MBP and RIDICULOUS wireless...

[TimO16]

While I'm home for break, I'm using my parents wireless at the house. They use a d-link 802.11g 2.4 ghz wireless router and its hooked up to my their dell desktop. All that is in the office on the first floor on one side of the house.

My room is on the other side of the house above the garage and the signal I get with my mid-2008 MBP is extremely sketchy, and hardly reliable. It cuts out all the time.

I don't feel like forking over $100 bucks for them to get a new N-router or anything like that, and the other options like range extenders I'm not too familiar with.. I also don't want to buy something that's going to be here, when I'm away at college, other than on breaks and the summertime.

BASICALLY,
I'm looking at the Airport Express Base station as an investment for myself. Is it a wireless extender? Is it a miniaturized router? Will it help in my situation as listed above^^^ ? And, is it worth it for the price?

Can somebody give me a pretty good real world explanation of it please.
Any help or input on my situation would be great! Thanks.🙂

 

[AlecJenx]

I use the Airport Express. It works quite well for me.
It is a Wireless router, and I receive a signal nearly throughout my entire house.
Setup is simple; simply plug it into your modem, and you have your wireless internet.
Because you said your parents are on a Windows machine, I believe that there is some software to install.
Because you are on a MBP, your computer should just pick up on it.

Hope that helped.

 

[SnowLeopard2008]

The AirPort Extreme Base Station is essentially a "base station". Has the best range and speed. I also have an AirPort Express, and this can be used as an extender of the base station, or a base station. It's smaller, so less range, but still works.

 

[TimO16]

The AirPort Extreme Base Station is essentially a "base station". Has the best range and speed. I also have an AirPort Express, and this can be used as an extender of the base station, or a base station. It's smaller, so less range, but still works.

Does this mean I would be able to buy the Airport Express and use it as an extender to the wireless coming from the d-link router coming from downstairs, and not necessarily have to hook it up to the modem?

For Example,

Wireless Output from D-link-((((( -> Airport Express(plugged into an AC outlet somewhere upstairs)-((((( -> Received by the MacBook Pro; better/stronger signal

??

 

[risenphoenixkai]

Yes. You can set up the Airport Express as a wireless repeater in what's known as a Wireless Distribution Network. Basically the Airport Express picks up the wireless signal from whatever base station is directly plugged into the cable/DSL modem and allows anyone within range of the Express to connect using the original base station's internet connection.

I know this works really easily with Apple's routers, but I'm not sure how much of a pain it is with D-Link. The first time you connect to the Airport Express, Airport Utility should launch automatically and ask you what you want to do with the Airport Express. From there, it's pretty easy to figure out.

Does this mean I would be able to buy the Airport Express and use it as an extender to the wireless coming from the d-link router coming from downstairs, and not necessarily have to hook it up to the modem?

For Example,

Wireless Output from D-link-((((( -> Airport Express(plugged into an AC outlet somewhere upstairs)-((((( -> Received by the MacBook Pro; better/stronger signal

??