Just got a new 2nd gen airport express - question

Discussion in 'Mac Accessories' started by Benz63amg, Oct 23, 2012.

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  1. Benz63amg, Oct 23, 2012

    Benz63amg macrumors 68020

    Benz63amg

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    Oct 17, 2010
    Location:
    New York, NY
    #1
    Guys i just bought a 2nd gen Airport Express. set it up, works great, i have a seperate SSID for 5Ghz Mode,

    the range isn't that great and i live in an apartment, does the airport extreme have a MUCH better range?

    i have using 5ghz mode with my iPhone, ipad and Apple TV, my xbox 360 and ps3 are connected in 2.4ghz mode..

    if i go to the kitchen which is about 25ft away from the airport express with my iphone which is connected in 5GHz mode the iphone's wifi meter drops to 2 bars, is that normal?
     
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  2. DaveTheRave, Oct 25, 2012

    DaveTheRave macrumors 6502a

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    #2
    Use airport utility to change the 5Ghz channel to 161. The higher channels have more power than the lower channels.
     
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  3. waw74, Oct 25, 2012

    waw74 macrumors 68030

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    #3
    25 feet of clear air?
    Or 25 feet of distance with 2 walls and a metal refrigerator or a wall of cabinets with metal pans in them in the middle?

    5ghz doesn't go through things as well. The construction of your walls can greatly affect your range. As well as
     
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  4. Benz63amg, Oct 25, 2012

    Benz63amg thread starter macrumors 68020

    Benz63amg

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    Location:
    New York, NY
    #4
    25 feet of walls, 2 doors, and a corridor, not clean air, but still its strange that the range isn't all that as i expected

    i returned the express and bought a 5th gen AIRPORT Extreme instead, i have a question guys,

    what channel is best for 5GHz mode? does channel 161 give better range than say channel 149?

    i set 2.4ghz mode to channel 1. do u guys have the Channel selection set to automatic?

    and in regards to radio mode, what do u guys use?

    i have 3 options:

    1. a/n + b/g/n (automatic mode)
    2. a/n + b/g
    3. a + b/g

    i currently have option 1 selected..
     
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  5. ZMacintosh, Oct 27, 2012

    ZMacintosh macrumors 65816

    ZMacintosh

    Joined:
    Nov 13, 2008
    #5
    theres probably a lot of frequency noise with other wireless networks in range as well as the material the building is made of.

    i'd try to adjusting the multicast rate so its not try to send the signal so far out that its being interfered with by other wireless routers.
     
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  6. TheZA, Oct 28, 2012

    TheZA macrumors regular

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    #6
    I have the old style Airport Express as my main router. I'm surprised how good the range is. Now I did have a problem when I had it down plugged into an outlet behind the printer. I used an extension cord to hang it on the wall - it's in the corner so it doesn't look so bad, and it made all the difference in the world. I had a friend who was also having range problems with an Airport Express; he moved it up and clear and it now reaches his whole house. So, my advice is to try the simple things first. Try having your Express or Extreme on a shelf or someplace up and clear first.
     
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