My Network - AirTunes AND Internet?

[seattleda]

Hi! I'm a switcher! (maybe that will engender kindness or a poor puppy feeling)

I just bought an iBook and an APE and want to connect to the internet as well as play music on my stereo, both wirelessly. How can I do this?

Let me tell you what I have as far as equipment already - maybe I have all I need.

I have a wireless access point (802.11b), Cable Modem to DI-604 router, Mac mini with airport. Router also serves an XP box and a couple ReplayTV units via another switch.

I am able to connect to the internet via 802.11b, but would rather connect via 802.11g, which my Mac mini can share out. The problem with that is that I then lose the capability of having either mac (iBook nor mini) to also serve AirTunes...

My ideal situation would be to sit on the couch and surf the web at 802.11g speed and ALSO serve AirTunes to my stereo from my Mac mini (it's got the 200g macStack hard drive). Any solutions?

Thanks!

Dave

 

[mad jew]

I'm a little confused. You already have a wireless network but it runs at 11Mbps and you want 54Mbps plus AirTunes so you bought an Express. So what's the problem? Just replace the current wireless router with the Express. You know the Express can both handle music and let you surf the 'net, right? Sorry if this is insultingly obvious, but you come across like you don't realise this.

 

[seattleda]

confusion reigns

I'm a little confused. You already have a wireless network but it runs at 11Mbps and you want 54Mbps plus AirTunes so you bought an Express. So what's the problem? Just replace the current wireless router with the Express. You know the Express can both handle music and let you surf the 'net, right? Sorry if this is insultingly obvious, but you come across like you don't realise this.

No, the APE is in the Living Room. The office has the cable modem. The wireless is just an 11Mbs access point, not router. 4 port Wired router serves it and Mac mini (and VOIP and a couple ReplayTVs). I don't have another wireless router (did I say I did?).

Yes, I know it can handle both, but whats the point if I have to run wires out to my stereo in the other room altogether? Its looking like I need another APE or a Linksys WRT54G.

 

[mad jew]

Umm... I've never seen a wireless access point that isn't a router. Help me out here, what exactly does the 802.11b access point do if not act as a wireless router?

Hopefully you won't have top buy a new Express/Linksys but if the access point wont act as a router, then it looks like you'll have to.

 

[Applespider]

My ideal situation would be to sit on the couch and surf the web at 802.11g speed and ALSO serve AirTunes to my stereo from my Mac mini (it's got the 200g macStack hard drive). Any solutions?

Since it's highly unlikely that you have a 54Mbps internet connection, you're not going to really see much benefit from having the g rather than b providing the web access. If your XP machine and other boxes can only do b speed, then your network is only going to go at 'b' speeds anyhow.

I'd say set the Airport Express up as a client on the existing wireless network to handle your Airtunes but leave the internet bit as it is.

 

[ghostee]

The Express will join any wireless network you choose. If you created one with your Mini, and shared the internet from the Mini's ethernet jack across airport, you could have the express join that. The iBook would be able to stream music to it for sure, and I think the mini should be able to also (since it's on the same wireless network). The other access point should be unplugged so it doesn't bring your network down to b speeds.

However, AppleSpider is right when he says that you won't notice a difference between 11mbps and 54mbps when all your doing is streaming tunes and surfing the web.

 

[hulugu]

No, the APE is in the Living Room. The office has the cable modem. The wireless is just an 11Mbs access point, not router. 4 port Wired router serves it and Mac mini (and VOIP and a couple ReplayTVs). I don't have another wireless router (did I say I did?).

Yes, I know it can handle both, but whats the point if I have to run wires out to my stereo in the other room altogether? Its looking like I need another APE or a Linksys WRT54G.

Hopefully I understand your setup, but I believe that you want the APE in the living room with the stereo, so you should just have it become a client on the current wireless and allow the iBook to connect to the wireless router. This creates a single network, which allows the XP box, the Mini, and the iBook to use the APE to stream music (just not at the same time). If you want to use 802.11g you would need another WAP and your XP box would need 802.11g as well. But, since you already have VOIP and Replay TV stuff, I would leave all that alone and just bring the APE into the sytem you already have.

My setup (just to give you an idea) is a Cable Modem to an APE, which then is connected to a printer via USB and a set of speakers. Another APE is in the living room and is connected to the stereo there and to the Xbox via ethernet. And when I replace my TiBook someday, it will all be 802.11g.

 

[hulugu]

Umm... I've never seen a wireless access point that isn't a router. Help me out here, what exactly does the 802.11b access point do if not act as a wireless router?

Hopefully you won't have top buy a new Express/Linksys but if the access point wont act as a router, then it looks like you'll have to.

I think he's saying that the WAP only has a few ethernet connectors and so he also has a router. Most people are confused between Access Point and Router, thinking they're different things, when they're the same idea just using different technologies to make a connection.

 

[mad jew]

I think you're right hulugu in which case he should do this:

I'd say set the Airport Express up as a client on the existing wireless network to handle your Airtunes but leave the internet bit as it is.

It's very easy if you use the AirPort Set Up Assistant. It walks through the process nice and simply.