Airport Express Setup Question

my understanding is if you run G and N devices on the same wireless network they will not run at the fastest N speeds.

This is not quite correct. If I run a mixed "n/g/b" wireless network, "n" devices connect at "n" speed while "g" devices connect at "g" speed. if there are 3-4 "g" devices on the network, the "n" devices drop just a bit....perhaps 5-10% in speed".

All my G devices are within range of my Linksys and so what I propose is to have all my G devices connect to my Linksys router and then connect an Airport Express via Ethernet to a port on my router and have all my N devices then connect to the Airport Express (I'm pretty sure I just need to set up the Airport Express in bridge mode and have it "create a new wireless network").

This will work fine if you configure the AirPort Express to "create" a wireless network using a different name than the Linksys network and make sure that it is setup in Bridge Mode.

You can "point" the "n" devices to this network.

To further insure that the "n" devices always connect at "n" speeds, you can adjust the radio mode on the Express for both bands to be "n only", so it will be broadcasting an "n only" wireless signal on both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.

In this case "g" devices will not able to connect to the AirPort Express network at all....even if they wanted to.

1. Should I expect that my speeds will be the same with this setup compared to the speeds I would get if I had only N devices connected to my Linksys and didn't use the AE at all?

This would depend on where the "n" devices are located in relation to the wireless router. The wireless signal slows down the further that it moves from a wireless router or as it encounters any obstructions in the signal path between the router and the connecting device.

For example, if the wireless signal must pass through 2-3 typical sheetrock walls to reach the computer 25-30 feet away, you will likely lose half or more of the speed capability on that connection.

2. Would a speed test be an accurate assessment of that, i.e., if I connect wirelessly to my Linksys and then run a speed test and then immediately after at the exact same location do the same with my AE

You could get a general idea by testing this way. I would expect that the speed would be about the same comparing the two routers since the WiFi broadcast strength is limited by law. The Linksys might do a bit better if it has external antennas.

The exception to this might be if you are using the 5 GHz "n" signal on the Express. 5 GHz signals are not as strong as 2.4 GHz signals, so things slow down faster on a 5 GHz band.

It makes sense to connect to the best quality signal if you can.

Keep in mind if you are connecting to the Internet that your wireless speeds will only be as fast as your Internet connection service plan allows. For example, if you have a 20 Mbps Internet connection, that is far less than the speed capability of even "g" devices (54 Mbps). So, having faster "n" devices won't buy you anything if the Internet connection is limited to 20 Mbps.

I just installed the new AE, and I was suprised to see that there wasn't an "n" only option for the 2.4Ghz network, or if there is, I haven't been able to find it.

I also haven't been able to find a way to setup the guest account.

The AirPort is connected to the FIOS gateway...which is acting as the router for the network, so the AirPort is configured correctly in Bridge Mode. The Guest Network option does not appear when the AirPort is configured as a Bridge.

The AirPort needs to be connected to a simple modem.....not a modem/router or gateway device.....if you want to utilize the Guest Network option.

"802.11a/n - 802.11n only (2.4Ghz)"

As the listing indicates, this would be a combination mode of 802.11a and 802.11n at 5 GHz (to the left of the dash) and 802.11n only 2.4 GHz to the right of the dash.

I doubt that you have any "a" devices....which are limited to 54 GHz speeds, so there is littel reason to use this setting.

"802.11a - 802n only (2.4Ghz)"?

This would be 802.11a only at 5 GHz, which would limit the 5 GHz band to only 54 Mbps. You would not use this type of setting unless you 1) Had "a" devices only.

The setting to use is the one that I highlighted in the previous post.....

801.11n only 5 GHz --- 802.11n only 2.4 GHz

Only "n" devices would be able to connect to both the 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz bands.