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Airport Express / SoundSticks 2 / Dorm Room

S

SChaput

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 2, 2008
153
0
United States
Good morning all, just a quick question about setting up airport express for airtunes to connect with my soundsticks 2, in the dorm room. Currently, I have my soundsticks plugged into my computer in my bedroom and a wifi network already established. However, I would really enjoy if I could move my speakers out into the living room and stream the music from my computer to the speakers.

From what I've read this sort of thing is possible using airtunes but I'm curious if anyone see's any flaws in my logic. For instance, in the dorm room wifi routers are prohibited unless configured correctly, (disable DHCP, and no broadcasting), is it possible to do this on the airport express, or does it even have to have this done?

Lastly, my roommate also has a set of speakers that are powered through an AC adapter, and plug in using 3.5mm headphone jack, would he be able to use his speakers with airtunes, if plugged in correctly?

Thanks for all your help!

-----

Edit: I'm also curious if the airport express could actually REPLACE my wifi network in the dorm.
 
you can disable DHCP on the express.
What exactly do you mean by no broadcasting? no wireless at all, or no SSID broadcast?


  1. you can turn the wireless completely off
  2. you can disable SSID broadcast (so the name is not broadcast, but if you know it, you can still connect)

I'm also curious if the airport express could actually REPLACE my wifi network in the dorm.
Click to expand...
If it's the first, then no, if you can't broadcast, how could you replace it?
If it's the second, and you have an ethernet jack in the room, then yes you can.

-----
for the original question,
if #1
- it sounds like there is already wi-fi in the dorm. You could then have the express join that network, and you should be able to connect airtunes that way, depending on how the network is set up.

if #2
- plug the express into the wired jack on the wall, and have it create a network, with DHCP turned off, anyone connected to your network could play to those speakers. and possibly anyone connected to the wired or wireless network in the building/floor/campus.

-----------
couple notes.
*password protect your speakers, as anyone on the network could possibly connect to them.

*no matter which way you set it up, plug an ethernet cable from your laptop to the express to set it up, it can be done wireless, but there are many more opportunities for things to go wrong.

*yes your roommate can plug in, anything with a 3.5mm Jack will work, although it is line level, so you need an amplifier of some type.
it also has optical out, so anything with a TOSLINK jack will work too.

the following is the main factor that will determine how everything will work. And the reason for the uncertainty above
*depending on how your campus IT dept has set things up, it could be complicated. There are different ways to set things up that affect if the different segments of the network can see each other.
so for example if your computer and the express are connected to the building wi-fi, but different base stations, you may or may not be able to see each other. Possibly even with the same base station.
or if one is wired and the other wireless.
even if they are both wired, they might not be able to see each other.
no way to know until you try it.
 
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