Buy Another Airport Extreme or opt for the New Express?

[imranUK]

Hello,

I have just purchased the MacBookPro Retina and want to reevaluate my WiFi setup.

My current configuration:

*Baement* > Cable Modem --> Airport Extreme [5th Gen] ---- Cat 5e ---> Switch GB ---> Netgear G AP > *study*

There are a few other Wireless G rated AP's around the house.

Do you think I should get another Airport Extreme for the study? or should I go for the new Airport Express - The Extreme is 3 Stream, can use 5GHz

I have a 120/mbit Cable Connection, so the Express throughput may be limited?

Can I use a second Extreme just as an AP?

Thanks guys,

 

[thiggins]

Depends on what you want the AP to do. The new Express is only two-stream N, but is simultaneous dual-band. If used as an AP, its routing speed doesn't matter.

Any wireless router can be used as an AP, even it if doesn't have an "AP mode".
How To Convert a Wireless Router into an Access Point

 

[thetoad30]

I would recommend using an Extreme in this case for the speed and gigabit ports.

Please see this page to see that you can bridge these devices for roaming wireless: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4260

I plan on doing this in my new house, albeit with an Express since throughput is not as important for me (my internet is at most 40mbit). Plus I wanted the airplay feature.

If Apple ever releases an Express with gigabit, or an Extreme with Airplay, I'd be all over it just for that function.

 

[sfx2000]

The (new) Airport Express isn't too bad, better than the old one IMHO - does most of what you could do with the Airport Extreme, and it's much less cost.

That being said, the Airport Extreme is a 3-stream device... if you're GigE cabled up, you will get better performance. An additional plus is that the Airport Extreme can do light duty NAS work via USB (and it supports hubs for that), with central accounting from the parent Airport Extreme...

The Airport Express though, it can do Airplay...

Both can do Print Server duty with some printers out there (no scan sharing though with multiple function devices attached directly to the Airport).