bodimac2012

Q: Is the airport express (A1084) compatible with the base station (M8440)?

I want to extend my wifi network and use airtunes on my Airport Express. From what I've read, you cannot extend the wifi with a non-apple brand router, so I'm wondering if the Base Station (model #: M8440) is compatable with the Express (model #: A1084).

Airport Express, Model: A1084

Posted on Jul 18, 2012 5:07 PM

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Q: Is the airport express (A1084) compatible with the base station (M8440)?

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  • by Tesserax,

    Tesserax Tesserax Jul 18, 2012 5:25 PM in response to bodimac2012
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    Jul 18, 2012 5:25 PM in response to bodimac2012

    From what I've read, you cannot extend the wifi with a non-apple brand router, so I'm wondering if the Base Station (model #: M8440) is compatable with the Express (model #: A1084).

    The M8440 cannot be extended regardless of which Apple router you use. However, the A1084 Express should be able to join the M8440's wireless network for iTunes streaming.

  • by bodimac2012,

    bodimac2012 bodimac2012 Jul 18, 2012 9:44 PM in response to Tesserax
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    Jul 18, 2012 9:44 PM in response to Tesserax

    Ok, got it. And I can't extend my network on a non-Apple router either, correct?

  • by Tesserax,Solvedanswer

    Tesserax Tesserax Jul 19, 2012 10:28 AM in response to bodimac2012
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    Jul 19, 2012 10:28 AM in response to bodimac2012

    It is possible to extend the range of a non-Apple router with one of the 802.11n AirPorts, but they will need to be interconnected by Ethernet. This configuration is called a roaming network.

  • by bodimac2012,

    bodimac2012 bodimac2012 Jul 20, 2012 11:49 AM in response to Tesserax
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    Jul 20, 2012 11:49 AM in response to Tesserax

    Okay great, thank you! Another quick question, sorry, will an Airport Extreme A1143 work with the Airport Express A1084 in extending the network?

  • by Tesserax,

    Tesserax Tesserax Jul 21, 2012 9:11 AM in response to bodimac2012
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    Jul 21, 2012 9:11 AM in response to bodimac2012

    Yes, but only by configuring them for a WDS network. This method has two major disadvantages: 1) The overall wireless network can only operate in the 802.11g Radio Mode, and 2) For every base station added to the WDS, the overall bandwidth is cut in half ... so, starting with 802.11g's 54 Mbps, your two base station WDS will be getting around 25-27 Mbps for maximum bandwidth.