Another Mac Question

Eric5273 · #1 03-01-2009, 05:53 PM

Rather than keep the other thread going, I have a new question.

Any opinions on the Airport Express vs. Airport Extreme?

To give some background, I live in a small apartment, have only the one Macbook Air and my iPhone, and maybe an Apple TV or some similar device coming in the future.

So the Airport Extreme having the ability to have more concurrent users is not something I care about. I also don't need extra ethernet ports either -- only a single ethernet to plug in my cable modem.

So is there any reason for me to spend the extra money on the Extreme, or will the Express do just fine?

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Quicksilver · #2 03-01-2009, 07:46 PM

Of course the decision is subjective based on your needs. However;
The Extreme will performed twice as fast as the Express before you enabled 802.11n.
After you enabled 802.11n, the Extreme will run almost 5X as fast (4.6X to be a little more precise).

The Express will allow you to connect up to 10 computers, however has a shorter range than the Extreme (this may or may not be an issue for you). Other than that the only difference between the Express and Extreme is that you can connect speakers to the Express and stream iTunes music to them.

Eric5273 · #3 03-01-2009, 10:25 PM

What do you mean by "enabled 802.11n"??

According to Apple's website, both the Extreme and Express use 802.11n.

SuperGreg · #4 03-01-2009, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quicksilver

Of course the decision is subjective based on your needs. However;
The Extreme will performed twice as fast as the Express before you enabled 802.11n.
After you enabled 802.11n, the Extreme will run almost 5X as fast (4.6X to be a little more precise).

The Express will allow you to connect up to 10 computers, however has a shorter range than the Extreme (this may or may not be an issue for you). Other than that the only difference between the Express and Extreme is that you can connect speakers to the Express and stream iTunes music to them.

Extreme also has 10/100/1000 Gigabit ethernet and the ability to connect an external hard drive so that you can have a "networked" hard drive. Both are "n" btw.

zerochief · #5 03-01-2009, 10:58 PM

I use the extreme now, but used an express for a long time and it kicked ass.

Eric5273 · #6 03-01-2009, 11:57 PM

Sounds like I should just get the Express. I don't plan on using any ethernet ports except the one to connect my Cable Modem. And since I only have a single computer, if I decide to get an external hard drive, there would be no need to have it networked.

Thanks for the info!

bmwman3241 · #7 03-02-2009, 04:22 AM

I have had 5 Airport Extreme's and 2 Express's and I would say go for the Express. The new ones comes with N enabled and you could hook up a hard drive using the USB in the future. For an apartment, the express is more than enough to cover it unless you have VERY thick walls.

Also, with the express you have the ability to play music to external speakers in your house controlling it from your Macbook or iPhone which is useful.

SuperGreg · #8 03-02-2009, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bmwman3241

I have had 5 Airport Extreme's and 2 Express's and I would say go for the Express. The new ones comes with N enabled and you could hook up a hard drive using the USB in the future. For an apartment, the express is more than enough to cover it unless you have VERY thick walls.

Also, with the express you have the ability to play music to external speakers in your house controlling it from your Macbook or iPhone which is useful.

While I agree with you, just to be clear, you CANNOT network and external HD with the Express' USB port.

bmwman3241 · #9 03-02-2009, 11:06 AM

My bad, the Express DOES NOT have hard drive capability. I think it all comes down to whether you want to spend the extra $80 for an Extreme. Both are excellent routers, and the express will do more than enough for you.

As for the Airport's in general, they are the BEST router you will find. Before I bought my first Airport, I spent almost a year and a half buying different wireless routers. I bought EVERY SINGLE wireless Linksys router (No Joke) both business and personal editions for a year as well as many other Belkin, Netgear, and Hawking routers and accessories. None of them ever came close to the Airport extreme or express.

Eric5273 · #10 03-02-2009, 12:34 PM

Just a quick question...

Do I need an ethernet port on my computer to configure the Airport Express? Or can that too be done wirelessly?

My old Motorola wireless router required that all configuration be done through a wired connection. My problem is that I didn't get the ethernet USB dongle with my Macbook Air. I suppose I can always ask my friend to come over with his Macbook Pro and help me configure it if need be.

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