Would I need an AirPort Express?

[Josias]

Hi, I have my room one end of the house, and my parents office with a d-link router (2 dbi antenna) in the other end of the house. At my door, my windows crap can stops catching signal. Yet my bigbrothers ibook (14" and1.1 GHz G4 with 256 DDR RAM) catches the signal through my entire room (low signal it says). When i get my mac, i don't want wires going out from every side. I have a printer that my parents often needs to use, and a pair of speakers. My desk is at the end of the room that is closest to the router. I know that an airport express would catch the signal, and make strong signal through the entire room (as an access point). My parents could thereby also use my printer, wothout me having to print out for them every time, and i could sit in my bed and use my speakers on the desk. I also have an Xbox 360, which can't catch the wireless thing without an accesspoint, but would airport express' extre features be worth $129 instead of $50 for a normal accesspoint? Please help?

 

[mad jew]

According to Apple, AirPorts will only extend the range of AirPort-based networks. People have managed to hack Linksys-branded base stations and extend their range with an Express/Extreme but I haven't heard of anyone being able to do it with a DLink.

Maybe look into a DLink equivalent like the AirPlus G or the AirPlus Xtreme G. I haven't used either of these and I don't guaranty they work. I just found them on the DLink site.

 

[Josias]

What? It won't work as an accesspoint? why is there a difference when all other airport extreme cards can catch the signal? there is no logic in that

 

[mad jew]

I might have misinterpreted you but I think you want an Express to extend your network, right? It'll attach itself to a non-AirPort network, but it will not increase the range.

In its own right, it will act as an access point though.

 

[Josias]

Okay, it will do the cool stuff with speakers and printer, but not extend my range?

 

[redeye be]

You will have to choose:
-extend your network or
-have all the cool features

To extend your network you need to set up the express as a WDS client. As Mad Jew said, you could run in to problems here getting it to talk WDS with your D-link. If you use the express with WDS you will lose airtunes features and probably printing as well (not sure on that one)

To get the goodies, you need to add the express to your network, it will not amplify or extend, but you'll get the cool features.

That's the way i understand it.

 

[mad jew]

Okay, it will do the cool stuff with speakers and printer, but not extend my range?

Unfortunately, that's right.

The technology for extending wireless networks (WDS in Apple's case) is not standardised and as such, different brands do not play nicely with each other.

If you use the express with WDS you will lose airtunes features and probably printing as well (not sure on that one)...

Not quite. An Express on a WDS AirPort network can still be used for USB printing and AirTunes. That's how mine is set up.

 

[redeye be]

Not quite.

Stupid me, i thought i read it while configuring an express with the setup assistant. Must have been sleeping.

 

[Josias]

Ok, so if I set it up for WDS, it can do accesspoint, airtunes and printing?

 

[mad jew]

Yeah, it just won't give you any range-extending abilities because the original wireless access point on your network is a DLink, not an AirPort.

 

[QuarterSwede]

Ok, so if I set it up for WDS, it can do accesspoint, airtunes and printing?

No. If you have a non-airport wireless router then you cannot setup the airport express to extend your network (WDS).

You can only set it up to connect to your network as a wireless client which allows you to take advantage of Airtunes and wireless printing.

It does suck but most people have wireless routers that are powerful enough to reach across the entire home. So in most cases it doesn't matter and all is well (as is for me).

 

[Josias]

Damn, well never mind. Just out of topic. How are the ransk here? Here is what i think i know so far:

MacRumors Newbie: 0-9 posts
MacRumors Member: 10-99 posts
MacRumors Regular: 100-499 posts
Then comes...

(BTW, what rank do you have to reach to show your display picture at posts?)

 

[arkmannj]

Buyers guide

Slightly off topic. (but in the general ball park)
Is there anywhere that has a "Buyers Guide" for the airport devices.
just like mac rumors has for the computers and ipods ?
I'm just curious to see the average time between updates.
I'm interested in buying a (another) airport express (or possibly an extreme) but it's no rush, and it feels like there hasn't been an airport update in forever.

 

[gauchogolfer]

Damn, well never mind. Just out of topic. How are the ransk here? Here is what i think i know so far:

MacRumors Newbie: 0-9 posts
MacRumors Member: 10-99 posts
MacRumors Regular: 100-499 posts
Then comes...

(BTW, what rank do you have to reach to show your display picture at posts?)

At 500 posts it becomes 6502 (just reached it today for me )
All the info is in the FAQs
FYI, newbie is less than 30 posts.