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What exactly is Airport Express?
- Thread starter crazysaxchris
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The new one takes Airport Extreme, but the old, original (700 and 800Mhz) take the standard, older Airport.
What exactly is Airport Express?
Ok I'm very new to mac. I'm going to purchase a used Emac, I was wondering what exactly is Airport Express. I allready have a wireless network. If I tinstall Airport Express on the Emac will I still have to buy an Airport Express card.
Thanks!!
Ok I'm very new to mac. I'm going to purchase a used Emac, I was wondering what exactly is Airport Express. I allready have a wireless network. If I tinstall Airport Express on the Emac will I still have to buy an Airport Express card.
Thanks!!
An Airport Express is an on-the-go wireless router. So if you already have a wireless newwork you dont need one. There is an Airport Card you can get for the computer. But most newer macs have them built in.
crazysaxchris said:
Airport express is a base station you plug into your wall. it's a little bigger than the power thingiee for an iBook or PowerBook. Awesome for travel. Has streaming Airtunes and a USB thingiee on the bottom for a printer.
Airport extreme is the one that's shaped like a UFO and has a dial-up modem in it, too.
To get wireless on your eMac, you can put an AirPort Extreme card in it, so you can jump on your network. You will not need an airport express base station. You can use it with any wireless network.
And, yes, Apple's names for their wireless crap can be confusing.
Airport = 802.11b wireless network
Airport Extreme = 802.11g wireless network
Airport Extreme Basestation = UFO shaped basestation (802.11g)
Aiport Express = small rectangular shaped basestation (802.11g)
Airport Card = 802.11b card
Airport Extreme Card = 802.11g card
A Mac can only take an Airport card OR an Airport Extreme card. They are not interchangeable since they use different connectors.
Any Apple wireless product that has 802.11g also supports 802.11b.
Airport = 802.11b wireless network
Airport Extreme = 802.11g wireless network
Airport Extreme Basestation = UFO shaped basestation (802.11g)
Aiport Express = small rectangular shaped basestation (802.11g)
Airport Card = 802.11b card
Airport Extreme Card = 802.11g card
A Mac can only take an Airport card OR an Airport Extreme card. They are not interchangeable since they use different connectors.
Any Apple wireless product that has 802.11g also supports 802.11b.
Airport express is a wireless router. It has no connectors to do hardwired ethernet routing. You can only connect to it wirelessly. It also can be used as a wireless network extender for your current wireless network (this network can be running off of any wireless router, not just apple's). And finally it can plug into your printer and your stereo, allowing users (mac or PC) who are connected to its network to wirelessly stream music from iTunes and to print wirelessly.
I must say it's a pretty nifty little device.
I must say it's a pretty nifty little device.
maxterpiece said:
Apart from the ethernet connector on the base, which allows my xbox to connect to my wireless network
Ok, i've got a DSL Modem and i would like to set up a wireless internet connection. Can i just connect the ethernet cable from my modem to the airport express and i have wireless connection at home?
I've got a airport extreme card.
I've got a airport extreme card.
Lopez.T.H. said:
This is misleading. The eMacs only have Airport as a build-to-order option (it doesn't come with the stock models).
maxterpiece said:
So long as the network is 11g (Extreme). I discovered to my chagrin that an Express base station can't extend an 11b network, so my Express is used mainly to stream audio to my stereo system (a cool trick all by itself).
DarkNetworks said:
you don't have to spend the money on airport base stations, whether extreme or express. a third party router can be much cheaper and do the same thing. Airport express is great if you also want to use it to stream music, and airport extreme has a bunch of slick features, but for basic connectivity, you could get a router for 20 bucks.
chucknorris said:
Never noticed that before. My eMac was used and didn't have it when I got it (still doesn't, but i'm planning on adding it soon.)
However, I have put them in a couple of other peoples eMacs. It's a piece of cake. Open the CD/DVD, Turn off the computer and take off the little plastic frame around the CD/DVD tray. The airport slides in right above the tray and the antenea is right there to plug in. Takes about 5 minutes.
(This was on the older models, I'm just guessing that the new ones are the same way.)