Airport Express (vs. Airport Extreme) in internet speed

I live in a small dorm room and I have varying internet speeds on my university network. I would therefore like to create my own reliable network to use on my Macbook Pro Retina, iPhone 6, and iPad Air, which I believe all make use of fast connectivity. So my question is that will Airport Extreme increase my internet speed versus the Airport Express? I used an ethernet-USB adapter and got 94mbps download, 94mbps upload and the Wifi network gave me 131mbps DL and 187mbps UL. I know that Extreme offers up to 1.3Gbps and Express up to 300Mbps, but if the ethernet port offers speed likely less than 300Mbps, does it matter which Airport I get?

You should always buy the extreme when you want speed.. a second hand Gen5 AE from ebay is much smaller and neater than the new AC one.. and will give you 450Mbps on 5ghz.. as well as gigabit..
You will need to buy thunderbolt to ethernet adapter.. the USB one is limited.
Internet speed will still be determined by the uni network.. so improvement in that might or might not happen.. 11

Similar Messages

When connecting wired my router straight from my internet provider I get speeds in the 90mps range. Now when connecting wired through my airport extreme I get speeds near 10mps. Also when using wireless for my ipad3 I recieve download speeds of .63mps.

When connecting, wired, to my router from my ISP I get speeds in the 90mbps range. Then when connecting, wired, to my Airport Extreme I get speeds of 10mbps. Wirelessly I get download speeds of 6mbps on my laptops and only 1mbs with my Ipad3. I am making sure only one device is sharing the network to make sure to get accurate results. Why are things so slow?

Hi Ty,
First, check with you ISP to see what speed they've promised. In my case, they indicated that the speed should be greater than 50 Mbps. If they say that it should be significantly higher than what your getting, then try the following if you're using Airport Utility v.6.:
1. Open the Airport Utility (Desktop: Command+Shift+U to open Utility Folder, select Airport Utility)
2. Click on the visual representation of the Airport Extreme and then select "Edit" (bottom right corner)
3. When the window opens (to a tab "Base Station"), click on the "Wireless" tab,
-it should have the following options: Network Mode, Wireless Network Name, Wireless Security, Wireless Password, Verify Password, a checkbox with "Enable Guest Network", and a button "Wireless Options..."]
4. Select "Wireless Options", which should open another window with the following options:
5Ghz network name, Country, a checkbox with "Create hidden Network", Radio Mode, 2.4 GHz Channel, and 5 GHz Channel [both of which can stay on "Automatic"]
5. Clicking on "Radio Mode" will bring up a list in which the las option should read:
802.11n only (5Ghz) - 802.11n only (2.4 GHz)
Once you click "Save", your router will blink amber for a little while and then it should work.
Hope this helps. Let me know if it does/doesn't.
DFLovesBikes
p.s. I apologize if the directions were excessively explicit, but I was thinking about my 73 year-old mother trying to follow them, so I erred on the side of making them more understandable. Good luck.

Why does 2 Airport Expresses connects to one another instead of connecting to the primary Airport Extreme For internet Connectivity ?

I have Netgear DG834G router only for dsl connectivity wifi connectivity to that router is off. i have connected netgear that provides adsl connectivity to the (Shakeel's Airport Extreme) Airport Extreme dual band Wireless N 5th generation via cat 5 cable so airport extreme is the main wifi device through which i get wifi signals at my home. now our house is big and i have installed the adsl netgear modem and airport extreme router at the same place in my room in the upper story but the signals are weak even in the upper story at the other end of the house so i have installed the new airport express dual band wireless N in the upper story (Kafeel's airport express) and it is connected to the primary airport extreme (Shakeel's Airport Extreme) wireless router in range extention mode it repeats the same ssid. Our ground floor has another airport express dual band wireless N the new one ( Lounge's airport express) signal was weak there so i installed another airport express (Lounge's Airport Express) their and configured it to extend the range of primary router airport extreme (Shakeel's Airport Extreme) in the upperstory with the same ssid. Now the problem i am facing that sometimes lounge's airport express connects to kafeel's airport express instead of connecting to the airport extreme and the signals in lounge are weak because all the devices are connected to kafeels airport express and does not connect to lounge air port express. but when lounge airport express is connected to primary router airport extreme then everything works fine devices connect to lounge airport express and signals are full. i have took pictures of the problem i am facing you will understand better by having a look at it. In normal working setup both the airport expresses are connected to airport extreme which is shown in this picture
The second picture shows when lounge airport express is connected to kafeels airport express and not the airport extreme (Shakeel's Airport Extreme) this is the problem.
isnt there a way to correct this so that they dont connect with each other and connect to the airport extreme ?

Lounge's AirPort Express must be located signficantly closer to Shakeel's AirPort Extreme than it is to Kafeel's AirPort Express, and there must be fewer obstructions in the signal path than the other possible connection.
The reason is that if you want Lounge's AirPort Express to connect to Shakeel's AirPort Extreme, it must receive a significantly stronger wireless signal from Shakeel's AirPort Extreme than it does from Kafeel's AirPort Express.

Airport Extreme 802.11n Speed

Hello Everyone,
I am planing to buy an Airport Extreme 802.11n for my iMac Core Duo at home, I am trying to find out if this upgrade will benefit the speed of wireless connection, as I am using actiontech DSL modem which was provided by the ISP. I have to reset the current DSL Modem every other day to keep the consistant speed. Please enlighten me with your wisdoms.
ps/ How do I ask (contact) apple support with email?. Plz help
Thank you
intel iMac 20" Core Duo Mac OS X (10.4.8) 1GB RAM, 250VRAM

As far as resetting your modem, that is an issue with the DSL modem and your ISP. The router may help only if you have your computer directly connected to the modem, as it will prevent you from losing your connection to your isp when your Mac goes to sleep. As the router is an "always on " device it should keep the connection unless your ISP has its network set up to time out your IP address regardless of your connection status.
Your Base Station will have no effect on your internet speed because the minimum connect speed for most routers is much faster than even the fastest internet speed ( this axiom may soon be untrue with fiber getting so fast, but for now you router will not be the weak link in the chain.)
What a faster router will do is increase the speed within your network (moving files accross your local network), adding a layer of secuirty between you and the outside world (which is better than most software firewalls if you are connecting your Mac directly to your modem).
The new airport extreme (80211n) also has the added bouns of letting you network USB drives (great for backup and keeping large files off of your hard drive) and sharing USB printers.
I just set up mine and it works great. The automatic setup is VERY easy to use and did a good job setting up my network. And there are plenty of manual settings for advanced users ( I am tweaking some of my security settings now.)
Hope this helps.

Should Airport Extreme Proximity Reduce Speed By This Much? How much you ask.......Click and find out.....

I have an Airport Extreme(sorry I don't know what version, but bought in the past two weeks). When I have the Airport plugged into the modem and I use my MacBook Pro in that room or near it I get 100+ Mbps very consistenly. Then when I move downstairs to the basement, my wireless signal is very strong(almost full) and yet my download speed goes to single digits. Should proximity affect the speed that much with a good signal. Now, there are a number of negative things going on, must go through concrete foundation, past all the fuse boxes and into my office. I always thought mayb 20% degredation, but this makes it almost unusable. I have also tried to use an airport express to extend the signal, but get the same issue.
Modem/built in router has been rebooted, replaced, put in bridge mode, etc. Both Airports have been rebooted multiple times.
Any help is greatly appreciated.

Should proximity affect the speed that much with a good signal.
Yes. The "bars" at the top of your Mac's screen are not of much real use, as you might imagine. A few dollars spent on a good WiFi Utility will provide a lot more useful information. Post back if you are interested.
Now, there are a number of negative things going on, must go through concrete foundation, past all the fuse boxes and into my office
That would pretty much explain the problem. It is amazing that you are getting as much signal as you are downstairs.
I have also tried to use an airport express to extend the signal, but get the same issue.
Ideally, you would connect the AiPort Express back to the AirPort Extreme using a wired Ethernet cable connection. There is no loss when you "extend" this way, and the speeds downstairs will be close to the speeds upstairs.
If you cannot connect the AirPort Express using a wired Ethernet connection, locate the Express approximately half way between the AirPort Extreme and the office. Anything that you can do to minimize obstructions in the wireless signal path will help.

Airport Extreme dropping Internet Despite Strong Signal - Mavericks?

Hi - I've searched in the threads several times but haven't yet been able to find a resolution for this.
The past week or so, my Wifi keeps going out at random intervals. I can restart my router and it will come back up, but eventually it will drop again. Thought it was my internet service OR my router, but everything works super fast and steady if I'm connected directly. I really think it's the connection to my 2 year old Airport Extreme that is causing issues.
The wifi drops (all sites get stuck and say "Resolving Host" before getting a no connection error), but the Airport Extreme light stays green and my WIFI signal shows on my devices with full strength even though it's not working. Again - no problems if I'm connected directly to the internet.
I thought it was a similar problem to this thread, https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2508959?start=120&tstart=0, however I followed those steps (enable IPv6) and the issue is still occuring. My Airport Extreme is running v 7.6.4.
I upgraded about a week ago to Maveicks and wondered if that might have something to do with it? Or if anyone has any other ideas? Any help at all is appreciated - it's been maddening rebooting my modem multiple times a day.

Let me see if I can suggest a strategy.
I have talked with my ISP and he said that I am not the only one with an Airport Extreme with the same issue. He said to try to write the DNS direclty, rather than using the Auto settings - still nothing works.
What modem do you have and what sort of broadband?
What mode is the AE in.. router or bridge?
I have an Airport Express from 2010. Since about a month and definetly since yesterday, I cannot connect any device via Wifi to it although LAN connection works correctly.
Is this express or extreme.. the rest of the post you refer to extreme.
What is the actual model number of the AE? A1xxx from the base or the part number MCxxx from the box.
If the AE is bridge.. I want you to try a different method.. put it in router mode.. don't worry about double NAT but ensure the IP range of the modem /router is different to the AE.. so if one is 192.168.x.x then the AE on default at 10.x.x.x is fine.. if the main router is 10.x then move the AE to 192.168.x.x
Make sure the guest wireless is off.
Using a 5.6 utility on your 10.6.8 OS mini go to the log and see if the wireless is registering..
You should see lists of wireless connection like..
Post as many screenshots of the setup as you can.. it helps loads.
IPv6 is starting to become a pain.. try it off and try local link and try auto.. in the computer.

Several Questions: Airport Extreme, Wireless Internet, AOL

I have several questions...
First does anyone know which printer brands/models are compatable with the new Airport Extreme?
Second, I recently made the switch from PC to Mac and the first time I tried to connect wirelessly to the internet, it was unsuccessful. If I wish to connect to a non Mac server, is there a special setting airport must be on?
Third, My AOL browser is going much slower then Safari and it has gotton progressivly worse! I can't even use instant messanger and it takes forever to surf the web. However, ichat and safari work just fine and my other windows computer has no problem with AOL. Is there an explanation for this?
Thanks... Answer which ever questions you know the answer to!

Regarding compatible printers:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25403
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25407
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107456
For general wireless connectivity:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=303595
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106858
http://www.apple.com/support/airport/
http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=2005093011343164
Suggestions from MacFixit for Fixing Airport Woes
- Try changing the wireless specification mode used by your router (or base station). Try switching from 802.11g to 802.11b, for instance.
- Disabling coconutWiFi-- an application displays you a small aqua-bubble at the top of your screen which indicates whether you're in range of a wireless network or not -- may resolve an issue where AirPort connections toggle between normal speed and dismal speed.
- Delete all stored wireless networks from the Preferred networks list, then add back any used networks via the following process:
Open System Preferences
Go to the "Network' pane
Select "AirPort" from the "Show:" menu
Click on the "AirPort" tab
Select "Preferred networks" from the "By default, join:" menu
Delete any networks from the list (using the "-" button) that you do not regularly use
Click the "Apply Now" button
- Reset the PMU.
- Turn off the Mac OS X Firewall (in the Sharing pane of System Preferences) resolved the issues in his case.
- In some cases, deleting the AirPort preferences can resolve the issue:
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
Finally, AOL. AOL's application is a PPC-only application so it must run in the Rosetta emulation on an Intel Mac. This consumes additional RAM and CPU resources and causes PPC apps to run slower (aside from the fact that AOL is painfully slow anyway.) The problem will seem aggravated even more if you have less than 2 GBs of RAM installed. I recommend not using AOL. If they are your ISP you might consider getting a different one. You have Safari which is a far superior browser.
Why reward points?(Quoted from Discussions Terms of Use.)
The reward system helps to increase community participation. When a community member gives you (or another member) a reward for providing helpful advice or a solution to their question, your accumulated points will increase your status level within the community.
Members may reward you with 5 points if they deem that your reply is helpful and 10 points if you post a solution to their issue. Likewise, when you mark a reply as Helpful or Solved in your own created topic, you will be awarding the respondent with the same point values.

AIrport Extreme-n internet issue with WDS networking

I have 1 AIRPORT EXTREME-n STATION set as the MAIN STATION connected to a modem.
With the following configuration my Internet connection drops every 4-5 minutes and I have to reset modem and Airport Extreme:
- A second Airport Extreme-n (set as RELAY) connected to the main station
- 1 Airport Express unit (set as remote) connected to the main station
- 2 Airport Express units (set as remote) connected to the relay station
With the following configuration my Internet connection does NOT drop:
- Second Airport Extreme-n (set as REMOTE) connected to the main one
- 3 Airport Extreme units (set as remote) connected to the main station
I need to connect everything as in the first case scenario, because two of the Airport Extreme units are quite far from the main Airport Extreme station (I bought a second Extreme station to extend the signal!).
Macbook Mac OS X (10.4.6)
Powerbook g4 12 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Not trying to insult you with basics, but there are a few things you can try with your scenario (which is probably one of the most advanced and therefore problem-prone setups). It may also be there are just some issues that Apple has to work out in future updates.
1. Factory reset on ALL 5 units.
2. Changing channels (use only 1, 6, or 11 - there are reasons why).
3. Try changing encryption levels to at least see if that seems to be an issue. I usually start with "None" to eliminate a bad link in the chain.
4. Power levels lowering one or both units may actually help in some situations.
5. Since you are obviously running 2.4GHz with compatibility for BG clients, there are some other settings to play with like interference robustness on/off, multicast rate, etc.
Hope you get it going.

Airport Extreme Slowing Internet Connection

Hope someone can provide some direction for me!
A few weeks ago I started noticing slowed internet speeds,but thought nothing of it, and attributed the slow down to peak periods. About a week ago was the first time I ran a speed test due to a noticeable depreciation in connection speed. Then, and still today, I’m averaging about 3.4 mbps down / 6 mbps up both wireless and wired with Ethernet cable through the airport extreme. I have Comcast Blast which, until the slowdown, was averaging 20 mbps down / 6 mbps up.
My setup:
Macbook (mid-2010), OS X 10.7
Mac mini (early-2009), OS X 10.7
Motorola SB5100 Modem
Airport Extreme 802.11n (3rd Generation)
Here’s the kicker: when my macbook is directly connected tothe modem (removing the airport extreme), I get amazingly fast internet (26mbps down / 6 mbps up).
I’ve been browsing around here looking for solutions since my warranty’s expired and have tried the following:
thanks to this previous discussion
-Changed Frequency Channel to less populated channels
-Changed Fireware Versions (was 7.5.2, tried 7.4.2, 7.4.1,and 7.4)
-Moved the router’s location
-Moved the
-Reset the modem
-Reset the Airport Extreme
-Factory reset the Airport Extreme
-Made sure “Ethernet WAN Port” was set to “Automatic(Default)”
-Changed/Temporarily Removed Security
Some users have found success (as discussed in the discussion linked above) by swapping out their cable modem. I own mine, so it would be a matter of purchasing a new one (though I'd rather not buy a new one if it's actually my Airport that's failing)
Could my Airport Extreme be dying and it’s time for a new one?
Any suggestions or thoughts of things to try?
Thanks, Everybody!

Well, I'll see if you can explain this one:
As suggested, I used Airport Utility to switch the Radio Mode from "Automatic" to "802.11a/n - 802b/g." I was unable to find the option to select "802.11n (5) only - 802.11n only (2.4)."
I ran the test again with the following results:
     Client Side: [ 4] 0.0-60.0 sec 497408 KBytes 67909 Kbits/sec
     Server Side: 0.0-59.7 sec 497408 KBytes 68253 Kbits/sec
No Change.
I then discovered that under "Wireless Network Options..." my checked "5GHz Network" had become unchecked. I re-checked this box and connected both server and client computers to this new network and re-ran the test:
     Client: [ 4] 0.0-60.1 sec 392192 KBytes 53496 Kbits/sec
     Server: 0.0-60.1 sec 392192 KBytes 53476 Kbits/sec
Seemingly slower.
HOWEVER, now when I run an internet speed test, I'm consistently getting ~28mbps down/~6mbps up across all devices (mac mini, macbook). I'm sort of unclear as to what's causing this change, but it appears, at least for the time being, that the issue has resolved.
Should I be concerned that the AEBSn is not transfering data near the 300 Mbps on the 5GHz channel? What else could be playing into this issue?

Accessing a USB drive connected to Airport Extreme over Internet

Hello!
I have an iPad, I have an Airport Extreme with a USB drive connected and I have a MobileMe account.
And I'm aware that as yet there's no Back To My Mac for iPad.
Is there an easy way on the iPad to connect remotely to the USB drive, over the Internet?
I don't want to have to leave my MacBook Pro on whilst I'm travelling.
I've looked at Logmein and Filebrowser and iTeleport and can't find a way to do this.
Has anyone managed to suss this???
Many thanks....

I am not ware of any way of doing what you want since, to my knowledge, the AE does not function as a server to "serve" the contents of a connected USB drive. I have a LaCie NAS and that NAS includes a FTP server that I can access via my iPad via AirSharing HD.

Airport Extreme blocking internet on phone and ipad but not imac

I got a new TIme Warner cable modem yesterday and since then my Airport Extreme does not work properly.
Time Warner see it at their end but told me that it blocks the signal from the modem to the computer.
However after much fiddling around with it I managed to get it working again with my computer.
So now I have wireless internet on my computer, but although the router is recognized by my ipad and my phone it won't connect them to the internet.
I restarted all devices multiple times and I even reset the entire network.
What is going on?
Also, I'm using an old Airport Extreme (the round one) that Apple no longer supports, however I also have a newer square version, but my computer doesn't recognize it at all. What gives?

I have had the same issue for the past few weeks and finaly it is resolved. I had the regular modem from Timewarner and it was working perfectly with my AEBS for the past 2 years. No issues at all. Out of nowhere 3 weeks ago my mo AEBS started getting the 169.x.x.x ip address therefore not communicating with the modem. Cutting the story short, I had Timewarner's Tier 1, 2 and 3 involved. 3 different techs and their suppervisors visited my house pointing finger at the Apple and I contaced Apple and got no resolutions either. The AEBS at somepoit would connect to the internet and then stop communicatiog due to invalid ip address. I decided to change my modem to a more advanced modem ARRIS TG852 (Telephony modem with wireless) from TimeWarner. That did not solve the issue either. I also tried the solution Tesserax offered above but unfortunatly it did notwork for me. as of one houre ago I resolved the problem and would like to share it with you.
Standard Timewarner modem:
1. Call Timewarner and have the tech support configure your modem remotely into a Bridge Mode. (yes that simple)
2. Factory reset you AEBS and go through the setup.
ARRIS modems or any other wifi capable modems/routers:
1. Call Timewarner and have the tech support configure your WiFi modem remotely into a Bridge Mode. (yes that simple) Sadly enough non of the techs offered this to me or was even aware that this will resolve the issue. Now they know. LOL
OR
1. Get to your routers setup page. for ARRIS go to http://192.168.100.1
2. Login as admin and use default password "password" to login.
3. go to Firewall tab and disable the firewall (your AEBS will have its own firewall)
4. to to Wireless tab and Disable wireless (uncheck the box)
5. go to LAN tab and under the NAT title which is close to the bottom of the page select "Bridge"
This option will reset your modem. Give it a few minutes for your modem to reestablish connections with its center and come back to life.
Now your Timewarner WiFi modem is turned into a dumb modem (bridge mode) and your AEBS will work like a charm.
6. Factory reset you AEBS and go through the setup.
It only took me 3 weeks to figure this out by trying any possible combination of settings and resetings and reconfiguration you can imagin. I have recreated this issue and resolved it following these steps and it worked for me. I hope it works for anyone else that may be facing the same challenge.
Cheers

Airport extreme no internet, though light is green

Hi,
My Airport Extreme won't connect to the internet anymore. It's light is green (no blinking or anything). It worked for years, but now it doensn't anymore.
My modem is working fine. I checked that, by directly connecting my iMac (by an ethernet cable) to the modem, and then there is a working connection to internet. So I concluded the Airport Extreme must be the problem. I even replaced the Airport Extreme by an (El-Cheapo) other wireless router, which worked like a charm. So the problem is indeed the Airport Extreme.
This is what I tried (many times and in various ways/order):
1. Rebooting the modem
2. Rebooting the Airport Extreme
3. Factury reset of Airport Extreme and setting it up from scratch
4. Disconnect all Ethernet cables to the Airport Extreme, except for the WANand mto my iMac
5. Disable Wireless modes
6. Downgrade firmware (and after this do not resolve the issue), upgrade to the latest firmware again
but none of it resolved the problem..
Suggestions what to try next??
Alte.

Finally I solved the problem myself by a full power cycle of the modem and the Airport Extreme, as described on
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3412
Only when following exactly the steps (in the order) as is described, I was able to get an internet connection (again). Before, whenever I lost connection, I just rebooted both the modem + Aripiort Extreme (i.e. unplug-wait-plug the power), and I would be reconnected. So still, now, I feel AirPort Extreme is starting to fail... Let's see for how long it will be running now...
Thx for the help/reply anyway!!

MBP can't find airport extreme but internet works

I have a MBP with Lion. I just purchased an airport extreme and connected an external harddrive with time machine linked to it. Perodically my MBP, loses the Airport Extreme base station and cant find the Airport Extreme. It cant find it in Airport Utility even after rescanning. When this occures, time machine wont work because it cant find the drive/server. I can manually locate the airport extreme by using the IP address though and I have a working internet connection. But it's getting annoying because it seems to be at random that the base station just disapears.

I bought an Airport Extreme yesterday and hooked it up today. Everything went great, but eventually all my wireless devices lost their connections. I've read several other forums where this has been observed as far back as 2009. Most attribute it to a firmware update, but that certainly isn't my case. My wireless devices include a Samsung TV, a Sony 'Google TV' internet box, and two Macs just to name a few of what I connected today. And they eventually lost their connection. Wired connections don't seem to be affected.
It appears that Airport Extreme's wireless feature is going into a sleep mode that is hard for it to wake up from, or it's overheating (it gets very hot). And this has nothing to do with signal strength, range, or interference. It could be a combination of settings as a 2010 post stated that Apple told him to do a hard reset and ensure "Allow Setup over WAN..." and "Allow SNMP" are both unchecked. Neither are checked on mine, so I guessing that might have been a lucky workaround back then. It's a pain to restart AE and re-enter the password on any device just because AE might have been idle for a period. After more than 2 years of this behavior, I'm surprised it continues to this day with no fix or clear explanation. Maybe there's a solution out there somewhere.....

Connecting Airport Extreme to Internet

Hi,
Have just purchased an Airport Extreme (round one) and cannot connect it to my adsl modem as the modem only has usb connector and the extreme requires ethernet.
Any ideas on the best solution?
Thanks.
regards,

hi,
i have a 6 computer wireless network using linksys. currently all my computers are pcs
i want to purchase a macbook, (and maybe an imac to add to the network) and was wondering how i should best connect the new macs to the network so we can all work off of the same cable modem signal
what advice do you have?
obviously, i am a rookie with all of this.....should i be purchasing the AirPort Extreme, Airport Express or something else? ca i even do this?
finally, do you think i will be getting a stronger signal if i do this....one area of my house always has a low or no signal strength indicator
thanks
jake
macbook

Airport extreme loses internet connection all the time with imac and macbook pro

I keep losing the internet connection with airport extreme on my imac and macbook pro but NOT with my pc

Ok, so when you say you lose internet connection, is it disconnecting from your wireless network so there are no bars?
And are there usually full bars?

Airport Express (vs. Airport Extreme) in internet speed

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for