AEBS Dual-BandNot crap anymore

[alphaod]

Just got the AEBS Dual-Band; all happy to configure.

Everything is just like the older version, except with the addition of the MobileMe, Guess Network, and jolly-jolly simultaneous dual band!

Well it's not as good as I was expecting. On my Linksys WRT600N I can set a WPA/2 passphrase for each network, have seprate names, choose what mode to use (N-only, Mixed, etc.).

This is not even close! It only lets me choose different names, but I have to use the same passphrase for both networks, I can't force one to be N-only or whatever.

It's not jolly-jolly at all and a big waste of my money.

EDIT: If you change the Internet Setting from sharing a public IP to something else, you lose the ability to create a guest network. Indicated in post #12. In other words, if you this is just going to be an AP for your network and/or you have another device acting as the DHCP server, you lose the functionality.
Oh when I forced a different name for my 5GHz network, I lost the ability to create guest network.

 

[aristobrat]

So if you create two separately named networks, you can't prevent b/g clients from joining the n network?

 

[brand]

It's not jolly-jolly at all and a big waste of my money.

You do have the option of returning it. When you choose to be an early adopter issues are to be expected.

 

[bigjnyc]

When i read about this feature it made me want to upgrade my time capsule, but after thinking it through i decided it really wasn't worth it and i would be playing right into Apple's business model lol.

 

[alphaod]

You do have the option of returning it. When you choose to be an early adopter issues are to be expected.

I do, but I'm posting this so other people don't fall into the same trap.

So if you create two separately named networks, you can't prevent b/g clients from joining the n network?

Nope; you can't prevent A devices from the joining the 5GHz network and you can't prevent B/G devices from joining the 2.4GHz network

 

[alphaod]

Main page—shows firmware version 7.4

Main configuration page—just like the old one

Limited selection of modes—a disappointment

Choose a name for your 5GHz network—can't force N-only

MobileMe page—No configuration page for managing; I don't have USB drive connected

 

[emt1]

If you have wide channels turned on, wouldn't an 802.11a device not be able to connect the AP, therefore making it 802.11n only?

 

[alphaod]

If you have wide channels turned on, wouldn't an 802.11a device not be able to connect the AP, therefore making it 802.11n only?

It just won't be able to connect to the fringe frequencies; it can still connect. I tried it

 

[paragonj]

I am considering upgrading my Time Capsule, so I want to make sure I understand the limitations here.

Are these all of the complaints with dual-band?

1) You can set up different SSIDs for 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, but they must have the same password.

2) You cannot set the 5GHz band to disallow 802.11a devices from joining.

3) You said you lost the ability to do Guest Accounts, under what circumstances specifically does that happen?

 

[brand]

Hopefully this should be able to be resolve with a firmware update but not probable. My new AirPort Extreme will be here Friday.

 

[emt1]

I don't think this is a deal breaker for me. I don't own any 802.11a devices and nobody who does would have my WPA key anyways

 

[alphaod]

I am considering upgrading my Time Capsule, so I want to make sure I understand the limitations here.

Are these all of the complaints with dual-band?

1) You can set up different SSIDs for 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, but they must have the same password.

2) You cannot set the 5GHz band to disallow 802.11a devices from joining.

3) You said you lost the ability to do Guest Accounts, under what circumstances specifically does that happen?

1) Yes they use the same passwords.

2) No you cannot; A devices although far and few, can still join.

3) I just did some testing; if you change the option from 'Share a public IP address' to anything else you lose the option to create a guest network.

Switch away and you lose guest network ability:

To create a 'Guest Network':

 

[aristobrat]

2) You cannot set the 5GHz band to disallow 802.11a devices from joining.

That's less-than-ideal, but not a deal breaker for me. I don't have any 802.11a devices currently, and if I did, I'd just configure them to use the 2.4ghz network.

I still think I'd prefer the new Time Capsule vs. the old Time Capsule + UFO-style Airport Extreme solution I'm currently running.

 

[paragonj]

1) Yes they use the same passwords.

2) No you cannot; A devices although far and few, can still join.

3) I just did some testing; if you change the option from 'Share a public IP address' to anything else you lose the option to create a guest network.

Alright, these sound like the answers that aren't dealbreakers. One followup, you said in your first post that when you forced your 5GHz network to have a different name, you lost the ability to do guest networking. Is that still accurate, or did your testing lead to see that that is not the case. This is the only thing that could scare me away from upgrading.

Neither the same passwords thing or the A devices thing really bother me. I don't have any A devices. On the 2.4GHz network, I don't really care what config it's in, as that is only for my Wii and guests when I have them over. I can't see a scenario where I would use a different setting besides 'Share a public IP address'.

 

[alphaod]

That's less-than-ideal, but not a deal breaker for me. I don't have any 802.11a devices currently, and if I did, I'd just configure them to use the 2.4ghz network.

802.11a is 5GHz only.

One followup, you said in your first post that when you forced your 5GHz network to have a different name, you lost the ability to do guest networking. Is that still accurate, or did your testing lead to see that that is not the case. This is the only thing that could scare me away from upgrading.

I guess I did that in one step, so my initial presumption was incorrect.

Setting a different name does not cause you to lose guest network access, only changing the latter setting I indicated.

 

[paragonj]

Setting a different name does not cause you to lose guest network access, only changing the latter setting I indicated.

Good good. While some of these things are annoyances, none of them appear to limit the functionality in any way that I need. Hopefully Apple will release firmware updates to add a little flexibility.

 

[aristobrat]

802.11a is 5GHz only.

Doah, I should have caught that (not that I've ever used an 802.11a device in my ~10 years of dicking around with wifi). Either way, not a show-stopper for how I plan on implementing it. Thanks for the heads up, though.

 

[alphaod]

Hopefully Apple will release firmware updates to add a little flexibility.

Hopefully; maybe that's why the "internal website" posted on TUAW says these functions will be pushed out to legacy devices with version 7.4.1; looks like we're buying hardware with beta firmware

 

[aristobrat]

looks like we're buying hardware with beta firmware

Isn't that half the fun of buying new Apple products?

 

[paragonj]

Hopefully; maybe that's why the "internal website" posted on TUAW says these functions will be pushed out to legacy devices with version 7.4.1; looks like we're buying hardware with beta firmware

I think that said that only the MobileMe functionality was being pushed to legacy devices.

 

[crackmini]

How valuable is Dual Band?

I'm a long time reader, first time poster -- thanks for all the valuable info I've gotten from these forums!

I just bought the old Time Capsule on Saturday, and now I wonder if I should return it to take advantage of the dual band feature. (I'm upgrading from the space-ship looking Airport Extreme.) I will be running one new Mac Mini with 802.11N (yeah!) and a couple older G4 Macs using 802.11G, as well as an iPhone on my network.

Will my new Mac Mini be able to take full advantage of 802.11N with the old Time Capsule, competing with all those other 802.11G devices?

 

[brand]

I think that said that only the MobileMe functionality was being pushed to legacy devices.

That's what I recall reading also.

 

[paragonj]

I'm a long time reader, first time poster -- thanks for all the valuable info I've gotten from these forums!

I just bought the old Time Capsule on Saturday, and now I wonder if I should return it to take advantage of the dual band feature. (I'm upgrading from the space-ship looking Airport Extreme.) I will be running one new Mac Mini with 802.11N (yeah!) and a couple older G4 Macs using 802.11G, as well as an iPhone on my network.

Will my new Mac Mini be able to take full advantage of 802.11N with the old Time Capsule, competing with all those other 802.11G devices?

You could use your Time capsule in N-only mode and your AEBS in B/G mode, but since you are in the return window. I would return it and upgrade for the one box solution and to get guest networking.

 

[aristobrat]

Will my new Mac Mini be able to take full advantage of 802.11N with the old Time Capsule, competing with all those other 802.11G devices?

If you use just the old Time Capsule, your Mac Mini will not be able to take full advantage of 802.11n because when older 802.11g devices are active on the network, it slow the network below 802.11n speeds.

Like paragonj mentioned, you can keep your UFO Airport (and its 802.11b/g network) and setup your Time Capsule as a separate 802.11n-only network (that's how my house is currently setup), but in my opinion, it's a cleaner solution to get the new Time Capsule and just have one device running separate networks for the 802.11b/g devices and 802.11n devices.

 

[MovieCutter]

If you use just the old Time Capsule, your Mac Mini will not be able to take full advantage of 802.11n because when older 802.11g devices are active on the network, it slow the network below 802.11n speeds.

Right, this is why I run a Time Capsule and Airport Extreme seperately. All my gear is either gigabit wired or 802.11n, while my roommates use 802.11b/g and given the terabytes of data that goes over my network wirelessly, I give them their own network from my AE base station.