Airport Express a solid choice?

CheesyTators · Dec 30, 2014

Hi All,

I am in search of a new router and one that will actually stay connected, is reliable and actually has decent speed. I am replacing a Linksys E2500 that has been a real headache with my Comcast modem and needs a reset each month to maintain speeds.

I have it narrowed down to a good quality Asus RT-N56U or the airport express. I prefer Apple if it's just as good. I have a 50mb/s Comcast plan and live in a small ranch condo without a basement so range isn't a serious issue for me. My primary use is streaming HD media, Hulu, Netflix and also downloading games as needed. I don't do any network storage or anything else so I don't need to spend $200 on a top of the line router wth a bunch of features I'll never use.

Is the express a solid choice for me?

Rob

troy14 · Dec 31, 2014

CheesyTators said:
Hi All,

I am in search of a new router and one that will actually stay connected, is reliable and actually has decent speed. I am replacing a Linksys E2500 that has been a real headache with my Comcast modem and needs a reset each month to maintain speeds.

I have it narrowed down to a good quality Asus RT-N56U or the airport express. I prefer Apple if it's just as good. I have a 50mb/s Comcast plan and live in a small ranch condo without a basement so range isn't a serious issue for me. My primary use is streaming HD media, Hulu, Netflix and also downloading games as needed. I don't do any network storage or anything else so I don't need to spend $200 on a top of the line router wth a bunch of features I'll never use.

Is the express a solid choice for me?

Rob

I would say yes. The Apple routers are great if you just need a wifi router to set up and never have to worry about it again. If you need more functionality (control over QoS, port forwarding) etc.. I would get the Asus since Apple routers offer very little in that regard, however in my house we use a time capsule, airport extreme, and airport express and I can't remember a time where we had an issue or had to restart any of them in years..

Altemose · Dec 31, 2014

CheesyTators said:
Is the express a solid choice for me?

Rob

Yes. Keep in mind that they only have one LAN port and all ports are 10/100 Mbps. I use them at school as APs and they handle 30-40 clients under extreme load without issue.

CheesyTators · Dec 31, 2014

troy14 said:
If you need more functionality (control over QoS, port forwarding) etc.. I would get the Asus since Apple routers offer very little in that regard,

Thanks to you both for the replies, I did just remember that I do need to use port forwarding TCP/UDP I think it's called for one piece of software I use. Can I set up a basic port forward on the Express?

Rob

Altemose · Dec 31, 2014

CheesyTators said:
Thanks to you both for the replies, I did just remember that I do need to use port forwarding TCP/UDP I think it's called for one piece of software I use. Can I set up a basic port forward on the Express?

Rob

Port forwarding is supported on the AirPorts.

c0LdFire · Dec 31, 2014

I'll be the slight voice of reason here and say that the Express is already outdated. Drop a little extra money and grab a refurbished AC Extreme. It's in an entire different league, and you won't need to replace it again as soon.

Fzang · Jan 1, 2015

While it's a solid choice right now, you might as well future proof and buy something that can handle more than 100 Mbps, when you're already at 50 Mbps.

troy14 · Jan 2, 2015

Altemose said:
Port forwarding is supported on the AirPorts.

Yes, but it is horrid. You can't have the same port open on more than one IP and you have to restart the router after ANY change to its configuration, which is super annoying

Altemose · Jan 2, 2015

troy14 said:
Yes, but it is horrid. You can't have the same port open on more than one IP and you have to restart the router after ANY change to its configuration, which is super annoying

Most routers cannot port forward to more than one device simultaneously.

troy14 · Jan 2, 2015

Altemose said:
Most routers cannot port forward to more than one device simultaneously.

Yes, however you can't forward the same port on different IPs at all... Such as having more than one Xbox PS4 in a house etc

Altemose · Jan 2, 2015

troy14 said:
Yes, however you can't forward the same port on different IPs at all... Such as having more than one Xbox PS4 in a house etc

That is correct. For most users one has to port forward to one device and put the other into the DMZ which can expose security issues.

eduardrw · Jan 2, 2015

troy14 said:
Yes, however you can't forward the same port on different IPs at all... Such as having more than one Xbox PS4 in a house etc

Not really an issue!
I have 3 XBox360's and one PS4 on my network. (along with ~ 10 Mac's, iPad's,iPhone's, Security system with IP cameras ........)
Primary router is a Time Capsule 2 years old.
All works like a charm.
No problems with Xbox or PS4 whatsoever!

I would second the statement above: Get a Time Capsule A/C router from apple refurbished.
It is future proofed, has much better range, can attach HDD for Time Machine backups, ....

Southern Dad · Jan 2, 2015

I've got an Airport Extreme 4th Generation and an Airport Time Capsule 5th Generation. I'm 100% satisfied with both of them. They have a strong signal and most importantly, they just work.

Altemose · Jan 2, 2015

I manage a network of AirPorts at my school that serves over 150 clients daily. Rock solid reliability and fantastic performance.

cmm · Jan 2, 2015

No. I don't recommend Apple's routers.

Get a Ubnt ERL and x number of WAPs, depending on the size of your house( I have one on each floor of my five floor house).

Whether you need the AC WAP or not depends on your specific use, which you haven't outlined.

brentmore · Jan 2, 2015

cmm said:
No. I don't recommend Apple's routers.

Get a Ubnt ERL and x number of WAPs, depending on the size of your house( I have one on each floor of my five floor house).

Whether you need the AC WAP or not depends on your specific use, which you haven't outlined.

In my opinion, Apple routers are outstanding for the average and power-user. I've had many generations of the Airport Extreme/Express up to the 5th before moving to Ubiquiti's ERL. The ERL is a outstanding router, but has a high cost of entry in terms of knowledge. It's very flexible and has a ton of features, but unless you're a telecom engineer looking for a home router or are really into networking, you're better off with the ease of setup of the Apple routers.

cmm · Jan 2, 2015

I disagree. For something as vital as wifi, it's worth spending 5 hours to learn some networking. Besides, chances are you (and the OP doesn't state anything that would need to) don't need to do anything beyond the wizard built into the ERL. It's really a no brainer. Although Ubnt's UI isn't as nice as Apple's, I admit, but I prefer CLI anyway, so...

Altemose · Jan 2, 2015

The Ubiquiti EdgeRouter Lite is a bit more than what any home user would need in most cases. That being said, those who feel comfortable with equipment like that will see a definite benefit. I manage both AirPort and UniFi networks without issue and you can tell they are both powerful tools but with different targets. A poorly configured network can be just as bad as a simple but low end network.

Traverse · Jan 2, 2015

I wouldn't just because it isn't 802.11 ac, but Apple's routers are solid. I'm going on three years with my AirPort Extreme.

Airport Express a solid choice?

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