AirPort Express with AirTunes

[Powerbook G5]

You plug one end of the cable into the iMac, and the other end into the AP Express. You can now stream music from the iMac to the AP Express. You CAN'T do much else with your little network, like get on the Internet. But it will work for the music streaming part.

If you want to get on the Net, you can get a hub/switch and a router. Connect the switch to the three other items. You can now get on the Internet with the iMac, and continue to stream music to the AP Express, and if you set up the AP Express properly, if you get a wireless-equipped computer you can surf the Internet wirelessly through the AP Express.

That makes no practical sense. He should just use the line out to connect to the stereo since it'd be the same thing.

 

[kaxixi]

Detour

Apple probably wouldn't want a 'route all sound through the Airport Express' solution - since you wouldn't want system beeps, speech synthesis reading out alert text etc. blaring out from your stereo.

If anything, they might expose an API (in Tiger, or independently) to stream lossless audio to the Air'press; so 3rd party developers can add this functionality.

maybe they're planning on implementing something like detour: link

erez

 

[WM.]

After reading Apple's own documentation on the Airport Express web page, I also thought that you could not use the Ethernet port on the device as a LAN port, only a WAN port.

HOWEVER, in an article on MacWorld with Greg Joswiak, it was explained that there IS an exception to this rule that will work fine: When using the Airport Express as a wireless bridge.

So let's say you ALREADY have an Airport Extreme or Airport Express that you're using as the router on your network. With a SECOND Airport Express plugged in elsewhere in your home, it communicates with the FIRST Airport Extreme/Express in order to get it's net access. Since that then leaves the Ethernet port unused, you CAN plug in a computer, or a video game system, or even a hub/switch that will properly get Internet access from the primary base station via the wireless connection on the SECOND Airport Express. But again...this only works when you have TWO routers, not just one.

No, you can't do that. Show me in the article where it says you can.

Apple is using "bridge" and "bridging" to mean WDS. They're really two different things, and they shouldn't be using the terms interchangeably.

 

[Powerbook G5]

DING DING DING!!!! Isn't that what we're I'm saying too???

I never said you could do anything with an Xbox...

How are you saying that? You told that guy that you can use Airport Express on a non wireless iMac by connecting it with an ethernet, but there is just one port on it and that would be taken up by the modem, so there is no way it could work in that instance. It'd need a second port for that.

 

[WM.]

That makes no practical sense. He should just use the line out to connect to the stereo since it'd be the same thing.

If it's a relatively long distance, like over 20 or 30 feet, you've got way less chance of interference with Ethernet than an unbalanced and probably poorly-shielded audio signal.

What's more, with the equipment required to actually get on the Internet, like I say in the second paragraph there, you can then use your AP Express as a full-fledged base station (with your friend's wireless-equipped laptop or whatever), while still streaming music from your wired-only iMac.

 

[WM.]

I'm a newbie here and just had a quick question about this Airport Express. I'm not super tech savvy, so please bare with me.

I'm setting up a home office in Miami, and I'm working for a company in Los Angeles. I'm going to be accessing files from the LA office's server. I was told for security reasons that If I wanted to go wireless with an Airport Base Station I would need a static address (a LAN???) plus some security software.

If you've got that right, I'm pretty sure that would be true no matter what kind of network you have on your end. Even if you were hooking your computer straight up to the Internet, you'd still (for your company's particular setup) need a static IP and some software (presumably for a VPN).

Will this new product be as safe, or am I going to have to stick with the Base Station?

The security situation is the same for both of them. Whether the Express has enough other features for your particular network (e.g. what's the wired/wireless mix?) is a different matter.

HTH
WM

 

[Powerbook G5]

If it's a relatively long distance, like over 20 or 30 feet, you've got way less chance of interference with Ethernet than an unbalanced and probably poorly-shielded audio signal.

What's more, with the equipment required to actually get on the Internet, like I say in the second paragraph there, you can then use your AP Express as a full-fledged base station (with your friend's wireless-equipped laptop or whatever), while still streaming music from your wired-only iMac.

Going by what he stated, the way you explained it didn't seem like it'd work. He doesn't have Airport Extreme, so in its absence, it wouldn't work. If you had both Airport Extreme and Airport Express, then using it as a bridge is possible, but not when it is stand alone. In that instance, the *only* way that port is going to work on the Express is as a WAN port connected to a modem.

 

[WM.]

So, could I use this to connect my XBOX to the internet without unplugging my airport basestation and running an ethernet cable through the whole house, as I currently am forced to do? Must read more...

Yes. I do this at the moment using a little Netgear WiFi-Ethernet bridge. It works really well (zero configuration), but the Airport Express is about the same cost and also does the streaming music thing.

Won't do the bridging-to-Xbox thing, though. See above. To be clearer: the AP Express won't replace the Netgear bridge.

 

[Ensoniq]

No, you can't do that. Show me in the article where it says you can.

Apple is using "bridge" and "bridging" to mean WDS. They're really two different things, and they shouldn't be using the terms interchangeably.

Maybe "bridge" is the wrong terminology for me to be using, but from the Joswiak MacWorld article:

"If you're using AirPort Express as a base station, you'd plug your Internet connection into it via its included Ethernet port. But if your main base station is an AirPort Extreme or AirPort Express, you can also use the AirPort Express as a wireless bridge -- just plug it in somewhere else in your house, and attach any Ethernet-based device to it. That device will now be on your network, even though it's nowhere near the rest of your stuff."

"Any Ethernet-based device" from the mouth of Joswiak himself. So I'm pretty sure he knows what he's talking about.

 

[WM.]

Going by what he stated, the way you explained it didn't seem like it'd work. He doesn't have Airport Extreme, so in its absence, it wouldn't work.

Sure it would. I shouldn't have added that part about the friend's laptop.

With only a non-wireless router, a switch, an iMac without AirPort, and an AP Express, you can stream music from the iMac to the AP Express and connect to the Internet with the iMac. (Your cable modem hooks up to the WAN port on the router.) Take out the router and the switch (which would be the way he described his setup) and you can still stream music from the iMac to the AP Express; you just don't have the Internet. Since I assume he wants to access the Internet, he'll need to add a router and a hub/switch. But it doesn't need to be a wireless router. You can stream music to the AP Express without any other wireless devices anywhere.

 

[Powerbook G5]

Maybe "bridge" is the wrong terminology for me to be using, but from the Joswiak MacWorld article:

"If you're using AirPort Express as a base station, you'd plug your Internet connection into it via its included Ethernet port. But if your main base station is an AirPort Extreme or AirPort Express, you can also use the AirPort Express as a wireless bridge -- just plug it in somewhere else in your house, and attach any Ethernet-based device to it. That device will now be on your network, even though it's nowhere near the rest of your stuff."

"Any Ethernet-based device" from the mouth of Joswiak himself. So I'm pretty sure he knows what he's talking about.

See, now we seem to be getting somewhere. The setup would have to include an Apple Airport Extreme station and an Airport Express station in order to use the Ethernet port on the Express to add a device to your network. Otherwise, it can only be used as a WAN port for your modem. Furthermore, this would mean that only an Apple Airport Extreme station can work and not a Linksys or Netgear or some other brand, so that would make people like me out of luck since I have a Linksys wireless router instead of an Apple.

 

[Powerbook G5]

Sure it would. I shouldn't have added that part about the friend's laptop.

With only a non-wireless router, a switch, an iMac without AirPort, and an AP Express, you can stream music from the iMac to the AP Express and connect to the Internet with the iMac. (Your cable modem hooks up to the WAN port on the router.) Take out the router and the switch and you can still stream music from the iMac to the AP Express; you just don't have the Internet.

He said he wanted both internet and music streaming, which would not have been possible with how you were explaining it earlier without the use of a second router working in conjunction with Airport Express.

 

[WM.]

Maybe "bridge" is the wrong terminology for me to be using, but from the Joswiak MacWorld article:

"If you're using AirPort Express as a base station, you'd plug your Internet connection into it via its included Ethernet port. But if your main base station is an AirPort Extreme or AirPort Express, you can also use the AirPort Express as a wireless bridge -- just plug it in somewhere else in your house, and attach any Ethernet-based device to it. That device will now be on your network, even though it's nowhere near the rest of your stuff."

"Any Ethernet-based device" from the mouth of Joswiak himself. So I'm pretty sure he knows what he's talking about.

ARGH!!! You are correct sir!! I am wrong!! You are hereby Recognized to be Endowed with the Gift of Reading Carefully. The AP Express DOES work as a wireless bridge! This is a NEW FEATURE over AirPort Extreme. Who'd've thunk. I will now go do something else.

I'm guessing it will be just as fussy as things currently are with WDS, though.

 

[ravenvii]

Praise [insert your god(s) here]!!!

This... is pure genius, people. Pure genius!

If it's true that I can use the WAN port as a LAN port, this is the answer to my prayers! I already have an AirPort Extreme, so this will be a wireless bridge. Looks like I have nothing to worry about.

 

[Powerbook G5]

ARGH!!! You are correct sir!! I am wrong!! You are hereby Recognized to be Endowed with the Gift of Reading Carefully. The AP Express DOES work as a wireless bridge! This is a NEW FEATURE over AirPort Extreme. Who'd've thunk. I will now go do something else.

I'm guessing it will be just as fussy as things currently are with WDS, though.

Yeah, as far as I gather, the connection types can go as follows:

Modem>AP Express>Computer/Stereo/Printer
Modem>AP Extreme>AP Express>Computer/Stereo/Printer
Modem>AP Extreme>Computer and AP Express>Express to other device/Stereo/Printer
Modem>AP Express>AP Express>AP Express (if covering long distance)>devices

I am sure there are other possibilities, but these seem to be the general setups possible. The port on the Express is used only as a WAN when AP Extreme is not present, but can be used as a LAN port when Express is being used as a bridge with an Extreme base station. The USB port is *only* for printers, probably because of firmware lockout, and the audio port is a hybrid analog/digital out. From what I understand, either a Y adapter is needed for analog to RCA or some sort of adaptor is needed for digital to TOS style connector.

Any comments or corrections that should be made?

 

[pjkelnhofer]

How are you saying that? You told that guy that you can use Airport Express on a non wireless iMac by connecting it with an ethernet, but there is just one port on it and that would be taken up by the modem, so there is no way it could work in that instance. It'd need a second port for that.

Here is the question, since the Aiport Express "bridge" and the port can be connected to a LAN (according to the picture) if I already had a wireless network in my house, could I then plug my iMac into Express and connect to the internet? From what I have read, I have no reason to think that I could not.

Second question, if I had two AXP's (I like that nomeclature) and plugged a computer into each would I have a network?

 

[Powerbook G5]

Here is the question, since the Aiport Express "bridge" and the port can be connected to a LAN (according to the picture) if I already had a wireless network in my house, could I then plug my iMac into Express and connect to the internet? From what I have read, I have no reason to think that I could not.

Second question, if I had two AXP's (I like that nomeclature) and plugged a computer into each would I have a network?

According to Apple, APE can be used as a bridge if you have APX, but not if you have a 3rd party wireless router. I can imagine you can go from a 3rd party router to the APE through the LAN port on the back of the 3rd party router to the WAN port of the APE, but it cannot work in wireless bridge mode unless it is the Apple branded APX.

 

[whooleytoo]

So explain to me how it is going to work? You need to plug your modem into Airport Express in order for it to work. How is that going to happen if you stick your Xbox's ethernet into the port?

If you want to hook both a DSL modem and an Ethernet client (such as an Xbox - though I've never networked mine, so I don't know the details), plug both into a small 4 port hub, along with a Mac, and plug the hub into the Airport Express. Turn on Internet Sharing on the Mac.

Problem sorted.

 

[Powerbook G5]

If you want to hook both a DSL modem and an Ethernet client (such as an Xbox - though I've never networked mine, so I don't know the details), plug both into a small 4 port hub, along with a Mac, and plug the hub into the Airport Express. Turn on Internet Sharing on the Mac.

Problem sorted.

In that instance, APE is not being used wireless, in fact, none would be wireless, thus defeating the point of it being an 802.11g wireless networking solution.

 

[hobster]

It seems that the Express will supoort just about every feature that the AE does. Here is my take:

You'll be able to use it in a hotel room, so that leads me to believe that it supports:
PPPoE
DHCP
NAT
and probably port forwarding

It only has a single ethernet port that will either be LAN or WAN so:
wired to wireless bridging (this means that it will replace a linksys bridge, which I'm looking forward to)
WDS (great for extending the range of 802.11g, think of it as a wireless extender)

And, lets not forget the audio port ;-)

I plan on getting at least two to supplement my AE setup at home. With any luck, these will be a great, lower cost solution to filling in gaps in my wireless network.

Hows that for a first post? ;-)

 

[whooleytoo]

In that instance, APE is not being used wireless, in fact, none would be wireless, thus defeating the point of it being an 802.11g wireless networking solution.

Very true, though it is quite probably the cheapest way of getting an optical output for a Mac!

However, go back to the original post by WM, he was stating he could connect his Mac to the APE by Ethernet, and you said it couldn't be done. According to the specs on the Apple site, it appears it can. </pedant mode>

 

[whooleytoo]

maybe they're planning on implementing something like detour: link

erez

It's a neat little program, isn't it? I'm wondering if Apple might consider it too confusing for newbie users, wondering where all their sound went?

 

[Powerbook G5]

Very true, though it is quite probably the cheapest way of getting an optical output for a Mac!

However, go back to the original post by WM, he was stating he could connect his Mac to the APE by Ethernet, and you said it couldn't be done. According to the specs on the Apple site, it appears it can. </pedant mode>

Yes, but he did not say anything about using Airport Extreme in that setup. He said Express. That is not possible, but using Express in conjunction with Extreme allows for the possibility.

 

[whooleytoo]

Yes, but he did not say anything about using Airport Extreme in that setup. He said Express. That is not possible, but using Express in conjunction with Extreme allows for the possibility.

Sorry, which acronym stand for Express again?? I'm confused!

What he suggested - connecting a Mac to the Airport Express via Ethernet - appears to be possible. If other machines and a DSL/cable connection need to be added in, you'll need a hub or switch as well. I don't see any need for Airport Extreme, in a home environment.

 

[Powerbook G5]

Sorry, which acronym stand for Express again?? I'm confused!

What he suggested - connecting a Mac to the Airport Express via Ethernet - appears to be possible. If other machines and a DSL/cable connection need to be added in, you'll need a hub or switch as well. I don't see any need for Airport Extreme, in a home environment.

You can connect the two without Extreme, but you won't get internet since the port on the Express would be needed to connect to the modem.