Airport express help needed

[Free Ale]

Thanks for taking your time to read this.

I will be buying a RMBP and moving into and apartment. We will have Time Warner Cable at 15-20+mb/s. If I get an airport extreme as my router can that give the RMBP full speed without a Ethernet cable?

Also, could a PC desktop use this router normally?

Finally, could I use it for xbox live?

 

[Macman45]

In answer to question one, no...You will always lose a little bandwidth over wifi, but you should still be okay...I have a much faster connection, typically get 50-60 down wired (my iMac) and lose around 4 or 5MBS over wifi, no big deal.

In answer to question 2, yes, the AEBS is just a router, it doesn't care whether you are using a Mac or a PC.

 

[Free Ale]

In answer to question one, no...You will always lose a little bandwidth over wifi, but you should still be okay...I have a much faster connection, typically get 50-60 down wired (my iMac) and lose around 4 or 5MBS over wifi, no big deal.

In answer to question 2, yes, the AEBS is just a router, it doesn't care whether you are using a Mac or a PC.

Would the AEBS giver me a higher connection speed than an old Netgear wireless G router?

 

[Macman45]

Would the AEBS giver me a higher connection speed than an old Netgear wireless G router?

A little, and it would certainly be more reliable. Your other option would be a Time Capsule which would take care of all your wifi, and backup your Mac. I'd say get rid of that old Netgear....We are not too far off the ratification of the new AC standard although nobody knows exactly when this will come. Either way, the old G should really be replaced.

 

[marzer]

Would the AEBS giver me a higher connection speed than an old Netgear wireless G router?

Yes, the AEBS will be substantially faster than the G router, given you're computers are connecting using N mode. It's likely that as long as reception is good to the router, all your clients will see full internet speeds.

 

[smellalot]

I have to disagree here.
If your apartment isn't too big and you don't have lots of (thick) walls, your old router will be enough for your internet speeds.
Local file transfer will be a whole different story of course. But if you don't care about that I say you should keep your router till you can try it. If you're unhappy you can still get that shiny new Airport

 

[marzer]

I have to disagree here.
If your apartment isn't too big and you don't have lots of (thick) walls, your old router will be enough for your internet speeds.
Local file transfer will be a whole different story of course. But if you don't care about that I say you should keep your router till you can try it. If you're unhappy you can still get that shiny new Airport

I have to counter. N protocol isn't just faster but also more robust. G mode is a theoretical max of 54Mbps. Given the overhead of encryption, network protocols, etc., and less robust signal reception, expecting to get full 20Mbps+ from your internet connection is really pushing the limits of older G routers.

I recall years ago, my G mode router would give me maybe 20-25 Mbps performance throughout the house with encryption enabled.

The OP can test it out before dropping $$. Just hook up a single client and run speedtests using the old G router. If the results are satisfactory, no need to drop wad on a new router.

 

[smellalot]

I have to counter. N protocol isn't just faster but also more robust. G mode is a theoretical max of 54Mbps. Given the overhead of encryption, network protocols, etc., and less robust signal reception, expecting to get full 20Mbps+ from your internet connection is really pushing the limits of older G routers.

I recall years ago, my G mode router would give me maybe 20-25 Mbps performance throughout the house with encryption enabled.

The OP can test it out before dropping $$. Just hook up a single client and run speedtests using the old G router. If the results are satisfactory, no need to drop wad on a new router.

You are of course right in what you're saying, I just wanted to give a more differentiated view on the matter, because there is a good chance that he'll be absolutely fine with his old router.

 

[harrisonw1998]

Yes, yes and yes.