AirPort Express Goes N: One Down, Three To Go

Apple just updated the AirPort Express to use next-generation 802.11n wireless technology, promising to to deliver up to five times the performance and twice the range of the previous model.

It's about time.

But since Apple still has three products restricted to 802.11g networks, your ability to actually see those performance enhancements remains problematic.

It's well known that achieving the fastest data rates requires that all of the computers or devices on a network to be 802.11n-enabled. But can you actually do so in practice?

Let's examine the following updated chart, first published in The Apple 802.11n Illusion:

802.11	B	G	N
MacBook	X	X	X
MacBook Pro	X	X	X
Mac mini	X	X
iMac	X	X	X
Mac Pro	X	X	X
iPhone	X	X
iPod Touch	X	X
Apple TV		X	X
AirPort Express	X	X	X
AirPort Extreme	X	X	X
Time Capsule	X	X	X

As you can see, all Macs are now "n" compatible... except for the mini, which still has yet to be upgraded. And neither the iPhone nor the Touch supports 802.11n.

So own any of the remaining devices, and you have two choices: run your base stations in "mixed" g/n mode, or buy yet another Express and setup two networks. The first solution reduces your network speed significantly, and is more open to interference from other nearby "g" networks.

The second lets you run a dedicated "n" network, giving you the best possible speed on that side, at the cost of buying another Express adaptor (and ethernet cable) to maintain a "g" network for your minis and iPhones.

The lack of an upgrade to the Mac mini is particularly troubling, since a mini would make a great iTunes media server. Its lack of 802.11n, however, makes using it with other half of a media system more problematic.

I'm talking, of course, about the Apple TV. Syncing and updating an Apple TV is still a bit pokey under 802.11n. Under "g" it's positively glacial.

Even if you don't own an Apple TV (why not?), an Apple household is still likely to own another of Apple's flagship devices—the iPhone. And here again the lack of "n" is felt. Apple makes much of the fact that AT&T's EDGE network is sufficient only because so many places (like your home) have WiFi.

But again, that requires a "g" network, which means we're back to our first set of choices: a mixed-mode network, or two networks.

Or do without.

Still, it's nice to see that Apple is committed to upgrading their systems. But like the iPhone updates, one can't help but wish they'd move just a little bit faster.

Comments

[James R. Taylor]

So how do you do the multiple network setup?