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Ars Reviews AirPort Express
ack154 writes "Ars Technica has a nice, comprehensive review of the new AirPort Express from Apple. There is a breakdown of each of the main features: music streaming, a mobile base station, a base station extender, and networking a printer. All features were tested from both Mac and Windows perspectives. Overall it got an 8/10 with points mainly lost for no means of remote control and no audio cable included in the package."
... Airport is not legal in some European countries, as it operates on military frequencies...
Off-topic, and unimportant, but that Apple description reads like one of those old 80's advertisements where they dream up scenarios for you.
----- Wtcher Dragon, UDIC
Since the Airport Express can connect to stereo systems.
goates
Product: AirPort Express (product page)
Goes to mircosoft.com on Office:Mac 2004. How could they possibly do that?
Sig: I stole this sig.
It looks like one sweet piece of technology. I'd be interested to know it sends the audio or the file... I wonder how long until we see compatible technology - something else that will stream to an AirPort Express and something else that will show up on the pop-up in iTunes. I love iTunes, but it would be nice if other streaming hardware/software could be compatible.
That what was all this school was for... to teach us how to solve our own problems. -- janeowit
Now, I haven't read the article yet, so I dont know the context, but isn't a computer running iTunes supposed to be the remote control?
Since a number of people missed this in some other forums: the audio jack supports both a headphone type connector and an optical connector, but not at the same time.
Jumpstart the tartan drive.
It's marketed as a digital life device to allow iTunes to stream over the home stereo (source of criticism). However, it depends on what it's being plugged into...most stereos take RCA. 3.5mm line in is not typically. Apple sells a kit for 39 bucks for those not already equipped.
Of course, I have the RCA -> 3.5mm male bit for hooking my iBook into the stereo plus a 3.5mm headphone extension so i have a 6' or so radius to put the iBook in a safe and accessible location.
Also, to my dismay, the Express did not include any audio cables for hooking it up to a stereo. ... The AirPort Express Stereo Connection Kit with Monster Cables and an AC power cord is available separately from Apple for US$39.
They offer it separately, and I think that's the point. The idea is to stream music wirelessly, and many people are going to buy it for that reason. If Apple adds the Connection Kit to the AirPort Express, the overall price goes up some, for an item I would guess most people do not need/want. If you absolutely have to have a wired connection, then hey, they have that accessory available as a separate product.
CT
Maybe you could argue the lack of remote (or maybe not given this is first generation, and a remote function might have doubled the price... you don't just toss a remote function in there... that's hardware), but a point off for no audio cable is complete dump. Everyone's situation is going to be different. Do they put in a 3' cable? A 6' cable? A 9' cable? MonsterCable? Lamp cord? It's like dinging a mouse for not including the mouse pad. I have a box full of included cables I have never used.
--- Ban humanity.
That's my question. A secondly, if it can, can it be used to share an ethernet printer and extend an existing wireless network at the same time?
--- What?
Perhaps you could boost your phone's bluetooth and use SallingClicker...
After the welcome screen, the Assistant inquired politely as to whether I wished to set up my Express to create a new wireless network, or connect to my current wireless network.
It's a nice bit of Journalism, which makes for a good read, but I couldn't help thinking it would next inquire politely ... "Would you like some coffee while you wait for the set up to finish"?
CT
I was wondering if there is third party firmware for my router (D-Link Wireless router, dunno the name, don't have access to it right now), so that I can get an airport express to act as a repeater with it? Is there 3rd party and/or linux based firmware for this that will support the standard that the airport express uses to act as a repeater?
Sig: I stole this sig.
Walt Mossberg reviewed it in today's Wall Street Journal, as well. You can find the article here. He mostly likes it, but wants to be able to play through multple outputs (either two Airport Expresses or an Airport Express and the local speakers). Also, the lack of remote control and display was a huge downside for him.
You just come along with me and have a good time. The Galaxy's a fun place. You'll need to have this fish in your ear.
Bridging and the Linksys WRT54G
CT
"Airport is not legal in some European countries, as it operates on military frequencies..."
So they'll be able to groove to my Mel Torme collection while going head-to-head with the OpFor? Sweet.
After reading the article, I see clearly that this device is exactly as Apple has described - it was almost like reading from Apple's own materials on Airport Express.
Particularly interesting was how well it worked with both Windows and Apple environments.
This review makes me keenly aware that this product is a 'must' have luxury' for the road warrior who needs a single, small, device to handle multiple calls of duty. Armed with this iPod sized device, a few cables, and the install CD (or access to the Interweb) a road warrior has a superior acessory for their PowerBook or Inspiron.
I only came here to do two things; kick some ass, and drink some beer...looks like we're almost out of beer.
Looking how easy it is to set up simple home networking makes me jealous. Configuring an smb.conf file is a bitch and always has trouble. That's not to say samba is bad since they started from nothing. In fact it's just another example of how apple can make a product very usable when they have control of a protocol and api.
You can buy a mini-to-RCA plug at Radio Shack for less than $5. I think the kit has optical, "normal" and a power extension.
Did anyone else mis-read that as "Arse Review Airport Express"? I swear, for a second there....
I think this is a great product, but I have this awful feeling that, if not properly situated in your domicile, this little doodad runs the risk of getting unplugged when the wife or housekeeper comes through to vacuum.
Wait -- I don't have a housekeeper, and my wife makes me vacuum.
Dammit. It's a moot point.
IronChefMorimoto
Does anyone have any idea if it would be possible to route the audio from the WiFi-interface to the USB port? I have a Yamaha cavit that my mac sees and can play to or record from over USB 1.1.
Any chance that instead of going to the optical / analog audio port, that we can get the audio through the USB port ?
Does it work as well out-of-the-box whether you're a Mac or Windows user? The short answer is yes. The long answer is that Windows users will sometimes have to go through a few extra steps to achieve the same result as someone using Mac OS X.
Whew! Good thing he gave us the short answer before we had to plow through the long answer!
One man's -1 Flamebait is another man's +5 Funny.
I just use my Remote Wonder to control iTunes. It has the added benefit of also controlling everything else on my mac; makes a perfect DVD remote, handles changing channels on my TV card, and can even be used to play games. Of course, the only things I use it for when not in the same room is iTunes and sleeping the computer.
I think it's plainly obvious that apple plans to introduce an AirTunes enabled iPod.
Toshiba delivered 60gb iPod drives around the same time that the price dropped 'Pods came out.
Apple types have said that they're waiting for expess to be a bit more ubiquitous before they release some other stuff (roughtly paraphrased from foggy memory).
You don't need a crayon to connect these dots.
"Let him go, Ralph. He knows what he's doing." --Otto Mann (simpsons)
From the article:
Am I supposed to parse this as:
"Wireless Internet access requires (a wireless-enabled computer, (a base station or other access point) and Internet access)"
Or:
"Wireless Internet access requires ((a wireless-enabled computer, a base station or other access point) and Internet access)"
The former implies that I would need an additional access point, whereas the latter does not.
-jim
Sure, the Ronco Turnip Twaddler is advertised to slice, dice, mince, and julienne every root vegetable in your garden.
Hardly surprising, but someone over at Ars has read their Bloom County...
The airport express as shipped will need a 1/8" (3.5mm) to dual RCA or mini-Toslink optical cable to hook up to an audio device. Out of the box it can not do so. While radio shack has the cables necessary, it doesn't have the power cord which replaces the flip out plug in (ala iPod and power book adapters). I've had my AX up and running since last friday and finally got the connector kit yesterday.
I wish iTunes could let one stream audio to the Express and play music on the host simultaneously. I was surprised to learn that it can't do both.
It's probably not as easy as it sounds. I imagine that automatically getting exact synchronization with different levels of network activity could be tricky. And if they were a bit off, it would sound pretty weird.
Thank you for your informative reply. I've already had to deal with a Shithead AC, and your more tempered response is greatly appreciated.
CT
That's like dodging points for a graphics card w/o a speaker.
:P
Actually, it's not like that at all. See, one of the "big deals" of this product is that you can play your computer audio files on your stereo with little fuss. Not just your computer, but any computer on your network that has itunes installed.
Not including an audio cable is stupid, in my book, because one of the biggest selling points of the product is NOT FUNCTIONAL without additional equipment. Sure, it's a cheap cable (3-5 bucks most places), but I imagine there are a number of people who don't have these handy. And if Apple bought these in bulk (which they obviously would), it would probably cost them 25 cents at the most to include this cable in the box.
For me, playing mp3's or aac on my stereo isnt such a big deal, beacuse I've been doing it for years with a 25 foot audio cable going direct from my comp to my stereo. But for many, their stereos aren't so close to their computers. This product is a cool idea, but like I said, the (probaby) biggest selling point isnt functional without additional equipment. That's just lame.
Joseph?
Drop me a line at:
Key ID: 0x54D1D809
No, the poster is obvious a time traveller from probably 10 years back in time.
Then, the usage of this frequency was controlled in France, but that has no longer been the case for a number of years, now.
The other similar hoax usually pulled is that you are supposed to undergo all sorts of testing before getting this class of devices approved for usage in Europe. This is also nonsense, as a mutual recognition agreement(MRA) is now in force between the USA and the European (dis)Union, so that each of the two commercial partners relies upon the certification of the other.
In other words, if it is FCC approved, we'll believe them (as to the other way around, let's see...).
Thufir Hawat
Part-time Mentat
The problem with that would be the audio would be out of sync with the video because of the time it would take to re-encode, encrypt, stream, decrypt and decode on the other end.
Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
It would be nice to stream to all the AEs at once - I bought two for different rooms. I knew from the start that it would only stream to one at a time, but having it stream to all at once would be awesome.
it also has overpriced monster cable!
> I watch DVDs on my powerbook, and if I could stream from DVD player (obviously a trivial thing technically) I might actually get one.
You can use any sound source as a streaming mp3 using Nicecast from Rogue Amoeba then get iTunes to play that mp3 stream.
http://www.rogueamoeba.com/nicecast//index.php
aedan
no means of remote control
what kind of remote controller is he looking for?
i thought by definition, remote control refers to a program's or device's ability to control a computer system or another device from a remote location. don't you need a computer with wireless capabilities to setup this device?
what kind of controller is he looking for?
if he wants to control itunes remotely, changing songs and adjusting the volume, he can use a USB IR remote controller.
I find the mini-->RCA adaptors to be less than completely reliable. A misaligned connection is rather annoying, particularly when the audio signal is encoded with dolby surround. The optical connection is a nice touch, though.
That's all I use mine for, since the AirPort Extreme is plenty to reach all points of my house.
I hope this thing works better than the original Airport they designed with absolutely no airflow through the device. The things would eventually burn themseelves up in the heat. At an old job I had we actually had to occassionally put test unit in the fridge to cool it off enough for it to work for a couple more hours at a time.
There's a lot of other products that will pull mp3s from your computer and play them on your stereo in the living room. Most come with remotes! Here's a big-ass list.
"It's Dot Com!"
I understand what you're saying, but remember that this product is coming from Apple, not HP or Epson. Apple is typically the type of company that likes to make things as easy as possible for the end user, but not in an insulting way or anything. I would expect them to include everything you need to make a product work with all functionality out of the box.
I think this is a lot different than a printer not coming with a USB cable. Although not including a USB cable is a pretty crappy thing as well these days, since I'd guess >90% of end users have USB ports on their computers.
Joseph?
I've never seen a computer that doesnt have 1/8 out, and I've never seen a stereo that doesnt have RCA in (except for stereos that dont have input at all). Now that's not to say they don't exist, people with very high end equipment might not have one or the other, but....
1/8 to RCA is by far the most common so thats what they should include. For the maybe 10% of the population that has optical only or a different type of input, they can supply their own cable. But a 1/8 to RCA would easily fit the bill for 90% of people, I'd wager.
Joseph?
I followed the directions to the letter but when it says "Your WDS is now being configured..." it fails with "Base station error". Is there anymore info floating around out there on how to do this?
The difference between Canada and the USA is that in Canada healthcare is a right and gun ownership is a privilege.
If you're interested to know whether it sends the audio or the file, see subject.
what encoding are you using?
<p>
(now trying again using UTF-8: é € )
<p>
I really don't understand what's going on. Gotta check my settings, maybe I ticked a "butcher my non-ASCII posts" box.
Yeah, and it probably buffers a couple of seconds worth to help prevent dropouts due to network congestion.
And an interesting quote from Mossberg:
Any bets? You could do a wi-fi remote (with LCD to see what's playing), but I'm hoping they'll use that USB port for something... like a video out.
"Sometimes a woman is a kind of religion, she can save your soul & set you free from all your sins" - Bad Examples
Bad name strategy! Now people will confuse it with AirPort-X !!
Now add the ability to control iTunes remotely (say from a Palm or PocketPC) and we've got a product.
I think you should check out Salling Clicker
As for the pricing and features list - yes, it's a shame that Apple makes a product with a feature set and at a price that sells well (80,000 pre-orders, apparently), but that you don't like. Maybe you should email Steve Jobs and see if he can create a different version and price it specially just for you.
A 25 cent audio cable would just give every reviewer something to carp about. Some people want RCA, some optical. Optical cables ain't cheap. Some people think its gay as sunshine to sell matching sets of white cables, whereas one review I read was absolutely thrilled. Some peope think Monster cables are a complete waste, others swear by them. I sprung for the $39 cable kit and do not regret it. That Radio Shack crap I had was lame.
Next they'll complain that it doesn't have a usb cable
Then there's the whole issue with the multitude of power plugs used in this world... They chose wisely to skip past it all. Its a convenient luxury item. You want it, you pay. You don't - there's always duct tape.
and why doesn't the (nonexistent) remote work with my other obscure Ir devices? and why doesn't it work with POE? and why can't i plug it into my cigarette lighter and charge my iPod and sync my task list with my usb watch? For that mater, why doesn't it have built in speakers??? Huh?
Here comes the WAAAAAAAAAmbulance!
You may even save a few $$$!
Best Buy can have you arrested
Now add the ability to control iTunes remotely (say from a Palm or PocketPC) and we've got a product.
Now, I haven't done this with my setup yet, but IIRC, there are at least a few share/freeware things floating out there that allow you to control iTunes from a web page (served from the same Mac). If your Palm or PocketPC has WiFi web access and said control page is simple enough to be used on such a device, you're golden.
Sure it might be slick to have Apple package all that, but the tools are floating around already, I believe.
Interestingly enough for me, my laptop is used more and is more portable typically than my iPod. So, although the Airport Express is a wickedly cool little toy, I've been pretty happy just hooking up my iPod to the stereo so far.
How the hell did the parent get modded 'Insightful'? The poster evidentally didn't even read the post, much less the article.
*Evidently* my previous post was made from Windows, where I'm lacking the OS X spellchecker. :P
I love this product. It's an excellent idea to create a pocket sized Wifi access pont that I can just put in my laptop bag.
It's great when I visit companies or friends who have a LAN or cable router but no wireless. I get to pre-configure my network name and WEP/WPA settings, so I just plug the thing in the network and work on it wirelessly.
The audio part is unfortunately a prime example of why I don't love Apple. It would be great if they would ship this with an audio driver that could be used just like a regular audio interface so that you could play music or video soundtracks over Wifi.
But they didn't. They made this yet another link in their iPod/iTunes/IMTS media lock-in scheme. You are only to use it with iTunes.
Nevertheless, I immediately ordered one when it became available (3-4 weeks delivery) just for the access point functionality.
For music I have a portable iRiver H140 HD player and several Squeezebox network players.
No lock-in for me, thank you very much...
You mean it doesn't support Og? You go get the rope, I'll round up the other two guys.
It's not offtopic, dumbass. It's orthogonal.
Well, considering that if Apple did build such a music-only beast, it would definately have wireless capability, and most likely wired, too, so making it be able to act as an access point/bridge/repeater is just icicing on the cake as far as I'm concerned.
In regards to the USB port, I would assume that Apple has done enough market research to learn that with their high percentage of laptop users, there is enough angst about having to get up and walk to the printer to plug in a USB cable to print, that this would be a desired feature.
If I didn't use my Powermac as a print server, I would be running to hook one of these up to my printer. Instead, I have one connected to my stereo, and the other is with me on the road! As far as I'm concerened, Apple hit my needs square on the head, and priced it at a point that I find more than fair.
Of course, it doesn't support Ogg, but then again, the people who are bitching and moaning about that wouldn't pay for it anyway, and would just boast that they built their own, so who really gives a rat's ass? :)
Chris -- http://www.bitter.net/
The power cord is a standard 2-pin (no earth) connector found on a lot of radios and other devices. You can pick the up for next to nothing in any electrical hardware store (or just grab them from old broken radios). The official one comes with a retention clip, but this is not really required (the iBooks, which have the same design power block, do not include the retention clip).
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
I can't quite figure out from either Apple's materials or the Ars review whether it will do what I want in my parents' house. There are two Macs (well, three, but the third is irrelevant): an iBook and a G4 tower. There is a LinkSys WRT54G which is physically connected to the G4 tower and is a WAP for the iBook. It sounds like it should be possible to install the open source firmware on the WRT54G and make it the primary WAP for the Airport Express to bridge with WDS. Great.
One question, however, is whether the G4 tower will be able to use AirTunes to play music through the Airport Express, even though its only access to the Airport Express is through its physical connection to the WRT54G's network. It sounds like once the WDS bridge is in place it will just work, but I'm far from sure.
Another question is whether the iBook could play a song over AirTunes that is being shared by iTunes on the G4 tower. Again, it seems like it should just work, but I'm not sure.
I guess its built-in USB port could be used for supplying power to any USB device, right? I know the AP only works with printers, but it should give power to any device, right? I have a camera that is charged over USB, and it would be cool to be able to charge it without a computer. :-)
Sig Nature
How exactly DOES one twaddle a turnip?
www.clarke.ca
Okay, let's go through this one more time.
You stream music from your computer through your wireless network to your Airport Express. Then the music has to have SOME WAY to get from the Express to your stereo. That way is (for the vast majority of people) a eighth-inch stereo to dual RCA cable, or (for a few people) an optical cable.
I can see not including the optical cable, but a good 6 foot (or even 3-foot) eighth-inch to dual RCA cable, which couldn't cost Apple more than 15 cents, would have been a no-brainer. Everyone who uses this item as a music source for their stereo will need such a cable, except for those fussy few who have an optical in on their stereo. And probably even some of them will.
Yes, some people already have one. Yes, the rest can run down to radio shack. But what if you buy it at 8:45 on a saturday night, bring it home, and unwrap the thing. It's not like Apple to not have everything you really need in the box, ready to go. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth of the person doing the buying if they are all psyched up to try the new toy and they have to go shopping. It's 'batteries not included' on Christmas morning. It's just not wise. It makes me wonder why they did it.
-fred
Sign #11 of Slashdot overdose: You see the phrase 'moderate Republican' and you wonder if that would be a +1 or a -1.
It supports Ogg just fine. It can stream any format that QuickTime can read.
Honestly. I'm all for little jokes, but don't let's be misinformed, shall we?
-fred
Sign #11 of Slashdot overdose: You see the phrase 'moderate Republican' and you wonder if that would be a +1 or a -1.
Two electrolytic capacitors that dried out and went bad.
Now, that said, I have the original Airport and it still works fine after, well, what, three or four years of use? (I think I got it sometime in 2000 but I don't recall for sure.)
-fred
Sign #11 of Slashdot overdose: You see the phrase 'moderate Republican' and you wonder if that would be a +1 or a -1.
Since the purpose really mandates 802.11g (and for a certain segment, Ethernet, though with wireless being increasingly common and highly cost-effective...), it probably wasn't much trouble for Apple to add access point functionality, thus vastly increasing value for many people. Indeed, I imagine that many who are buying it are buying for the "wireless access point I can take with me to a hotel" or "WDS repeater with a printer port" side of things rather than for AirTunes.
For those with computers near their stereos, the logical course of action is to just run a cable from the line-out, S/P-DIF, or whatever you use on the sound card to the stereo.
...yes, it's a shame that Apple makes a product with a feature set and at a price that sells well (80,000 pre-orders, apparently), but that you don't like. Maybe you should email Steve Jobs and see if he can create a different version and price it specially just for you.
Look, I said that it is a cool product (like most Apple products are). I was just expressing my opinion (I thought that was what the Slashdot Comments section was all about) on why I'm not going to buy one. You can agree or disagree with me as you please (or if you got mod points mod me as flamebait I guess).
I also assume (correctly or not) that I am not unique and that there are others out there that are just interesting in streaming audio to various areas of their house.
In any case, I'll be sure to make a little mental note... do make disparaging comments about Apple on Slashdot.
Wanted: witty unique signature. Must be willing to relocate.
The only thing that I don't like about it, is that it will not allow me to assign a DMZ host while in DHCP mode. I realize that doing so could cause DMZ Host hopping but I really do not care. I want DHCP being used so that friends and whatnot can use my network without a whole lot of hassle... And at the same time I want to make my main machine a DMZ host so that I can send files without them being interfered with by the firewall.
-Moduz
The only time lack of synchronization would be a problem is if you were in a location where you could hear both sets of speakers at approximately equal volume. Then you'd hear some funky audio effects, I'm sure.
Given how slow the speed of sound is, though, you'll have real problems with that anytime you have speakers that are more than a few meters apart, anyway - even if you're driving them from the same amplifier.
-Mark
Had it up and running within 5 minutes, streaming music to my living room stereo. It's a wireless client on my home network, which uses a 2Wire HomePortal wireless gateway/router/DSL modem supplied by SBC. Works like a charm, very easy to configure, and as usual the physical design is top class.