Airport Extreme base station vs. Linksys router
Hi all -- I have a tech choice to make and I'm soliciting advice and war stories from those who have been in my place.
I have a DSL connection, G5 Mac and a Windows laptop. I've been connecting to the Internet via a Linksys WRT54G router -- the Mac is connected to the router via Ethernet, and the Windows machine connects wirelessly -- and I've been happy with this setup. I have it on good authority that I'll be getting an Airport Express in my stocking this year; I had done a little research and found that it is possible to make the WRT54G and the Airport Express work together, and was planning on doing some hacking and fiddling to make that happen in the new year.
However, last night my WRT54G seems to have died a horrible death -- all its lights started blinking at once, the Internet connection went away, then all the lights went out except for the "diagnostic" light, and now no lights come on at all. No idea what happened, but it seems pretty kaput.
So! I'm in need of a new wireless base station. I could get an Airport Extreme base station, or I could get another Linksys (or another off-the-shelf 802.11 router, but we'll just use "Linksys" as the catch-all phrase here to mean "not an Airport Extreme base station"). The most obvious difference is price -- the Airport Extreme station is $200, while the Linksys is more like $65. Another thing that irks me about the AE station is that it only has one LAN port. I do like being able to plug in my laptop to the wired network to do some diagnostics once in a while and it'd be a pain to have to disconnect my Mac to do so. And then there's nagging worries that the AE base station might not work as well with my Windows laptop.
On the other hand, I'm sure that setting up the Airport Express would be much, much easier with the AE base station. And I do like the idea of the base station being able to dial up if my DSL goes down (as it does from time to time). Basically, I am tempted by the AE base station feature-wise, but I'm kind of balking at paying three times the price and not getting even a second LAN port. Any advice, particularly from people who have used both types of routers in a mixed network, would be appreciated.
I have a DSL connection, G5 Mac and a Windows laptop. I've been connecting to the Internet via a Linksys WRT54G router -- the Mac is connected to the router via Ethernet, and the Windows machine connects wirelessly -- and I've been happy with this setup. I have it on good authority that I'll be getting an Airport Express in my stocking this year; I had done a little research and found that it is possible to make the WRT54G and the Airport Express work together, and was planning on doing some hacking and fiddling to make that happen in the new year.
However, last night my WRT54G seems to have died a horrible death -- all its lights started blinking at once, the Internet connection went away, then all the lights went out except for the "diagnostic" light, and now no lights come on at all. No idea what happened, but it seems pretty kaput.
So! I'm in need of a new wireless base station. I could get an Airport Extreme base station, or I could get another Linksys (or another off-the-shelf 802.11 router, but we'll just use "Linksys" as the catch-all phrase here to mean "not an Airport Extreme base station"). The most obvious difference is price -- the Airport Extreme station is $200, while the Linksys is more like $65. Another thing that irks me about the AE station is that it only has one LAN port. I do like being able to plug in my laptop to the wired network to do some diagnostics once in a while and it'd be a pain to have to disconnect my Mac to do so. And then there's nagging worries that the AE base station might not work as well with my Windows laptop.
On the other hand, I'm sure that setting up the Airport Express would be much, much easier with the AE base station. And I do like the idea of the base station being able to dial up if my DSL goes down (as it does from time to time). Basically, I am tempted by the AE base station feature-wise, but I'm kind of balking at paying three times the price and not getting even a second LAN port. Any advice, particularly from people who have used both types of routers in a mixed network, would be appreciated.
Comments
The AirportExpress might handle all your needs... isn't the G5 WiFi capable ?? OR do you have a computer that needs an ethernet connection.
Originally posted by KingOfSomewhereHot
if $$ is a concern, why buy a base/router at all ??
The AirportExpress might handle all your needs... isn't the G5 WiFi capable ?? OR do you have a computer that needs an ethernet connection.
I don't have a wireless card in the G5.
My office is nowhere near my stereo system.
One of the purposes of getting the Airport Express was to serve as a repeater, since one base station isn't enough to get signal everywhere in the house.
I love it when people try to make you feel stupid for asking the questions you ask, as if you hadn't thought things out at all before hand. Sorry if I sound pissy, but it seems to happen every time I post a question in a forum like this.
jf
They're rock stable as well. I haven't had to reset or reboot these things once and a few of them I've had for a couple of years.
Originally posted by skatman
I have also used D-link routers with mixed Macs and PCs they work great and have all the important options in the software.
They're rock stable as well. I haven't had to reset or reboot these things once and a few of them I've had for a couple of years.
Me too.
I mix a D-link router with Airport Extreme (for a reason). Incredibly stable and happy together with mixed PC and Mac.
Me, I still like Airport. Waiting for a new souped up one.
http://www.maczone.com/cgi-bin/zones...l?id=000879387