145
    The Airport Extreme is of course connected to cable modem and Ethernet switch, and one Airport Express is connected to the Ethernet network. As per instructions for creating a "Roaming Network", Airport Express is set to same SSID, security type, and Password.
    Questions:
    1. How does the client device know which Airport to connect to? In other words, will it switch to the closer WiFi transmitter automatically? The WiFi reception problem is intermittent in the fringe areas so what I do not want it for it to stick with the more distant Airport Extreme in the basement when the Airport Express which is closer will work better.
    2. How can I tell which of the Airports the attached client device is using?
    The third Airport Express will be in a third location - I was planning on using it also for expanding coverage but after reading the warnings about performance suffering when purely using WiFi for the expansion in this location ("Wireless Extended Network" without an ethernet connection) I have figured that the single wired Airport Express will be adequate and will use the third Express to do Airplay only.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4259
    Question: Can I use this second Airport Express to extend the wireless network via "Extended Wireless Network" while the other two are in "Roaming Netowrk" configuration? Without bogging down??
    Mitch

    1. How does the client device know which Airport to connect to?
    The Mac computer will automatically connect to the wireless access point with the strongest signal...which is probably the closest AirPort. An iPhone or iPad may not do this and will tend to stay connected to one AirPort.
    2. How can I tell which of the Airports the attached client device is using?
    On a Mac, open Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities > AirPort Utility. Click on one of AirPorts. In the area to the right, locate the AirPort ID and jot that down. Then do the same for your other AirPort.
    Move your Mac near one of the AirPorts and log on to the wireless. Hold down the option key on the Mac while you click the fan shaped AirPort icon at the top of the screen. Look for the BSSID. That is the AirPort ID of the device to which you are connected.
    If you are close to the "remote" AirPort, and you see the AIrPort ID of the "main" router when you are testing, then you know that the network is not configured correctly.
    Can I use this second Airport Express to extend the wireless network via "Extended Wireless Network" while the other two are in "Roaming Netowrk" configuration? Without bogging down??
    There will be a modest 10-15% bandwidth loss with the "extend" setup, assuming that the Express is located where it can receive a strong wireless signal from the AirPort to which it is associated. You can avoid the bandwidth loss if the Express is also connected via Ethernet as part of the roaming configuration.

  • Connecting AirPort Express to AirPort Extreme 802.11n

    The following steps helped me set up an AirPort Express base station connected to a set of wireless speakers with my new AirPort Extreme 802.11n base station. I’m posting this because the process was not entirely intuitive, at least not to me.
    I’ll assume you have set up the AP Extreme base station to connect to the internet and run your home network and that you are connected to your wireless network.
    Make sure you set-up the AP Extreme base station to broadcast in 802.11n + 802.11b/g modes, i.e. both at once. You will also have to check he setting that allows the newtork to be extended.
    Reset the AP Express base station so that in runs on the factory defaults by pressing the reset button with a paper clip. Wait for it to completely restart.
    Launch the AirPort Utility. You should see both your AP Extreme and AP Express base stations in the left hand column. Click on the AP Express base station you just reset. When it asks to switch wireless networks do so. Then hit continue.
    On the next screen select “Connect to my current wireless network” option and hit continue.
    On the following screen select the “Extend the range of my AirPort Extreme or AirPort Express network” and hit continue. Do NOT select the “Join my wireless network” option even though it says this is how you connect to wireless speakers. This is the part that was not obvious to me. When I tried this the AirPort Express base station flashed orange and wouldn’t connect despite waiting 30 minutes.
    Chose the network you wish to extend from the drop down menu. My keychain supplied the password for the network.
    Give your base station a name and hit continue.
    Select the main base station in the list provided. This is the one connected to the internet and hit ok.
    The Airport Utility software will configure the network to accept the AirPort Express base station.
    Now all that’s left is to connect your wireless speakers to the AirPort Exppress base station. You can now play music through AirTunes while being connected to your fast 802.11n network.

    I recently setup an Airport Express in conjuction with my Extreme Base Station. I'm not really understanding how this method enables 802.11n connection speeds (via Base Station) to the internet and also allow streaming music through the Express at 802.11b/g. It's my understanding that if you want to be able to access the internet AND stream music at the same time the Express needs to join the network. In order for the Express to join the network (able to recognize the Base Station)...the Base station needs to be changed from 802.11n only to 802.11n (802.11b/g compatable)....which essentially means your connecting to the internet at 802.11b/g. If your wanting to keep 802.11n only on the base station...you would have to create a seperate network via the Express to stream music. What this means is you CANNOT access the internet and stream music at the same time. You would have to manually change Airport in the taskbar to do one or the other.
    Am I off base here? If I am missing something please let me know...because it would be great to be able to connect to the internet at 802.11n only with a multi-case rate set to 23Mbps vs. the 11Mbps (maximum) of the 802.11b/g compatable option.
    I guess what is confusing me is that my setup is basically the same as what was described above..minus having the "Extended Network" being enabled. How does extending the network change things?

  • Connecting Airport Express to Airport Extreme

    I had a linksys router with a remote wireless Airport Express and it connected and worked wonderfully. The Linsys router died so I replaced it with an Airport Extreme. Now I can't connect to the Airport Express. It does not show up in the Airport Utility and the Airport Express status light blinks amber. Any suggestions to getting my Airport Express connected and working again?

    Your Airport Express was configured to work with the Linksys router and it is remembering those settings, so it's trying to connect to a network that is no longer in existence. It's "lost". That's why AirPort Utility can't find it.
    You need to "hard reset" the AirPort Express by holding in the reset button until the amber light begins to blink more quickly.
    Then open AirPort Utility and click Continue to reconfigure the AirPort Express with new settings that will be compatible with the AirPort Extreme.

  • Connecting Airport Express to Airport Extreme Base Station

    Hi Folks. I am at my wit's end.
    I have an Airport Extreme Base Station (main hub) purchased in 2003. Just bought a new Airport Express and it just won't connect to the AEBS. I think I've tried everything. From automatic WDS set up (described here http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107454) to using the Airport Utility and/or Airport Admin to set up. Nothing.
    I've looked through the discussions and found this http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7011490&#7011490 but the solution provided makes absolutely no sense to me.
    All I end up getting after numerous attempts at connecting to the AEBS is error messages and then a flashing yellow (amber I guess) light. When I do a "hard reset" it just goes back to flashing amber and it seems a factory reset doesn't work because according to this http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=108044 I'm supposed to see the green light flash four times after I hold the reset button and plug in but that never happens.
    This is driving me crazy. Anyone have any ideas?
    Thanks.

    Hey John.
    I did finally solve the issue but I'm not quite sure how it happened but this is what I did:
    First, I did had hard reset on the AEBS and set it up all over again via AirPort Utility. I set it up to use a WPA/WPA2 personal password.
    Next I did a hard reset (not a factory reset) (hard reset: while plugged in, use a paper clip and hold the reset button for 15-20 seconds) on the AirPort Express and then restarted my computer.
    After restart, I opened AirPort Utility and set up the Express to join my AEBS network. When it got to the point where it asked me to choose the network to join, I chose my AEBS network and it magically knew the WPA password I had set earlier and then after that it was smooth sailing.
    I had tried a number of variations of that process many times before (and failed) and for some reason this time, it worked.
    Hope it works out for you.
    Best,
    Benjamin

  • Advice to extend range from Time Capsule - wireless and ethernet with Airport Express and Airport Extreme

    Current wireless network is Time Capsule (connected to a Cisco router, 1GB switch to servers and printer 1) to Airport Express (wireless) and to Airport Extreme (wireless). Distance means poor signal at the Extreme which has 2 printers (ethernet cables) and an iMac (wireless)
    Solution is to connect the Extreme to the Time Capsule via Cat 6 ethernet cable
    How do I configure the TC and the Extreme?
    I will keep the Express for a wireless extension to the TC 

    Wired Ethernet from the TC to the AirPort Extreme will result in much better performance.  It sounds as if you are not configuring the AirPort Extreme correctly.
    Please try the following steps carefully:
    Unplug the Ethernet cable from the AirPort Exteme if it is not already unplugged. With the AirPort Extreme powered on, hold in the reset button on the Extreme for 10 seconds and release. Allow a full minute for the Extreme to restart
    Connect the Ethernet cable to the WAN "O" port on the Extreme.
    Click the AirPort icon at the top of the Mac's screen and wait a few seconds for a listing of New AirPort Base Station to appear. Just below that, click on AirPort Extreme.
    The example below displays an AirPort Express. You will see AirPort Extreme.
    AirPort Setup will open up automatically and take a minute to analyze the network, then announce that the Extreme will be configured to extend the Time Capsule network.
    Enter a device name that you want to use for the Exterme and click Next
    Wait a minute while AirPort Setup configures everything for you. When you see the message of Setup Complete, click Done.
    That's it.  Pretty simple.  Things should be working fine now.

  • Airport Express or Airport Extreme better for Apple TV

    I currently have an Airport Express router (1st gen).  Among items used on it are two iPhones, two Macs, and an iPad in addition to Apple TV.  Load times for Apple TV are just so-so.  Thus far, I've been connecting to my Macbook Air to watch things downloaded from iTunes, as it's much faster to download contact via Macbook.  I would prefer faster loading and whatnot and have Comcast Blast internet.  Would switching out the Airport Express for an Airport Extreme make a difference in Apple TV performance?  Let me know - thanks. 

    I was getting lousy connection speeds (between 3 Mbps and 7 Mbps) when I had the Airport Express in another room.  After moving it to the same room as the Apple TV, I get speeds of between 25 Mbps and 33 Mbps.  It seems as though the Airport Express just broadcasts a very weak signal through walls and into adjacent rooms.  Would the Airport Extreme broadcast a much stronger signal?   
    Now, the performance of the Apple TV is much better, but still not flawless.  For instance, last night, I was trying to watch a TV episode, and it wouldn't load.  I got a message saying that iTunes experienced an error.  At 9am this morning, it works perfectly.  Does iTunes just get overloaded with users at peak times?  

Maybe you are looking for