Hi all -- looking for some expert advice. From a friend I can get an as-new 4th Gen (A1354) Airport Extreme base station for the same price as one of the new Airport Expresses. Any reason I should choose the new Express over the 4th Gen Extreme, aside from its smaller form factor?
What are your requirements for a router?
Gigabit Ethernet ports? The Extreme has them (10 times faster), the Express does not
Ethernet LAN ports? The Extreme has 3, the Express has 1.
USB hard drive capability? The Extreme can be used with a hard drive, the Express cannot
Heat? The Extreme runs very warm to hot, the Express runs barely warm
Apple has a nice comparison chart for you if you take a look at the Express literature:
Compare Apple Wi-Fi base stations AirPort Express AirPort Extreme Time Capsule
If you really don't need the extreme (which seems the case or you wouldn't ask), I'd just get a new express. This basically gives you 3 months of phone support, and at least 1 year of limited warranty. That may make people sleep a bit better at nights 😝
Think as it this way, i just got my AirPort Extreme 5th Generation (yesterday free shipping and did it on Sunday noon) getting rid of our Linksys 310N which had 4ports running 100MPBS wireless 144MBPS on my laptop.
we have a xbox 360 (2006), DirectTV HD Demand, and my dads pc, thats 3 ports and thats all we need. my lptp with this new Extreme gave me a wireless speed of 300MBPS
and boosted our intenet 10x..speed roaming around 10-15mbps, now getting 21MBPS with the Extreme.
magining the same with Express. but to remind you, Express has 1 port, Extreme has 3 ports
plus what bob said above
i have a question but click here if ya want
Thanks for the replies, all. (I tried to respond yesterday, but the reply buttons were returning a javascript error for some reason.)
So, I see 3 reasons to choose the new Express over the 4th Gen. Extreme: Smaller form factor; runs cooler; comes with phone support and warranty. Having said all that, I ended up being able to get the A1354 Extreme for $70, so I took it.
Which leads me to two more questions for you fine folks, if'n you don't mind:
1. If I set up a wireless network on my ISP's modem/router and connect my Extreme to it wirelessly, will I still be able to enjoy the Extreme's simultaneous dual-band functionality and its dual-network functionality?
2. Can my girlfriend and I both do wireless Time Machine backups to an external drive connected to the Extreme -- and if so, are there any configuration changes required, or can I just connect the drive and the partitions with our TM backups will appear automagically in Finder?
Thanks in advance, and forgive me if either of these questions are on the stupid/uninformed side. I've done some digging on the interwebs, but don't yet have physical posession of the base station, so...
#2 yes you can
you have to enable the USB in order to work. if its enable and with or without a pswd connecting to the USB, you should be fine.
Adjust the USB using either your iDevice AirPort Utility, iMac or PC AirPort Utility www.apple.com/support/airport.
Windows
>Open AirPort Utiliy
>right Click your Device
>click Manuel Setup
>Click Disks
>File Sharing
>Enable
Message was edited by: James5wins
If I set up a wireless network on my ISP's modem/router and connect my Extreme to it wirelessly, will I still be able to enjoy the Extreme's simultaneous dual-band functionality and its dual-network functionality?
It will not be possible to connect the AirPort Extreme to the ISP's modem/router using wireless only. Apple routers will only connect to other Apple routers using wireless only.
You will need to connect an Ethernet cable from one of the LAN <-> ports on the main wireless router to the WAN "O" port on the AirPort Extreme.
Configure the Extreme to "Create a wireless network" and it will provide dual bands.
AirPort Utility should suggest that the Extreme be configured in Bridge Mode during the setup....since it is connected to another router.....which would be the correct setting.
Thanks, James5wins.
Thanks, Bob -- though I'm a little confused: I currently have a couple of older Airport Expresses connected to the wireless network broadcast by my ISP's modem/router -- they're setup in Airport Utility to "join an existing network". Is the Extreme different in this regard?
When the AirPort Express "joins" a wireless network, it does not provide any additional wireless coverage. In other words, it does not "boost" or "repeat" the wireless signal from the main router. It can be used for AirTunes or a remote printer only.
Your computer also "joins" a wireless network. But the computer, like your Express, only receives a wireless signal. It does not boost, or repeat, or extend the wireless signal.
While is is technically possible to configure the AirPort Extreme to "join" a wireless network, like the Express, it will not provide any additional wireless coverage.
There is no audio capability on the Extreme, so other than connecting a USB printer or hard drive.....it would not really be doing anything on the network if you configured it to "join".
In order to "extend" a wireless network and provide more wireless coverage using wireless only, the AirPorts must connect to another Apple router.
The workaround here, if you want the AirPort Extreme to provide more wireless coverage with a modem/router from another manufacturer.....is that the Extreme must be connected to the modem/router using an Ethernet connection....not wireless.
No Probem.
In my AirPort Extreme 5G, i have that option "Join an Existing Network". So no, there shouldn't be any difference of your older models of your newer one.
i have Cable too which has 2 wireless devices from the main floor to the basement connecting to our main comcast modem.
all i need help with is, is it safe to connect a dd-wrt wirelessly to the airport, the same way i did it with our old linksys router on 2 diffrent floors but in this case its alittle different when airport is apple and might be a little different step than the one i did just beeing 2 linksys.
Thanks Bob -- that clears up the last of my questions.
Much gratitude to everyone here for their help.
Hmm -- Setup the new Extreme last night and am having trouble related to one of the questions i posted upthread.
2. Can my girlfriend and I both do wireless Time Machine backups to an external drive connected to the Extreme -- and if so, are there any configuration changes required, or can I just connect the drive and the partitions with our TM backups will appear automagically in Finder?
While our Time Machine backups do appear in Finder, it seems we can't use them -- Time Machine ignores them and tries to create a new sparsebundle disk image and do a full initial backup (then fails, because there's not enough room on the drive). So far the interwebs have told me that the only way to continue backing up to the same Time Machine folder is to do a multi-part dance that ultimately uses Disk Utility (or another backup utility) to 'restore' my backups to the newly-created sparsebundle disk image on the now-networked drive -- which sounds laborious, time-consuming, and really annoying.
Just thought I'd check in to see if anyone here knew of a better, easier, less infuriating way? (da_mn you, Time Machine).
Can my girlfriend and I both do wireless Time Machine backups to an external drive connected to the Extreme --
This may work for a short while, but is bound to fail.
The firmware has not supported this for a long time now, and Apple engineering seems to have abandoned it. It WILL WORK with a Time-Capsule... but not (permanently) with an extreme.
As far as Apple is concerned, Time Machine with Airdiscs on an express are NOT SUPPORTED.
Okay, thanks for the heads-up, Hackintosh -- much appreciated.
... Airdiscs on an express are NOT SUPPORTED.
In typical typo fashion... that should say EXTREME not express.
4th Gen Extreme vs. New Express for the same price?
