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WDS, Airport Express and bandwidth

I have an Airport Express (802.11g) and am looking to extend its reach with WDS. Our kitchen used to be the garage on our house and is surrounded by thick concrete walls. This means that the signal drops dramatically in the place where we webcam with the grandparents the most. I have looked to acquire an older Airport Extreme Base Station to set up a WDS to extend the reach of our signal from upstairs to the kitchen; however, I have read that a WDS cuts the bandwidth in half. My question is: Is the maximum bandwidth of the Airport stations cut in half (54Mbps down to 27), or is my internet bandwidth cut in half (from 1.4Mbps down to .7)? If it is the former, then my internet bandwidth is not affected. Perhaps I am not understanding bandwidth correctly. Thanks for any responses.

Mac OS X (10.6.4)

Posted on Sep 8, 2010 2:07 PM

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Posted on Sep 8, 2010 2:25 PM

Welcome to the discussions!

+I have read that a WDS cuts the bandwidth in half+

Even if you have newer "n" devices, WDS cuts everything down to "g" levels. In addition, WDS cuts the bandwidth by 50% for each "remote" or "relay" on the network.

+My question is: Is the maximum bandwidth of the Airport stations cut in half (54Mbps down to 27)+

Yes, correct, if you add one "remote" device.

+or is my internet bandwidth cut in half (from 1.4Mbps down to .7)+

If your internet connection speed is less than 27 Mbps, your internet browsing, downloads, etc. will appear to be unchanged from what they are now.

You might also consider an ethernet connection for the older AirPort Extreme. There will be no bandwidth loss with type of setup. If you can't run the ethernet cable, take a look a pair of ethernet powerline adapters to accomplish the same task by using the wiring in your home.

Message was edited by: Bob Timmons

Message was edited by: Bob Timmons
2 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Sep 8, 2010 2:25 PM in response to Kristian Bendoraitis

Welcome to the discussions!

+I have read that a WDS cuts the bandwidth in half+

Even if you have newer "n" devices, WDS cuts everything down to "g" levels. In addition, WDS cuts the bandwidth by 50% for each "remote" or "relay" on the network.

+My question is: Is the maximum bandwidth of the Airport stations cut in half (54Mbps down to 27)+

Yes, correct, if you add one "remote" device.

+or is my internet bandwidth cut in half (from 1.4Mbps down to .7)+

If your internet connection speed is less than 27 Mbps, your internet browsing, downloads, etc. will appear to be unchanged from what they are now.

You might also consider an ethernet connection for the older AirPort Extreme. There will be no bandwidth loss with type of setup. If you can't run the ethernet cable, take a look a pair of ethernet powerline adapters to accomplish the same task by using the wiring in your home.

Message was edited by: Bob Timmons

Message was edited by: Bob Timmons

WDS, Airport Express and bandwidth

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