Initial Hands-On Report--Apple AirPort Express Base Station
The AirPort Express began shipping on July 14 with 80,000 pre-orders. Unfortunately, we were not one of them. Instead, we had planned to pick one up at a local retail Apple Store, partly not heeding Apple's penchant for greatly under-estimating initial demand for their products and partly because we planned to move our global HQ around the time it was to ship. Well, neither of the two retail Apple Stores in San Diego County had any for sale to a "walk-in"--all went to those who had pre-ordered and they still had backorders. We even checked the South Coast Apple Store in neighboring Orange County and struck out. But our intrepid New England Editor, Dana Baggett, had better luck, finding two for sale at the Salem, NH, Apple Store and 60 in the Peabody, MA, Apple Store. We wanted one to replace the full size AirPort Base Station that we take with us on travel and Dana wanted a couple of them to extend the AirPort network in our New England HQ. Saturday, Dana drove the 6-hour round trip from Maine to Peabody and bought two of the roughly 45 that the store still had in stock.
Here is Dana's report:
Background
We've used the original Graphite AirPort base station since it came out in 1999. We also have used the Snow (aka Dual Ethernet) base station. Both have worked flawlessly. We had no need for an AirPort Extreme base station since we're using Macs with just standard Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11b) capability. The only problem we've encountered is the limited range of our Titanium PowerBook G4 500 (PB) as compared with our original Tangerine iBook, a common issue. Each room at our New England Headquarters is individually insulated with fiberglass in the ceiling, walls and floor to provide for economical use of electric heat in our Maine coastal climate. Is some insulation foil-backed? Possibly. If so, it could curtail the broadcast signal, according to Apple.
Also, we recall reading that the Graphite base station has a stronger horizontal than vertical signal. The cautionary note we read said for that reason, mounting the Graphite base station on a wall (with the Apple-supplied mounting) could reduce the horizontal broadcast range. Since we have our ABS sitting flat, that might also explain why we can get a signal on our PB throughout the main floor but not on the second floor.
In any event, our PB is limited to use on the main floor. Enter AirPort Express with its claim of "Extending the range of your current wireless network." We located a supply of AirPort Express Base Stations at a retail Apple Store "down the road a piece." We bought two, since an Express unit will only extend the range of an AirPort Extreme or Express network (IEEE802.11g), not a standard Wi-Fi 802.11b network. We used the first unit to establish an Express network and the second unit to extend it.
Are you into packaging? Since the AirPort Extreme box contains a CD with AirPort 4.0 software and iTunes v. 4.6, it dictates the size of the box, about 5 3/8" x 5 3/8" and 2 1/2" thick. Besides the CD, the box--another clever package from Apple--contains a 46-page "AirPort Express Setup Guide" (more about this later), and a document containing the details of the One Year Limited Warranty. The AirPort Express itself is all white, about 3 3/4" x 3" x 1" thick. It weighs about 6 3/4 oz according to Apple. It has two pop-up prongs that plug directly into a 110 volt outlet. The plug pops off just like the one on an Apple AC adapter but Apple does not supply an electrical cord like it does with the AC adpater. The box is white and bright blue, which was the color of the Apple tee shirts being worn by the staff on the floor of the Apple Store when we were there. A trend? We hope not; we prefer Panther black.
Setup and Use
We're on a Verizon DSL internet connection. We got it up and running some months ago by directly connecting the DSL modem via an RJ-45 Ethernet cable to our Cube. Then, we connected the DSL modem via the Ethernet cable directly to our Graphite base station and transferred the settings using the AirPort Setup Assistant. It worked like a charm. We hoped for the same experience with the AirPort Express.
We disconnected the Graphite base station from the DSL modem and connected the Express unit to the modem via the Ethernet cable in the same location on the main floor. We powered it up using a small power strip with an on-off switch which the Express unit lacks. Then we ran the software installer from the CD. One needs Panther (Mac OS 10.3 or higher) to administer the Express units. After the required reboot, an AirPort Express Assistant opened to provide migration of computer settings to the Express. All seemed to go well but when finished we couldn't establish an internet connection. Oh-oh! Upon investigation, we discovered that the AirPort Express Assistant failed to set up the Express with our DSL account name and password. Once we entered the information correctly (we'll spare you the painful details of Murphy's Law involving keying errors by this typist) we were on!
In the interest of science, we decided to see if our new Express unit now serving as our main base station on the ground floor could be seen by our PB on the second floor. Nope. Then we plugged in the second Express unit in at a central location on the second floor and went back to our Cube to see if it could find it via the first Express unit. Yes! We invoked the AirPort Express Assistant setup procedure for adding an Express unit to an existing network and Bingo! We had lift off. It was connected. Now, the PB can connect to the internet while on the second floor. In short, the Express works as advertised to extend the range of our wireless Express network.
Wireless Printing
We tried wireless printing from the PB. The printer we use is an HP PSC 2110 All-in-One which works readily from the PB when connected via a USB cable. The PB is running Jaguar Mac OS 10.2.8 and Apple states that wireless printing requires Mac OS 10.2.7 or later. While the PB could see the printer, it couldn't print to it wirelessly. If we switched the printer USB cable from the Express unit back to the PB and the same document prints. The problem? This printer isn't supported by AirPort Express. The list of "AirPort Extreme, Express: Base station-compatible USB Printers" is in AppleCare Knowledge Base Document 107418. Well, we didn't buy the AirPort Express for this feature but it would be nice if our printer were supported. Hopefully it will be supported in a future software update. The lesson is, make sure your printer is supported if you want to use USB printing wirelessly.
Documentation
We only read manuals after all else fails, probably like most Mac users. Ever since our first Mac 512K, we've subscribed to the plug-n-play approach. Perhaps it is just as well. We found the 46 page Apple Express Setup Guide wanting in some respects, by the way. The manual is CD-size, about quarter the size of an 8 1/2" x 11" letter-sized page so its 46 pages may translate to about 12 full size pages. Generally, it provides a good grasp of the obvious. More than once it advises "Use the AirPort Express Assistant to...." We found the illustrations maddening in some respect. In "Using AirPort Express on an Existing Wireless Network to Stream Music to your Home Stereo" on page 12, "What it looks like" illustrates the use of an AirPort Express with an Extreme base station network. On page 22 "Extending the Range of an Existing AirPort Extreme or AirPort Express Network" the illustration of "What is looks like" shows the Express extending an Extreme base station network. Get the picture? There isn't a single illustration of two AirPort Express units working together. The words are there but "What it looks like" isn't. Not reassuring if one looks at the pictures for reassurance that two Express units can indeed work together.
The CD contains "Designing AirPort Networks" in PDF format. Chapter Five starting on page 67 is entitled "Using AirPort Express." It illustrates using the AirPort Express Assistant. Chapter Six "Behind the Scenes" has been updated to include a brief reference to AirPort Express. Otherwise, this document is about using AirPort Extreme.
For reasons known only to Apple, the best and somewhat hard-to-find, detailed document exclusively about AirPort Express is the (mis)titled AirPort Express Technology Overview July 2004. It runs 31 (full-sized) pages and is very informative. It is the guide that should be in the box as it is not overly technical despite its title. The illustrations include only Express units. A helpful section on page 13 advises road warriors on how to adjust the power of an Express base station downward for use in a hotel room so you are not providing a signal that others can use.
The User Guide page 40 says "To register AirPort Express (if you didn't do it when you installed the software on the AirPort Express CD), go to www.apple.com/register." Sure. If you follow the suggested link, you will find that AirPort Express is not listed as a product that you can register there. On the AirPort Express Tech Specs page we learn that one can "Purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan to extend the service and support for the AirPort Express Base Station." But if you follow the link, there is no such plan specifically for the Express. If you already have AppleCare for your computer, your Apple Express is covered under the same AppleCare Protection Plan that covers your Mac: "Comprehensive coverage--The AppleCare Protection Plan covers your Mac, as well as an AirPort Card or AirPort Extreme Card, an AirPort Express or AirPort Extreme Base Station, and Apple RAM used with your Mac."
In Summary
AirPort Express works well for the primary purpose that we puchased ours, i.e. to create and extended Wi-Fi network in our New England HQ. Since the units only cost $129 each, we spent only $258 for our extended network. When our editor in chief is able to obtain an Express unit, we will report on the other features. [Dana Baggett]
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