AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
Apple airport express as range extender3/18/2023 ![]() I got a refurbished Linksys E2500 from Cisco for around $35. So I thought to try a new Linksys router to see if it would improve the range. I was curious to see how it worked, but didn't want to spring for the Samsung USB adapter so I got a more affordable one (~$20) from Rosewill that technically works with the Samsung but seems to have the weakest range of any WiFi client of any device on our network. I put these features in quotes because it's not very smart (nor pleasant to use for that matter) and the Internet is only possible with the addition of a USB WiFi adapter. Then we added a new Samsung "Smart" TV with "Internet capabilities". This become annoying enough that I disabled the security on our router for a while. Then I noticed when security was enabled on the Linksys router the Roku would need to be reminded of the wireless password every day or two. But intermittently we'd have issues with buffering. When we first started streaming content from our home entertainment system through a Linksys WRT160Nv2 wireless router to a Roku XDS box it seemed to work okay for the most part even though the signal wasn't terribly strong. The Internet comes into my home office on one end of the house and the most challenging wireless connection it needs to make is to our home entertainment system which is about 80 feet away if the signal tries to travel through the house -or- about 58 feet if it wants to sneak outside - according to the Pythagorean Theorem. We live in an 1,800 square foot L-shaped house. ![]() inexpensive Linksys wireless routers.ĭoes the Airport Express have better range? Can it cover the whole house? Which brings me to the purpose of this post - to compare the relative strength of the new Airport Express vs. Wireless router manufacturers seem hesitant to make concrete range claims, perhaps because everyone's situation is different. It's about as minimalistic and beautiful as I can imagine a wireless router being. The prior Airport Express plugged directly into the wall whereas the new one connects via a more standard cable. ![]() The Express is white and the Apple TV is black. The new Airport Express looks nearly identical to the Apple TV other than its color. They added an ethernet port (for that one rogue device you have which you'd prefer to connect via a cable - we use it for our printer), made it a dual-band N router (it was previously single band), and alluded to improved range. It can serve as a wireless router, a wireless range extender, facilitate wireless printing, and serve up wireless audio.īut Apple recently redesigned the Express in ways that make it a viable wireless router for the home. The $99 Airport Express has been around forever but was mostly known for its versatility. The Airport Extreme retails for $179 and especially since its redesign last year has been known for its strong range. If you're with Comcast this latest/greatest device really makes a difference.Īpple currently offers two wireless routers, the Airport Extreme and the Airport Express. Having multiple wireless routers/range extenders is a pain. Moral of the story: Check with your Internet service provider if they have an option for an integrated wireless router. I didn't need the Apple Airport Express after getting this new Comcast router so I sold it on Craigslist. It easily covers our whole house with a strong signal, is more reliable than their previous modem, and provides faster connection speeds both wireless and wired. They came over and replaced our modem/wireless router combo with a new device ( this one here) which has incredible wireless range. It went down frequently and needed to be rebooted - and that didn't always solve the problem. Update (): A couple months ago I complained to Comcast that my Internet service was unreliable.
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |