Plug its 3.5mm audio mini jack into any speakers around the house and then you can stream music - in digital or analog - wirelessly to those speakers from the iTunes library on your desktop or laptop computer. Its iTunes capabilities are another key AirPort selling point. And if you're on a Mac, built-in Bonjour capabilities mean users on the network can easily find one another to share pictures, videos or any other kind of data. Plug it into a printer via the USB cable, and presto, any of those 10 users is able to print documents wirelessly. Security-wise, you can set the Express to use WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) or WPA2, 40-bit or 128-bit Wireless Security (WEP) and MAC address filtering.Ĭonnect AirPort to your DSL (direct subscriber line) or cable modem, or your Ethernet network, and it provides wireless Internet access for up to 10 users. It's also compatible with both Mac and Windows operating systems. Its small form factor means the Express slips neatly into the side pocket of even a svelte laptop carrying case. But later two use TP-Link’s Tether.That's a lot of features for a device that's only 3.7 inches (9.4 centimeters) high by 2.9 inches (7.5 centimeters) wide and 1.1 inches (2.8 centimeters) thick. The first still required an ugly and complicated Web administrative interface to configure. I’ve gradually switched from Apple to TP-Link for the three Wi-Fi routers on my network. In that case, configure your main base station as a bridge/access point, too.įor a configuration like this, some manufacturers have finally got the religion of simplicity. The only exception is if the broadband router handles network assignment with DHCP and NAT. Use the same network password for all Wi-Fi networks, too. (Name the base stations themselves uniquely in whatever way the device lets you to identify them for configuration.) This name, the SSID (Service Set Identifier), is what you see in a list of Wi-Fi networks in a menu. Name each additional router’s network the same. Instead, they pass through the NAT/DHCP combo from the main router. You want these routers to neither create a private network nor pass out addresses. The terminology varies by Wi-Fi device maker. You can also insert ethernet switches for convenience or to span greater distances between the main router and additional ones.Ĭonfigure each additional router as a bridge or access point. (This the combination known as NAT and DHCP: NAT manages the private network range DHCP hands out addresses.)Ĭonnect each additional router via ethernet to the LAN ports on the main router. The main network takes the Internet Protocol (IP) address handed off by the broadband modem and creates a private network range and passes out addresses to Wi-Fi- and ethernet-connected devices. It connects via its WAN (Wide Area Networking) port to your broadband modem. One of your Wi-Fi gateways needs to act as the “main” unit. The tricks to setting up an ethernet-connected AirPort replacement network are straightforward: Roaming devices should switch automatically from a weak signal to a stronger one, but iPhones in particular seem to sometimes stick to a weak signal even when it provides a very slow link and much closer routers are available.) (Because this roaming is dependent on individual devices, you can see different performance among them. Apple made it easy to set up a series of base stations that could have unique individual names (to identify them for configuration), but could be set to share the same network name to allow devices to roam. Any device that has a Wi-Fi adapter that lets it connect to a network-whether an iPad, laptop, Nintendo Switch, Android phone, or smart fridge-automatically roams among base stations that share the same network name and encryption setup, including password. Readers ask for what was a breeze with AirPort configurations: a single network that allows devices to roam seamlessly without awkward handoffs between base stations. Mesh may sound great, but why not use the wiring we have? Such readers are in the same situation I am in: we have some ethernet wiring or have strung some ethernet cables in the house to connect base stations and just want to swap out what we have for the latest. I increasingly get email from readers who have failing or kaput AirPort base station equipment and want to set up a network with the same simplicity, but at a lower cost than mesh options.
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