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Airport Express Now Shipping

izzle22 said:
Don't go out of your way to get an old airport card! They don't work well with airport express. I have drops in music due to slow wireless speeds. I called Apple today and they said that the drops may be due to slower speeds in the original air port cards. So I will just have to wait for my new G5 2.0 which will be here on Wed. :)
Click to expand...

Me, I want to wait for my Airport Express compatible wireless iPod!

Can I get an Amen?!?!
 
My wife is very interested in the Airport Express. We have a wireless set now. When she tries to use it on the 1st floor the reception power is very low.
 
No cigar, El Guapo

Dude. The Linksys WRT54G router "is probably not what the average home user has installed"? You might want to rethink that assertion.

This router that "impierced" is referring to is an extremely popular 802.11b/g router that can be picked up for $60-$80 at NewEgg, BestBuy, CompUSA, and lots of other places. It is Linksys' main entry in the 802.11b/g product category.

Also, the router that you claim "Stupid average users...would probably think ... was a computer" is in fact a computer, as are all routers, albeit specialized ones. As such, a good percentage of them (home and business) run Linux. That this router, and lots of others like it, run Linux, is apparently unknown to more than just "Stupid average users".

Finally, I think a point you may be missing is that none of us need you to quote Apple's disclaimer of cross-product WDS compatibility. What we're seeking is knowledge as to "how likely" 3rd party WDS compatibility will be now and in the future based on the collective IT experience of those in this forum and elsewhere. As with most technologies, just because Apple doesn't warrant compatibility doesn't mean it cannot exist.


Jalexster said:
About me spreading misinformation:

Apple designed it so WDS would only work with Apple products. There is no guarantee that it will work with 3rd party products. It works with the Linksys, but that particular Linksys is probably not what the average home user has installed (I don't think home users would run a Linux router, they would probably think it was a computer or something. Stupid average users...).

So although you were correct about it working with a 3rd party, I wasn't completely wrong.
Click to expand...
 
AMEN! And my Apple in dash IPOD deck (slide out iPod connector, rotate, click iPod in, instant tunage). Build it Apple, and I'll buy two right now. Add sethypoo's wireless iPOD to the mix, and I'll buy two, give an AMEN, and a HOLY SH&T!


sethypoo said:
Me, I want to wait for my Airport Express compatible wireless iPod!

Can I get an Amen?!?!
Click to expand...
 
Airport Express in Apple Store

My local (Miami) Apple Store reports that they just got Airport Express in today.

I'm on my way . . .
 
Called the local Apple Store and they have them in stock! I'm cancelling my online order and heading down to the Apple Store today. Hooray! :D
 
huh.

just got back from compusa (38th st nyc) with one. wonder why my order online still says OOB 8/10?


cant wait to get back all the shelf space currently occupied by the cd collection this is going to replace!
 
setup was a breeze. took two seconds to hook it up, then had to install the software, restart, and presto. now have a little pull down menu at the bottom of itunes that lets you select whether you want to play to your computer or the AEX. works like a charm. one thing to note: since it's playing a stream over a network, there's a tiny delay between when you do something and when it responds over the receiver.
 
Took me a little bit to set up, but it seems to be working well through the test phase.

Airtunes works well. Streams the music from my wired Powermac via my network. Some cut outs and drop outs, but overall, pretty good.

The thing I was really hoping to work does. The connection through my PS2 to online gaming. I had to fiddle with the settings from the PS2, but once I did (no DHCP and no username and pw to get on the net) I was able to get online like a champ.

I was noticing some drop outs of Airtunes while playing the game. I have to do more testing and see if playing Airtunes AND online gaming at the same time affect the Express Base.

More testing to follow! :D
 
There's something very wrong about it!

Check this out !!WARNING!!

Ok folks, I really like apple, but somehow i realize that as they grow bigger there is something that starts missing:
like the new ipod just released: it's cheaper but you don't have either the clip nor the remote anymore!
but there is mostly one big thing they didn't say about aiport express:
IT CAN'T DO TWO THINGS AT THE SAME TIME!!!!
If you use it to synchronize your itunes, then it doesn't work as airport base anymore.
This is a shame because they did not say it and you get stuck having to buy an airport base eventually

Be careful Steve...
 
Me Too

rdrr said:
Just picked one up from the Apple store in Salem NH.

:D
Click to expand...


I'm in the middle of setting up the software so I can connect the AExpress to my existing WRT54G wireless router. NH is weird btw, lol.
 
Careful setting up with Linksys with WEP -- work great for me now...

bb0ys said:
I'm in the middle of setting up the software so I can connect the AExpress to my existing WRT54G wireless router. NH is weird btw, lol.
Click to expand...

One thing to keep in mind with the LinkSys (I have the WRT54G) is that the airport express does NOT support 40-bit WEP (my LinkSys does 40 and 128, Airport Express wants 64 or 128)...

After following the setup a number of times and ending up with a "locked up" airport express that could not log in via client mode to the Linksys, I finally starting wondering if my WEP settings were causing a problem.

After changing to 128-bit WEP and a really gnarly hex string passcode, all is well :)
 
IT ROCKS!

I just spent ~3 minutes adding it to my network. OH MY GOD IT RULES. Say hello to the modern home audio experience.

I picked up a mini-optical to TOSLINK cable at radioshack (gold series) for $10.00, normally $37.99. It doesn't get better than this.
 
Abalem said:
Check this out !!WARNING!!

Ok folks, I really like apple, but somehow i realize that as they grow bigger there is something that starts missing:
like the new ipod just released: it's cheaper but you don't have either the clip nor the remote anymore!
but there is mostly one big thing they didn't say about aiport express:
IT CAN'T DO TWO THINGS AT THE SAME TIME!!!!
If you use it to synchronize your itunes, then it doesn't work as airport base anymore.
This is a shame because they did not say it and you get stuck having to buy an airport base eventually

Be careful Steve...
Click to expand...

This is patently false, and a complete fabrication.

I wrote a review of the airport express on my blog about the new airport express. One of the comments I got (the only for that matter) was that they wanted to know if the AX worked as an AEBS and let you stream iTunes & surf the web at the same time.

So, I went downstairs, unplugged my AEBS, reset the AX and plugged it into my cable modem.

I configured it, started surfing the web.

I then fired up iTunes and had it play my music out to the AX.

It warned me about no wire hooked up (I couldn't carry my stereo, speakers, amp, etc) but then started to play anyway. I plugged the RCA cord into my Chrysler Pacifica (it has an RCA IN jack) and voila, music.

I then surfed 5 websites I've not surfed from on my home computer (www.hp.com, www.dell.com, www.altavista.com, and two others) each one of those pages came up just like normal.

Meantime, music still playing.

So if you're gonna be a newbie, don't post total BS about the thing not working as advertised, it does.
 
Mine shipped today and will be here Wednesday, and I didn't order until the 25th. Apple is going through these 80000 like hot cakes.
 
2.4Ghz interference anyone?

I have had some telephone interference that halted iTunes in mid-play, requiring re-aquiring manually each time. Did somebody try the $20 Linksys firmware flash I read in here somewhere? It seems to me like AEx is a great idea with mixed launch results. I like it and I want it to work like advertised!! I was told to sell the phone...
 
Trekkie said:
So if you're gonna be a newbie, don't post total BS about the thing not working as advertised, it does.
Click to expand...

Steady on old chap; chill with your tunes and calm the aggresive! :D
 
Extreme newbie

Currently I have an older wireless router, and just bought a new PB (which comes installled with an Extreme card.) If I went to the AExp, would there be any sort of improvement in speed?
 
So if you're gonna be a newbie, don't post total BS about the thing not working as advertised, it does.[/QUOTE]

Hey, it's not because I'm a newbie here that I'm a newbie to the mac.
I didn't now you had written a blog about this issue, but here is what happened to a friend ( I might be wrong, but then give me an unpassionate explanation :p )

My friend is a macophile too -- she was having "range" problems with her Airport Extreme base station, and when the Airport Express was announced, was one of the many who ordered it "then end there". She got it, and the iTunes piece worked OK ; but the real killer is that when it is delivering iTunes to her stereo, it STOPS being a network range extension device; it is either on or the other. She spent 2 hours on the phone with Apple tech support before this was "revealed". I may just be naive about the technological aspects -- but this is a complete bummer no matter how you look at it.

To sum up, if you buy an AExpress base to extend your Airport Network, it will impossible to use speakers connected to it. As a matter of fact, as you listen to music the base stops transmitting wireless data to your main airport. And this has been confirmed by Apple tech support after two hours of test.

That's why i became a "newbie" here to discuss this thread, sorry if I'm wrong, but I may not be...
 
Possibly

shortyjj said:
Currently I have an older wireless router, and just bought a new PB (which comes installled with an Extreme card.) If I went to the AExp, would there be any sort of improvement in speed?
Click to expand...


If your old router follows the 802.11b standard, then yes, you will see a large speed improvement from 11Mbps to 54Mbps.
 
Airport Express - First Impressions

I installed the Airport Express last night and everything worked flawlessly. Existing setup: Quicksilver, Airport Extreme, Vonage box, Replay. Basically, I justed hooked up my stereo (and nothing else, so I cannot say anything about the print server and the ethernet port).

* No installation problems - took about 5 minutes. You first install the Airport and then the software. The software identifies the airport and asks if you want it to join a network or extend it. Very easy.

* iTunes and the Airport Express work very well together. There is a slight delay between sending a signal with my Ericsson phone through Clicker to iTunes and it responding, but it is hardly noticeable. The sound quality is very good - and definitely much, much better than an FM transmitters attached to your mac.

* Yes, iTunes can only stream to one room. I don't think the idea of streaming from the computer to the airport is ideal. Why not let the airport (or whatever device) pull the music instead? This is probably a function of concerns over copyrights and cost of building this into the Airport Express.

All in all, this is a pretty good stop gap solution. However, if you don't have a way to remote control your mac and it is in another room, I would probably forget about the Airport Express (except if you can put it to other good uses). Instead, you will want to look at the EyeHome from El Gato or the Roku Sound Bridge (haven't tried them, though the specs look good).
 
first: my apologies if what i asked is answered within the 7 pages of this thread. i usually spend a lot of time reading as much of the news threads as i can in order to learn but i haven't the time today...

this is a complete newbie question but i really am clueless when it comes to wireless technology.

would anyone care to tell me, in laymans terms, the explicit difference between airport extreme and airport express?

i am ordering an emac soon (my first mac... i use them at work, and find the OS to be a must-have), and my obvious thought is there is no need for wireless connection, because, well, it's an emac. but then i might like an ibook or powerbook somewhere down the line, definitely within 12 months. so should i get the emac with an airport card so i can purchase airport ______? (fill in as appropriate?)

i have spent some time reading the apple website about both products but am left slightly confused. airport express is cheaper but would that fulfill my possible needs?

again, i apologise if people find this inappropriate to this thread, thinking outloud perhaps i shouldve made a thread in buying advice, but i figure people reading this far in will know their stuff...

thanks for reading
 
Neon,

* I think you should consider buying the Airport Express rather than the Airport Extreme *
I have both, and as far as I can see, the only advantage to the Extreme is the two ethernet ports and the modem/antenna. (I may be wrong here, so check others as well). Your choice depends on how many devices you want to attach. Personally, I would buy the Extreme, because I have also a ReplayTV connected to the Airport in addition to the cable modem. My stereo is somewhere else, and it needs a separate Airport Extreme.

* Airport built into the eMac or separate? *
If you have your cable/dsl modem in another room and you are currently running wires, I would buy the built-in Airport for the eMac and Airport Express for the cable modem. If the modem is located in the same place as the eMac, you could connect it directly to the eMac and still buy a built-in Airport so you could share it with your iBook, when you buy it.

My 2 cents.
 
Anders Agerskov said:
Neon,

* I think you should consider buying the Airport Express rather than the Airport Extreme *
I have both, and as far as I can see, the only advantage to the Extreme is the two ethernet ports and the modem/antenna. (I may be wrong here, so check others as well). Your choice depends on how many devices you want to attach. Personally, I would buy the Extreme, because I have also a ReplayTV connected to the Airport in addition to the cable modem. My stereo is somewhere else, and it needs a separate Airport Extreme.

* Airport built into the eMac or separate? *
If you have your cable/dsl modem in another room and you are currently running wires, I would buy the built-in Airport for the eMac and Airport Express for the cable modem. If the modem is located in the same place as the eMac, you could connect it directly to the eMac and still buy a built-in Airport so you could share it with your iBook, when you buy it.

My 2 cents.
Click to expand...
Thank you, very much! That made the whole thing a lot easier to understand :eek:
My modem is in the same room that I'll have the emac, so that'll be a few £'s towards the laptop :)
Of course by the time I purchase things may have changed... ;)
 
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