What exactly is the Airport Express?

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Is it basically a portable Airport base station? Does it recieve wireless signals? How is it wireless if it uses wires to plug into the wall and the computer?



I just don't understand what it is and what's so great about it.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 23
    rokrok Posts: 3,519member
    it took me a while, too, but here's what i have gathered...



    first, if you travel with a laptop, its size will be a boon. you won't have to tote an airport extreme (or whatever router) just to be able to get wireless connections.



    yes, it needs to be tethered to SOME sort of internet connection... that dependency hasn't left yet. it's also not battery powered, so it requires the ac connection.



    the audio connection separates it from airport extreme so far as a way to wirelessly stream music from a recognized device on the airport network (can be laptop, or desktop with airport card) to a connected audio output system.



    plus, if you have not yet bought ANY airport base station yet, it's cheaper than the extreme station, with almost all the bells and whistles.



    but if you're like me, it's tough to toss a perfectly functional linksys router just to be able to share a printer without being tethered to a computer or streaming audio.
  • Reply 2 of 23
    splinemodelsplinemodel Posts: 7,311member
    It's just like an airport base station



    except that it has USB printer sharing



    and it also can stream music to your stereo.



    It's also smaller and cheaper. Weird.
  • Reply 3 of 23
    rokrok Posts: 3,519member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Splinemodel



    except that it has USB printer sharing





    i thought the airport extreme base station had usb printre sharing, too... or did i just dream that?



    also, does this mean that, for every "pro" or "extreme" or "power" product apple releases, they have, in the works, an "express" or "mini" or "i" variant? sure seems like a trend...
  • Reply 4 of 23
    dferigmudferigmu Posts: 269member
    So is it basically a portable wireless router? Do you have to plug it into a cable modem?



    Also, can't you just use an Airport card to get a wireless internet signal in places where Wi-Fi is available?
  • Reply 5 of 23
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    It's Airport Extreme without an internal modem and with a stereo out jack. That's pretty much it, isn't it?
  • Reply 6 of 23
    Quote:

    Originally posted by dferigmu

    So is it basically a portable wireless router?



    Yes.



    Quote:

    Do you have to plug it into a cable modem?



    Yes. Or a DSL modem or an Ethernet plug in your office, dorm, or wired home.



    Quote:

    Also, can't you just use an Airport card to get a wireless internet signal in places where Wi-Fi is available?



    Yes. Of course. You can use AirPort Express to "make Wi-Fi available" (for up to 10 clients) too.



    Quote:

    Originally posted by BuonRotto

    It's Airport Extreme without an internal modem and with a stereo out jack. That's pretty much it, isn't it?



    Yup. Plus the power-adapter is built-in. No more power brick required.



    C.T.
  • Reply 7 of 23
    dferigmudferigmu Posts: 269member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Cold Turkey

    Yes.







    Yes. Or a DSL modem or an Ethernet plug in your office, dorm, or wired home.







    Yes. Of course. You can use AirPort Express to "make Wi-Fi available" (for up to 10 clients) too.







    Yup. Plus the power-adapter is built-in. No more power brick required.



    C.T.




    So then what's the point of an Airport base station? It costs more, it's bigger and it does less.
  • Reply 8 of 23
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    It can handle both WiFi and cabled networks simultaneously, it can handle 5x the clients, it has either a modem or antenna jack, PowerOverEthernet is an option, and it has features and admin software geared for commercial environments.



    It does more, except for AirTunes.



    AirPort Express is the WiFi router for the home consumer.
  • Reply 9 of 23
    gongon Posts: 2,437member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by BuonRotto

    It's Airport Extreme without an internal modem and with a stereo out jack. That's pretty much it, isn't it?



    Does not have a single LAN port. That's significant in my book.
  • Reply 10 of 23
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    That only means it's not applicable as a router for both a wired LAN and wireless LAN. If you already have a wired LAN, then plug one cable into this, turn off its DHCP and NAT, and voila, WiFi has been added to your LAN. Your cabled router handles the details instead.



    If, however, you're like many people who have WiFi laptops, then this is all you need.



    Again, this is a home consumer plug-and-play device, or a network extender, not a do-everything-for-everyone solution. Look to the more robust big brothers for that.
  • Reply 11 of 23
    buonrottobuonrotto Posts: 6,368member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Gon

    Does not have a single LAN port. That's significant in my book.



    I was going to say that and then I thought I would keep my mouth shut for once where I am ignorant of such things.



    So for home and personal use, think of it as a really big price break on Airport, finally.
  • Reply 12 of 23
    kung fu guykung fu guy Posts: 158member
    If I want to surf wirelessly and listen to airtunes, do I need 2 airport express units. One connected to the modem and one connected to the stereo? That's not cheap.
  • Reply 13 of 23
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    Nope, you just need the stereo near the ISP hookup.



    Both can go into the same AExp unit.
  • Reply 14 of 23
    jante99jante99 Posts: 539member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by BuonRotto

    I was going to say that and then I thought I would keep my mouth shut for once where I am ignorant of such things.



    So for home and personal use, think of it as a really big price break on Airport, finally.




    All you have to do is buy a cheap 4 port switch/router (depending on what you need) and the Airport Express is the same thing as the regular Airport unless you need a modem.
  • Reply 15 of 23
    fred_ljfred_lj Posts: 607member
    Plus, if you already have a wireless router (like regular base station or another brand), you can just plug the AirPort Express module into an outlet within the range of the main station (which is connected to the internet) and it bridges the network automatically -- really cool for people already set up with AirPort cards in the computer or with an exisitng base station. I wonder if Apple would think about offering a family pack at a discounted rate -- like 5 for $500.
  • Reply 16 of 23
    kickahakickaha Posts: 8,760member
    It only extends the current WiFi network if the main base station is an Apple one... 802.11x allows for vendor specific variances that can keep them from interoperating.
  • Reply 17 of 23
    fred_ljfred_lj Posts: 607member
    Seriously? Well, then I guess it'd be a nice in-small-office or family setup to get two or three of these smaller ones (pending they weren't still on a dialup connection).
  • Reply 18 of 23
    OK, I apologise if this has been asked already, but there is so much material on the AirPort Express to wade through...



    Say I have a Mac, (A), hooked up to the Internet via a 56K modem connection, and this same Mac has an Ethernet cable connected to the AirPort Express.



    If another Mac, (B), is nearby with an AirPort Extreme card installed, can B access the Internet, or is this not possible?



    Thanks in advance. m.
  • Reply 19 of 23
    andersanders Posts: 6,523member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Merovingian

    OK, I apologise if this has been asked already, but there is so much material on the AirPort Express to wade through...



    Say I have a Mac, (A), hooked up to the Internet via a 56K modem connection, and this same Mac has an Ethernet cable connected to the AirPort Express.



    If another Mac, (B), is nearby with an AirPort Extreme card installed, can B access the Internet, or is this not possible?



    Thanks in advance. m.




    Just put a airport card in the Mac, enable internet sharing and you have done what you want.
  • Reply 20 of 23
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Anders

    Just put a airport card in the Mac, enable internet sharing and you have done what you want.



    Sorry, I wasn't specific enough.



    Given that computer A doesn't have an AirPort card slot, can the above scenario still work? Will the Internet connection be forwarded from Mac A to the AirPort Express station, and to the other Mac B wirelessly?



    Thanks. m.
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