Airport Express

[JurgenWigg]

My sister got an Airport Express "thing" (??) for her 12" iBook awhile ago, but just moved back in after college graduation so it was really the first time I saw it - wicked cool?

I'm talking about the ones that makes a wireless connection out of a land connection, and also networks your printer and your speakers together, i think i got the name right.

So, obviously this would be awesome for dorm rooms, especially with sharing printers and wireless internet and whatnot, but would all this work with non-mac computers? I'm getting a macbook for college, so I'm set, but if my roommate has a dell or hp or toshiba, could they use the wireless network set up by the airport express?

Past that, at home (what i'm using now) i have a 3 year old Dell Dimension 4550 with peripherals that cost more than it did! My main concern is my surround sound Altec Lansing speakers which I love and were worth every penny. If there's no way to make this awesome wireless network I set up jive with my desktop as well, then it's just as much of a pain to switch the cables from the desktop to the airport than from the desktop to the laptop.

Any experience?

 

[mad jew]

Yep, it works with Windows too. I think you need Windows 2000 or better for AirTunes (streaming music) and wireless printing FWIW.

 

[JurgenWigg]

I've got XP on my dell, so i'm sure it'd be fine, however, how would i get it to pick up a wireless signal/how much would it set me back to pick up the necessary equipment to do so? My dad already has a wireless card that plugs into a pci card slot (linksys) if it came down to it, but could I even install such a slot into my computer?

 

[mad jew]

Any 802.11B or 802.11G card will work with the AirPorts. Do you have a spare PCI slot? These cards are relatively cheap.

 

[xparaparafreakx]

So, obviously this would be awesome for dorm rooms, especially with sharing printers and wireless internet and whatnot

Check to make sure that you college dorm allows you to have a base station. I have been worn for this up coming fall about installing a base station.

 

[debrey]

Universities are becoming more and more saturated in wireless... It's quite possible your dorm will already be one big hot spot.

-- David

 

[janey]

Universities are becoming more and more saturated in wireless... It's quite possible your dorm will already be one big hot spot.

And many of them will restrict/take away internet privs if they catch you with your own wifi network.

Personally I'd spring for the ubiquitous (earlier edition) linksys wrt54g(s)/wrt54gl wireless routers and upgrade the firmware, as it's cheaper and arguably better, although if you need the convenience of the small size of the airport express...

 

[xparaparafreakx]

Why?

My school im going to does not want to config wireless because there are many cases of students messing up the school network through DHCP. Also the dorms dont have wireless because they dont want students wasteing bandwith.

From: ******@ucdavis.edu
Subject: Re: Recommended Minimum Laptop Computer Configurations for 2006-2007
Date: May 31, 2006 9:22:47 AM PDT
To: ******@theworks.com

Thatt should be fine, but I must stress that you will be responsible for
any issues that may arise.

-*******
IT Express



On Tue, 30 May 2006, ***** wrote:

So if I lock it down, WEP password, ethernet bridge and shut it off
when I don't use it (during class time) I should be okay?

-****

On May 30, 2006, at 11:39 AM, IT Help wrote:

Hello,

The Recommended Minimum Computer Configurations are just
recommendations,
any current computer system should be fine for most users. A laptop
hard
drive running at 5400 or even 4200 would be sufficient unless you know
otherwise. Whether you use Boot Camp or not is up to you, we
support both
Windows XP and OS X operating systems.

We do not support personal wireless networks in the dorms, and you
would
be accountable for any traffic that occurs on your wireless
connection.
And you definitely do not want to configure a DHCP server as that will
disrupt the network. A properly configured and secured wireless
access point would probably be fine, but we do not provide any
support for
this.

Sincerely,
-*****
IT Express



On Sun, 28 May 2006, N******* wrote:

To Whom This May Concern,
On the site it saids on the laptop, 7200 RPM. Is that high of
an RPM needed? Also do you recommend students use Boot Camp on the
Intel Mac? Can students have wireless base station on the dorms if
they config them as "ethernet bridges" and not DHCP mini servers?

-****

 

[DanielGilbert]

On the topic of airport express, does anyone here have one and what kind of experience have they had with it?

I've read some rather critical reviews of it and there seem to be a lot of people (Apple store - reviews section) who claim that they cease to function after 12-18 months.

 

[.Andy]

On the topic of airport express, does anyone here have one and what kind of experience have they had with it?

I've read some rather critical reviews of it and there seem to be a lot of people (Apple store - reviews section) who claim that they cease to function after 12-18 months.

I've had one plugged in since the day they were released and I'm using it to post now. It's also got speakers plugged into it and a printer. All AOK - as far as I'm concerned it's a great little system .

 

[Mord]

this is why i'm moveing out of dorm rooms asap when i go to uni, i like my wireless, ethernet sucks.

also i have far too many computers, i'm takeing my pc my macbook and my g4 cube, and i'd much rather just take my airport express and connect them all via airport.

 

[Some_Big_Spoon]

I have an airport base station and 2 Airport Expresses (is that a word?) as m network, with a printer plugged into each (3 printers), powered speakers plugged into each Express, 1 iMac G5, 1 MB, 1 PB (currently in pieces), and don't have a single problem with it.

What's more is that I take one of the Airport Expresses with me when I travel, which is often, and simply by plugging it in and connecting ethernet i have WiFi.. no config necessary.

On the topic of airport express, does anyone here have one and what kind of experience have they had with it?

I've read some rather critical reviews of it and there seem to be a lot of people (Apple store - reviews section) who claim that they cease to function after 12-18 months.

 

[balamw]

Why?

Just a guess. Universities generally have lots of bandwidth, so they don't want their network shared to the world so passing wardrivers can do with that bandwidth what they will.

FWIW I had the Airport Express before I had the Mac, using AirTunes from my Dell to the living room. Now that the iMac is there, I keep it for travel...

B

 

[JurgenWigg]

I checked with my university and they said it'd be fine as long as it's not a DCHP server and password protected.

How do I not set it up as a DCHP server (??), or how do I avoid doing this/how do I set it up "the other way"?

 

[Keebler]

it works awesome

buddy of mine has it...had 2 winxp laptops, + a pc desktop + an ibook all connected via the wireless network...airtunes express is connected to his stereo...sounds awesome...works flawlessly.

i don't have a wireless network (yet), but i'm on my way to getting one set up. actually trying to buy an imac so it's built in

BUT, i'm really geared b/c i just bought these speakers:
http://audioengineusa.com/

the left speaker has an outlet RIGHT on the back to plug the express into so you don't need a receiver! PERFECT!

 

[Timepass]

I checked with my university and they said it'd be fine as long as it's not a DCHP server and password protected.

How do I not set it up as a DCHP server (??), or how do I avoid doing this/how do I set it up "the other way"?

it default setting is not set up in DCHP mode I believe.

But I know at Texas tech offilally we where not allowed to run even routers in our own rooms. They tend to frown on that. And offially wireless was a huge no no. Yeah didnt listen to that one. I was running my own privet wireless network in my dorm that my palm and laptop would tie into. My desktop was still hardwired in to the router but it was to the router.

Reason they dont like the router is they can not detect your computer only the router so they dont know how many computers are on it and it harder to track the data after it hits the router. Wireless because it can mess with the campus one with interferce and people will have trouble tieing into the campus one getting confused on by the fact there computers would be picking up sevaral diffenct wireless ones.

All in all just makes sure it is passworded and say screw it. They not going to be able to tell and if you clone your computer MAC address to the router of any type as far as they can tell on there end they see your computer.

 

[janey]

Why?

That depends on the school. Plenty of reasons for it, most ofthem named above. They'll go as far as to suspend your use by mac address so you can't use it till you spoof another mac address or get a new one..