Streaming Music w/ Airport Express

[mowenbrown]

I just moved into a new place, the floor plan is narrow and long and the phone jacks are not well placed - so when I sit in the living room (where I use my iBook) my wireless router hass a tough time projecting a useable signal. I could just move the router into the living room, but my GF says that would ruin the "look and feel" of the room. so I am mulling over buying a Airport Express and am unsure what I need. My questions:

1. Will the AP-Express work with my existing wireless router, it is a D-Link 802.11G - or do I need to buy an AP-Extreme?
2. Can I use a single AP-Express to both extend the range and stream music from iTunes, or do I need to buy two?
3. Will any of these permutations actually work?

thanks,

-m

[Yontsey]

i think if you want to stream music with the APexpress, you have to have an APextreme basestation. other then that though, i believe it should work for what you want

[Kiren]

1. Yes, the airport express should work fine with any 802.11b/g router, I've only personally used it with Netgears and had no problem.
2. Yes you can use a single Airport Express both as a range extension and to stream music, providing the location that you put it in has adequate signal strength of course.
3. It's difficult to tell, it depends on effective power of the router you currently have, it's distance from the location where the Airport Express will be, number and composition of walls/other obstacles in between them, interference from other devices etc. In short though, if your laptop gets a reasonable signal at the location the Airport Express will be, it will probably work fine.

[DMBand0026]

You are able to use the APExpress with any router, you shouldn't have any problems.

You ARE NOT able to use the Express to extend the range of your D-Link router. It is simply not possible. There are reports of firmware hacks making it possible on some Linksys routers, but that seems to be the only other brand it works with, and that is only after a little bit of work on your part. You must have an AirPort Extreme unit for that to work.

You can stream music and extend range with the same AirPort Express unit, but the range extension will only work if you have an AirPort Extreme unit.


Edit: Buy the Express, stream music, and be happy. Move the D-Link wherever you want it and tell your girlfriend, "I'll ruin your look and feel." That works every time.