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Apple AirPort Express Base Station with 802.11n and AirTunes (MB321LL/A) Pre-802.11n Wireless Access Point
- Security: WPA LEAP TLS TTLS PEAP 802.1x Wireless MAC Address Filtering WPA2 WEP 128-bit WEP 40-bit
- WLAN Standards: IEEE 802.11a IEEE 802.11b IEEE 802.11n IEEE 802.11g
- Additional Features: MAC Address filtering DHCP Server FireWall / VPN NAT Print Server
- Type: Wireless Access Point
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96
Apple Has Outdone Itself With The new Airport Express
Pros
A totally well thought out multi-purpose, super-fast router. Bargain price.
Cons
Only one Ethernet port.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
The best little router made better with super speed and wide coverage. Features of a "big" unit with features big others lack. A must have for the road warrior.
The new Airport Express with 802.11n (draft 2 spec) capability is the second generation of this product. Apple kept everything that was great about the original Express and then gave it some serious attitude and speed while simplifying what was already a very simple, easy to use interface.
The "N-spec" WiFi is a huge leap forward from the 802.11g which is what most computers use. Apple has standardized on the N-spec for all of its computers (iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, etc.) as well as its gadgets like Apple TV. The rumor mill is saying that when the iPhone is updated in June of 2008, it will not only be G3 cell network capable but will also support WiFi N-spec. This is the direction the high-end of the computer market is moving although the bargain computers on the shelves are still using the G-spec.
In practical terms, the difference can be summed up very simply: Speed and Distance. 802.11n is capable of operating over a much greater distance at sustained high data transfer speeds without the rapid degrading of quality and throughput which is seen with the G-spec. SO how much faster is it? Try five times faster. Distance? It's good for twice the distance as a G-spec Express. These numbers are significant.
In my own test of this device in an identical network configuration as the older Express it replaced, I saw a 7X increase in speed across the network. I will be fair. This replaced TWO of the older units which were needed to cover the distance and "see" around a particularly tricky corner which blocked the signal. By replacing two Express units which were feeding each other, throughput climbed to 117Mbps and stayed there. Previously it has been about 16Mbps with the two older expresses. That's acceptable but my Internet spec at the end of the older two units was down around 2.5Mbps. Acceptable, not great and that speed did dictate just what I could do at the end of that chin of extenders. Not any more! The one new Express has coverage and throughput which gives me the same performance I experience when parked next to the main Airport Extreme. There is no difference in speed of ANY operation. Connecting to the network is also faster with the new model.
Apple has improved setup of the N-spec routers to the point where one can practically do it blindfolded in either the Mac or PC words. The Express ships with both Windows (XP/Vista) and Max (OS X) versions of Airport Utility. The software looks and works the same on both Macs and PCs and it is just as easy. Airport Utility opens a direct connection to Airport routers and eliminates the need to get a router on the network so it can be seen so it can be configured. That always drove me nuts with other brands. They have to be visible but how does one make one visible if it's not visible? That is not a problem with Airport Utility. It allows the user to configure it out of the box. Just plug it in, let it start up and then configure.
Configuration can be done manually by those who really know what they are doing or the setup wizard can be used which walks the user through a seres of questions and answers about how the router is to be used. Will it be a stand alone, main router? An extender of another router? A client only (more on this in a moment). Answer the questions and even if being used as an extender which is the more complicated setup, it will virtually set itself, restart and appear on the network.
The Express can be used as a primary router. It only has one Ethernet port which would be needed to connect to a DSL or cable modem, so no other Ethernet device could be connected. If you have multiple hardwired devices, go with the Airport Extreme which has three ports. Yet, this is powerful enough to be a primary router and it offers some unique advantages most routers lack:
1) AirTunes. Any computer running iTunes can stream music and audi podcasts to the Airport Express. Simply set it up, connect a 1/8-inch stereo cable to the Express and to a stereo or amplified speakers such as a Bose SoundDock and tell iTunes to connect to it instead of or along with the computer speakers. Sound will be in perfect sync between the two and the volume control in iTunes will control the final output volume at the Express. How cool is that?
2) The Express has the ability to support a printer, turning ANY printer with a USB port into a wireless network printer available to all users on the network. This is because of Apple's "Bonjour" technology which printer makers have quietly built into virtually every printer since 2000. Just plug in the printer to the USB port on the Express and it's online. Mac users will be able to set up this wireless printer in seconds using the printer setup in System Preferences. Windows users will want to install Bonjour for Windows off the CD or from the Apple website.
3) This new Express can support a disk drive via the USB port which then becomes available on the network. This can be used for backups via the OS X "Time Machine" feature or it can be accessed as any other storage volume on the network for sharing files, storage of archival information, etc.
I wrote a review of an HP WiFi Laserjet for Epinions and included two pages of detailed instructions for creating the phantom port, etc. within Windows. Believe me, you want to install Bonjour for Windows. It makes setting up a printer simplicity itself. Just do it. Don't look back. Enjoy. It really is a fantastic add-on for Windows and it works flawlessly. It also allows the router to manage the CHCP addressing of the printer so you don't have to pass the same IP address to the printer each time so Windows can see it. Trust me on this one. Bonjour for Windows (included with the router) is the coolest part of the whole package.
The latest in WiFi security is supported and when used in extender mode, it will copy the security settings from the main router and the two will wok flawlessly and smoothly together.
So, this is a high speed router, compatible with 80.211a-g devices, a stereo interface for the iTunes music library and it turns any printer into a wireless network printer. If you buy a WiFi printer, you will pay about $200-250 just for the WiFi interface. The cost of this router is only $99 and it makes a network scream.
The Airport Express also carries over another unique feature of the original. It allows the user to store up to five different configuration profiles in non-volatile memory. This is very useful for those who wish to use this router in different roles. I have mine set for Home, Office and Travel, where it performs quite different. When I travel, I use Airport Utility to put it into the "Travel" profile (or any name you choose). This changes it from extending my wireless network to creating a wireless network based on an Ethernet (hardwired) input at a hotel. This frees me to roam around on my own secure WiFi network. At the office, I put it into the Office profile where it joins the existing network as a client. Use of this function is as easy as selecting profiles off the menu bar and configuring the router to perform differently. Then as you move around, just pick a different profile. When I leave a hotel to come home, I put it back into Home mode and when I get home, I simply plug it into the wall in the kitchen and it joins and extends my home network. I am not aware of any other router with this capability.
This is a wonderful product. The original was my introduction to Apple. I bought it to use with a Sony VAIO when I found myself in a hotel with the Ethernet connection buried in a corner and I only had a three foot CAT5 cable. Sitting on the edge of the bed became annoying quickly. I bought the Express and was stunned by how easy it was. This new version is even easier and it is as user friendly to PC users as it is to Mac users. Both get to enjoy the same easy and even fun experience. It just works!
The "N-spec" WiFi is a huge leap forward from the 802.11g which is what most computers use. Apple has standardized on the N-spec for all of its computers (iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, etc.) as well as its gadgets like Apple TV. The rumor mill is saying that when the iPhone is updated in June of 2008, it will not only be G3 cell network capable but will also support WiFi N-spec. This is the direction the high-end of the computer market is moving although the bargain computers on the shelves are still using the G-spec.
In practical terms, the difference can be summed up very simply: Speed and Distance. 802.11n is capable of operating over a much greater distance at sustained high data transfer speeds without the rapid degrading of quality and throughput which is seen with the G-spec. SO how much faster is it? Try five times faster. Distance? It's good for twice the distance as a G-spec Express. These numbers are significant.
In my own test of this device in an identical network configuration as the older Express it replaced, I saw a 7X increase in speed across the network. I will be fair. This replaced TWO of the older units which were needed to cover the distance and "see" around a particularly tricky corner which blocked the signal. By replacing two Express units which were feeding each other, throughput climbed to 117Mbps and stayed there. Previously it has been about 16Mbps with the two older expresses. That's acceptable but my Internet spec at the end of the older two units was down around 2.5Mbps. Acceptable, not great and that speed did dictate just what I could do at the end of that chin of extenders. Not any more! The one new Express has coverage and throughput which gives me the same performance I experience when parked next to the main Airport Extreme. There is no difference in speed of ANY operation. Connecting to the network is also faster with the new model.
Apple has improved setup of the N-spec routers to the point where one can practically do it blindfolded in either the Mac or PC words. The Express ships with both Windows (XP/Vista) and Max (OS X) versions of Airport Utility. The software looks and works the same on both Macs and PCs and it is just as easy. Airport Utility opens a direct connection to Airport routers and eliminates the need to get a router on the network so it can be seen so it can be configured. That always drove me nuts with other brands. They have to be visible but how does one make one visible if it's not visible? That is not a problem with Airport Utility. It allows the user to configure it out of the box. Just plug it in, let it start up and then configure.
Configuration can be done manually by those who really know what they are doing or the setup wizard can be used which walks the user through a seres of questions and answers about how the router is to be used. Will it be a stand alone, main router? An extender of another router? A client only (more on this in a moment). Answer the questions and even if being used as an extender which is the more complicated setup, it will virtually set itself, restart and appear on the network.
The Express can be used as a primary router. It only has one Ethernet port which would be needed to connect to a DSL or cable modem, so no other Ethernet device could be connected. If you have multiple hardwired devices, go with the Airport Extreme which has three ports. Yet, this is powerful enough to be a primary router and it offers some unique advantages most routers lack:
1) AirTunes. Any computer running iTunes can stream music and audi podcasts to the Airport Express. Simply set it up, connect a 1/8-inch stereo cable to the Express and to a stereo or amplified speakers such as a Bose SoundDock and tell iTunes to connect to it instead of or along with the computer speakers. Sound will be in perfect sync between the two and the volume control in iTunes will control the final output volume at the Express. How cool is that?
2) The Express has the ability to support a printer, turning ANY printer with a USB port into a wireless network printer available to all users on the network. This is because of Apple's "Bonjour" technology which printer makers have quietly built into virtually every printer since 2000. Just plug in the printer to the USB port on the Express and it's online. Mac users will be able to set up this wireless printer in seconds using the printer setup in System Preferences. Windows users will want to install Bonjour for Windows off the CD or from the Apple website.
3) This new Express can support a disk drive via the USB port which then becomes available on the network. This can be used for backups via the OS X "Time Machine" feature or it can be accessed as any other storage volume on the network for sharing files, storage of archival information, etc.
I wrote a review of an HP WiFi Laserjet for Epinions and included two pages of detailed instructions for creating the phantom port, etc. within Windows. Believe me, you want to install Bonjour for Windows. It makes setting up a printer simplicity itself. Just do it. Don't look back. Enjoy. It really is a fantastic add-on for Windows and it works flawlessly. It also allows the router to manage the CHCP addressing of the printer so you don't have to pass the same IP address to the printer each time so Windows can see it. Trust me on this one. Bonjour for Windows (included with the router) is the coolest part of the whole package.
The latest in WiFi security is supported and when used in extender mode, it will copy the security settings from the main router and the two will wok flawlessly and smoothly together.
So, this is a high speed router, compatible with 80.211a-g devices, a stereo interface for the iTunes music library and it turns any printer into a wireless network printer. If you buy a WiFi printer, you will pay about $200-250 just for the WiFi interface. The cost of this router is only $99 and it makes a network scream.
The Airport Express also carries over another unique feature of the original. It allows the user to store up to five different configuration profiles in non-volatile memory. This is very useful for those who wish to use this router in different roles. I have mine set for Home, Office and Travel, where it performs quite different. When I travel, I use Airport Utility to put it into the "Travel" profile (or any name you choose). This changes it from extending my wireless network to creating a wireless network based on an Ethernet (hardwired) input at a hotel. This frees me to roam around on my own secure WiFi network. At the office, I put it into the Office profile where it joins the existing network as a client. Use of this function is as easy as selecting profiles off the menu bar and configuring the router to perform differently. Then as you move around, just pick a different profile. When I leave a hotel to come home, I put it back into Home mode and when I get home, I simply plug it into the wall in the kitchen and it joins and extends my home network. I am not aware of any other router with this capability.
This is a wonderful product. The original was my introduction to Apple. I bought it to use with a Sony VAIO when I found myself in a hotel with the Ethernet connection buried in a corner and I only had a three foot CAT5 cable. Sitting on the edge of the bed became annoying quickly. I bought the Express and was stunned by how easy it was. This new version is even easier and it is as user friendly to PC users as it is to Mac users. Both get to enjoy the same easy and even fun experience. It just works!
