Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Apple AirPort Express Base Station 300Mbit/s

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From the United States

Alex

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2017

Verified Purchase

great to extend your Wifi network via wifi

Helpful

Kimberley A. Sinclair

Flashing yellow sometimes green

Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2015

Verified Purchase

sometime it works and stays green and other times it flashes yellow.

3 people found this helpful

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From other countries

Aloo Singh

Amazing features - better than the previous model

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 3, 2012

Verified Purchase

First off, although I liked the convenience and compactness of the previous models' integrated plug approach, the additional features of this new model more than make up for that.

I am using this in conjunction with an Apple AirPort Extreme base station (AEBS) to extend my wireless networks via gigabit ethernet. This model is much better suited to this task than the previous model, as it has gigabit LAN and WAN ports for different configurations. The AEBS has supported dual band 2.4 and 5 GHz wifi for a couple of years, and the previous AirPort Express model was single band only, so this new model allows me to extend both networks perfectly.

For anyone new to Apple wifi hardware and its configuration, this is a doddle to setup. If you have a Mac or iOS device, the setup utility is built-in. I have Windows desktops and iOS devices, so I can use either - for Windows, you will need to download the Apple AirPort Utility software for Windows from their website.

For first time configuration, simply plug the device into the power and it creates its own network to use for configuration. Discovery is all handled using Apple's Bonjour protocol which (if you aren't aware) means you don't need to do anything fiddly to find the new device. If you have wireless devices (such as a Mac or iOS device, or Windows PC with a wireless adaptor) the AirPort Utility software will see the new device and provide a wizard for configuration. In iOS, go to the wifi settings and it will appear as a separate network - tap the new network to configure the device.

One tip - before first time configuration, physically connect the device the way it will be when it's in your network. Mine extends my wifi via ethernet, but I initially didn't connect the ethernet, thinking I'd set it up wirelessly first, then connect the ethernet afterwards. The configuration wizard will offer options available based only on the current configuration, so as I wanted to bridge my network with my AEBS via ethernet, that option wasn't available because I haven't plugged the cable in yet. Connect everything up first, and the configuration wizard should get everything right within about 30 seconds.

This makes it hands down the easiest piece of network hardware to configure in my experience, and I've used (mainly) Netgear hardware which is pretty simple, among others like D-Link. By way of a last word on configuration, it's very simple to keep an eye on your network via an iPad (or iPhone etc.) using the AirPort Utility for iOS (free download from the App Store). The app provides a network topography with red/amber/green status lights, and all the configuration options are just a tap away. It's a pleasure to administer - which I realise sounds quite sad.

As for performance - awesome. I've used this to create and extend a hidden 5 GHz wifi network, which works with the iPhone 5 and iPads 3 and 4 (and probably lots of other devices) - it screams! The original 2.4 GHz network is also still available for other devices, and I'm not saying there aren't other devices that won't perform equally well - Asus have some excellent products at the top of their range - but with Apple there's one choice for a router and one choice for a WAP, and they're both amazing. You get what you pay for ultimately.

I'd highly recommend this product to anyone with iOS devices or a Mac. If, like me, you have Windows desktops, it's still the easiest networking hardware to configure if you're not technical. iTunes and the AirPort utility for Windows both support the Bonjour protocol, so you don't have to fiddle with anything. This product works particularly well when paired with Apple's AirPort Extreme base station, so if you are considering upgrading or replacing your entire network, I would urge you to consider starting with one of those - which already provides one of the best signal strength, speed and range aerials on the market - and extend it with one of these if necessary.

I can't comment on how this product works with other (non-Apple) routers and network hardware, but ultimately they're all doing the same thing, so I don't see why it wouldn't work. There are advanced options if you want to get into the nitty gritty of networking. Oh - this product DOES NOT support WPS for one-button network configuration. I think Apple omitted this on security grounds - you can read about WPS on WikiPedia, and if you want ease of configuration, I would recommend this product over a WPS-enabled one if you're bothered about security. Turn off WPS on your non-Apple networking products and get some help configuring your network if necessary. That's just my opinion, but WPS appears to be insecure and unnecessary when you see how easy this product and an AEBS are to configure.

Finally, if you would like to keep this product out of the way and tidy, like the previous model, I believe somewhere on Amazon there's a bracket for an Apple TV (which has the same dimensions as this product) which is inexpensive and can be bolted to a wall etc. to keep it out of the way.

39 people found this helpful

Occo

attention câble secteur non conforme pour l'europe

Reviewed in France on August 19, 2017

Verified Purchase

attention câble secteur norme anglaise donc pas compatible en france et en europe ... dommage que ce ne soit pas spécifié dans le descriptif technique

One person found this helpful

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Andrew

Good, but not perfect......

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 31, 2012

Verified Purchase

As with so many Apple products this is beautifully designed and 'minimalist' . Dual 2.4/5GHz on board. Setting up is not the easiest thing to do and a fully fledged PC (note you MUST have Windows 7! Vista abd XP will not run the setup utility at all) or MAC is required as this cannot be done on something such as an iPad regardless of version! Certain functionality is not available via an iPad/iPhone type device and so a full computer is needed.

However once set-up then unless major changes are needed in the configuration then an iPad is fine. The manual could be better written though. Not everyone using these is a geek, 'fanboi' or nerd. Some users really are human and need instructions for humans.

Operating range on 2.4GHz is very good, almost amazing considering there are no external antennae. 5GHz coverage not so good. But to be fair 5GHz radio signals are absorbed by more materials and therefore do not penetrate walls etc so well. This could cause some performance issues if you force the system into 5GHz mode only.

5 people found this helpful

Nick M

Great bit of kit!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 1, 2013

Verified Purchase

I live in an old house which has always struggled with patchy wi-fi signal. Changed my BT hub (hopeless) to a TP link router which helped, but most of the upstairs rooms still got no signal. Read lots of positive reviews about the airport express and it seemed to be what I needed so ordered it last week. Arrived really promptly so no probs there.
We've put the airport express in our bedroom and the set up was very straight forward using the airport utility app on my iPhone . We've linked it using a homeplug to our router downstairs and are really pleased with the result. Great, consistent wi-fi with no drop outs (not that we've experienced yet anyway!) and in fact the wi-fi streches to the end of the garden now. However its the Airplay and ability to link the device via analogue cables to an external source which is a real bonus I think. We've linked the airport express to a bose wave radio and can access all our itunes library and play them through the bose. Very simple and works really well. I'm sure there are cheaper ways of doing the same thing in terms of bridging routers etc but the airplay function was a standout for me. We've got a few other apple products (iMac, iPhone, the wife's iPad ) and to be honest it was the simple and seamless integration with other apple products which helped sell it to me. If you're more technically minded I'm sure there are very viable alternatives but for ease of set up and the airplay, this takes some beating.

One person found this helpful

Raphaman

Not good with Airplay

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 29, 2012

Verified Purchase

I'm an Apple fan and I am normally enthusiastic about their products. But unfortunately this product does not work well with Airplay (to play music over my wifi network).

The setup was very easy, and pretty much anyone with a iphone or ipad would be able to do it in a couple of minutes - you can setup on a mac or PC too but the iOS setup is very quick.

Once connected to my network, and wired to my speakers, it was a fantastic novelty to hear music playing wirelessly from my iphone to my zepplin speakers, or from my computer to 3 sets of speakers simultaneously in my house. Very impressive. However, the novelty soon wore off once I realised that the music running through the express was cutting out every 20-30 seconds or so. Only briefly, less than a second each drop, but enough to make music playing through it unlistenable to. Not exactly impressive if you want to show off your amazing wifi music system to your friends.

I know the express is the problem because I replaced it with an Apple TV (that I already owned) and the connection worked perfectly, no drops, on the same network.

I'm sure not everyone has this problem, but there is an Apple Forum crammed full of people moaning about it. Probably best to buy an Apple TV instead (which does the same thing plus lots of other functions for £20 more), or a different product.

12 people found this helpful

Ian T

House-wide network and music cheaper than cabling or Sonos

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2016

Verified Purchase

I have a strange shaped house with many walls and had struggled to create a single wi-fi network that covered the whole of the building. I wanted a single network to share files between computers in different rooms, and also to play music throughout the house.
I looked at CAT5 network cabling but the price was prohibitive for what I wanted. I also looked at Sonos to provide house-wide music.
Finally I bought an Apple AirPort Express from an Apple Store to extend the network from my Apple Airport Extreme. This worked very well and I was very happy with w-fi extension into one part of the house. I subsequently bought a second Express from Apple and then a third from Amazon. The one from Amazon looks identical, but came with a much heavier UK Plug and very short power cable compared to the units from Apple. Also, the figure of eight connector was a very tight fit into the Express unit. In every other respect the Express from Amazon is identical to the two from Apple.
Setting-up Airport Express units to extend a wi-fi network is really simple using Apple Airport Utility. The most important factor is locating the remote Airport Express units where they receive a good signal from the Extreme. It is also important to avoid sources of wireless interference.
Thanks to the combination of Apple Airport Extreme and Express units I have obtained house-wide wi-fi network and music at a fraction of the cost of a wired network and/or Sonos system.

5 people found this helpful

John Orr

Almost perfect but..

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 19, 2013

Verified Purchase

I bought this for use in my sitting room using an iPad as the music source. It was reasonably easy to set up and works a treat connected to my Sony receiver. Only problem is that very now and again I.e 5 to 10 minutes, the audio signal drops out for a split second and then carries on as normal. Very frustrating as there are dozens of potential solutions given online but none have worked for me. So near ,but when it drops out , yet so far.

3 people found this helpful

Mike

Excellent music streamer

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 16, 2017

Verified Purchase

I have a very good hi-fi system and I am fully invested in digital audio.

I use Tidal Hi-Fi which is lossless CD quality (16-bit/44.1kHz) on my phone but needed a streamer for my main sound system. There are many on the market but I did not want to pay the prices companies like Sonos and Denon HEOS charge for a streamer.

I knew this existed and could be used with Apple iDevices to stream audio via AirPlay. As my phone is an iPhone, it will work. I use this via S/PDIF optical into my Behringer sample rate converter which is then connected to my Audiolab M-DAC+ via another optical cable with excellent results!

I now have have CD quality streaming with my hi-fi for 1/4 the price of a Sonos Connect. On the technical side for any of you who have decent knowledge of audio hardware, the jitter output of this isn't the best and it is limited to 16-bits/44.1kHz which is fine for me. Regarding the jitter, in my situation, my sample rate converter reclocks everything to reduce jitter to a minimum and my DAC also has a built-in proprietary master clock anyway so it isn't a problem in my system - as long as your DAC/interface has good jitter immunity you will not experience bad sound.

Overall this bit of kit is excellent value for money, that's excluding its other non-audio uses. If you need high-res audio support, look elsewhere at the vastly more expensive audiophile alternatives on the market. For CD quality and below, look no further than this as there is no need to spend anymore than what this costs for high quality music streaming!

2 people found this helpful

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