Amazing, Feature-Packed WiFi Router with Multiple Personalities

Author's Rating:

Pros: Incredible data throughput, ease of use, multiple profiles to fit many use scenarios

Cons: Only one Ethernet port

The Bottom Line: 
Out of the box I was using it in minutes. Great Performance in the palm of your hand and easily adapts to changing needs for home, work, travel.

Author's Review
UPDATE (11/27/2007) Do not buy this product right now. A flaw has been discovered in the Airport Express hardware of NEW units which causes them to quit responding while indicating that they are online and working. They simply vanish from the network and have to be unplugged and plugged in again. The time between failures can be hours or minutes. Apple has not acknowledged this problem but I have experienced it for myself. Many other users have reported this problem on the Apple support website from the Mac and Windows worlds and it is clear the problem is not the computer, the OS or even the firmware in the Express but a hardware flaw. I will try to stay in touch with this topic and report back when the problem appears to have been fixed but for the time being, do not buy this.



The Apple AirPort Express is a unique device in the electronics market. It is a chameleon of sorts, capable of changing and adapting to a variety of roles and combinations of functions. Its primary role is that of a router, taking an Ethernet input and creating a WiFi network which can be open or secured in a variety of ways and with a varying degree of protection sophistication.

The AirPort Express can function as a WiFi router, distributing an Ethernet input wirelessly, as a WiFi client, joining an existing WiFi network, as a client used to receive “AirTunes” from any computer running iTunes, thus connecting the computer’s music library to a stereo or powered speakers. Additionally, the AirPort Express can allow any printer to connect wirelessly to computers for WiFi printing.

Out of the box, the default mode for this device is to create an unencrypted wireless network. Literally all one has to do is connect it to an Ethernet network source and plug it into the wall. Wait about a minute for start-up and diagnostics of the hardwired network and a green light appears. From that point on, any WiFi capable computer can access the new Wireless network. It really is that easy. This makes it a perfect pick-up buy for business travelers which is how I acquired mine and I was literally up and running with it wirelessly in a hotel in minutes.

The software which is provided allows the user of a PC or Mac to access the AirPort Express via a separate, direct channel. This means that even if you mess-up its settings so it cannot join an Ethernet or WiFi network, you can still access it to make changes. It is capable of storing five complete profiles such as Home, Travel, Cabin, etc. To change its personality once these profiles are established, just plug it in and run the AirPort Admin software, select the profile you want and it will restart with a new personality and set of functions.

The AirPort Express is designed to work with the Apple AirPort Extreme or with other Express units. You can have any number on your network, functioning independently and creating different WiFi zones or as a Wireless Distribution System (WDS) in which the main router is extended through them, not as range extenders but as true extensions of the primary router which can even be another brand. WDS is especially useful for Mac users. Due to the additional security inherent in a Mac, the Mac sees a range extender as a different network even if it is passing along the network name and using the same passwords as the base station router. It will see the different electronic serial number of (MAC address (nothing to do with a Macintosh computer, btw)) and will prompt the user to log onto the other network. PCs don’t quibble over the MAC address and can usually bump back and forth, but not always. With WDS, the base station is in charge, handing out IP addresses through the add-on nodes.

AirTunes is a very cool feature allowing a computer running iTunes (PC or Mac) to stream music over the AirPort to a stereo or speaker system. This can be done via the computer to AirPort wireless channel or via Ethernet if this option is checked in set-up. This can be done without degrading WiFi data performance.

Printing is easy on a PC and a no-brainer on a Mac. Plug a printer into the AirPort and connect with a Mac and Bonjour technology built into the printer will do the rest. You’ll be printing in seconds. With a PC it’s a bit trickier since Windows has to look at the same IP address each time it prints. This has to be set-up in Windows with a virtual port, an IP address, etc. Use of Bonjour is one area in which OS X leapfrogged Windows. It’s instantaneous and nothing could be simpler. PC users will probably opt for direct connections or connections of Ethernet network printers with base stations which pass the same addresses to them all of the time.

You can’t mess it up! The AirPort Express has a button on the bottom which can reset the Airport to original settings so if you do manage to set it up with a bunch of incompatible parameters and find it won’t connect to anything, you can get it back at the press of a button. Then simply re-install a known-good profile and let it take off again. It does not change anything on any computer (PC or Mac) so there is no danger at all in experimenting with settings.

When two ore more AirPort Express routers are used together, they can create quite an interesting and flexible high-performance wireless network. It’s size should not put off a potential buyer. It has range and power (adjustable for tight settings to control the “footprint” of the signal) and it is fast – really fast. In terms of data throughput it will beat most mainstream routers out there and you can put it in your pocket or computer bag and take it with you.

I bought my first AirPort on a business trip when being tethered to a hotel’s Ethernet would have meant standing to use my computer or re-arranging all of the furniture in the room. I was up and running right away and even had my iTunes library playing wirelessly through it. Subsequently I was able to play around with the many settings to develop profiles which I can switch through any time I wish.

In closing, there is nothing like this out there. If a travel router is needed, you can’t go wrong with this for that function alone, but it does not need to stay in a bag back at home. It can be a valuable, adaptable part of your office or home network, offering additional functionality which other routers do not provide. Even used at home only as an AirTunes receiver, it can be well worth the price in sound quality and fun.

The only down-side I can think of is that it does not have multiple Ethernet ports to distribute a wired signal. A second AirPort can function in this manner to distribute the network via Ethernet but only on its one port. If multiple Ethernet ports are required, this may not be for you but its configuration flexibility will make it an easy fit into just about any existing network even if it is not used as a primary base station. It’s easy with a PC and a snap with A Mac.

What's in the Box:
1) Airport Express with flip-down 120 VAC plug
2) Software CD
3) Instruction booklet

Once the software is installed, you'll only need to carry around the AirPort itself.