Hi all,
I've been offered a cheap 3rd generation Airport Extreme.
I want to know if it has significantly better range than the 1st gen Airport Express which I currently use.
If its also fast thats a bonus but its reliability and range I'm interested in.
The Express always has trouble maintaining Airplay without cutting in and out.
MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.7)
It would be impossible for any of us to guarantee that a 3rd generation AirPort Extreme would outperform a 1st generation AirPort Express in your current networking environment. It would also depend on what you mean by 1st generation. That is, a 1st generation 802.11g or 802.11n Express?
The WAN-to-LAN and simultaneous throughput of all versions of the 802.11n Extreme are "better" statistically than any of the Express models. You can get an idea on how most of the models that have been tested by going to the SmallNetBuilder.com site.
It is 802.11g, does that make it less impossible to answer the question? Thanks
Thanks for the update. Then yes, the 3rd generation AirPort Extreme should provide much better bandwidth performance over range than your existing 802.11g AirPort Express base station. However, you will still need an AirPlay "speaker" to stream to. This can be an Apple TV, AirPort Express, or other manufacturers' AirPlay-Ready devices. I would not use your current Express for this. You will still need an Express if you don't have either of the other two as the Extreme cannot be a "speaker." In this case, you can either replace your current Express with a 1st or 2nd generation 802.11n model or get the Extreme you mentioned plus the 802.11n Express for Wi-Fi coverage if range is the issue.
3rd gen Extreme range/speed vs 1st Express?
