Apple Airport Express Reviews

• Airport Express Set-up Instructions

  
  By A3KZ481ZRRROR4 on 2008-06-20
  The CD that comes with the Airport Express has been useless to me in setting up a Windows XP computer to work with an AE. The instructions below should get you up and running.
  
  1. First download the latest version of both the Airport Update and Airport Express Firmware Updater from [...]
  
  2. Run the latest version of the Airport Update (4.1 at the time of this writing)
  
  3. Disable your firewalls, plug in the Airport Express (AX) to an electrical outlet and attach it to your computer or router with an ethernet cable. The AX will have a steady or blinking yellow light.
  
  4. Launch the Airport Admin Utility...it should detect the Airport Express in the "Base Station Chooser" within a minute or so and the light on the AX should turn green. You may have to hard reset the unit a few times by pushing the small reset button with a paperclip for about 10 seconds. If, like mine, it does not show up in the Airport Admin Utility leave the AX attached by ethernet and reboot, launch the Airport Admin Utility, and hopefully it will show up quickly.
  
  5. As soon as it does show up, launch the latest Airport Express Firmware Updater (I used 6.1.1) and update the AX...this seemed to make a significant difference in the ease of detection later. This will take a minute or so. The AX will reset and you may have to leave it attached by ethernet, reboot, and relaunch the Airport Admin Utility to detect it again.
  
  6. Once detected by the Airport Admin Utility, click the "Configure" button in the lower right hand corner.
  
  7. A new set of tabs will pop up. Click on the "Airport" tab and select "Create Wireless Network" from the Airport Network dropdown box. This will be changed to "Join an Existing Wireless Network" later.
  
  8. Now click on the "Network" tab and and check the "Distribute IP Addresses", the "Share a single IP address" button, and from IP range drop down list choose the IP range for your router (192.168.x.x being the most common for Dlink, lynksys, Netgear, and other non-Apple routers).
  
  9. Go back to the "Airport" tab and change the "Create a Wireless Network" to "Join an Existing Wireless Network".
  
  10. In the "Network Name" box type in the name of your wireless network (also called your SSID)
  
  11. On the same page rename your AX to whatever you want it to be called in iTunes (often the physical location of the speakers the AX will be attached to, ex: Living Room, Bedroom, Ambient Sound), give it a new password (required), and give it a location.
  
  12. If you are using security click on the security button, choose your encryption settings, and add your WEP key or password, etc. It might be handy to have your router security info open in a window so you can copy and paste the key right into the appropriate box.
  
  13. If you now go back to the "Network" tab you will see everything is greyed out but now your new IP Range settings are visible.
  
  14. With the AX still attached by etherlink, click the "Update" button and wait a minute or so for the AX to update. The changes you made should be reflected in the Airport Admin Utility when the update is complete.
  
  15. Now you can launch iTunes and you should see a button in the lower right hand corner that says "My Computer". Click this button and you will see you have the choice of your computers speakers or the AX. Any further changes you want to make to the configuration such as the name you see in that button are easiest done while attached by ethernet so try to get it the way you want it with further Airport Admin Utility updates before unplugging the ethernet cable. As long as your Airport Admin Utility can see the AX you can update without being connected too.
  
  16. When you are satisfied with the configuration and the AX is updated and is showing up in iTunes go ahead and unplug the ethernet cable. Now you can move The AX to your chosen locations electrical outlet, and hook up the audio cable. The AX light will blink yellow for a few minutes while being detected and then turn green. You can now choose your AX in iTunes and start playing your music as normal. Itunes will show it is busy connecting to the AX for about 30 seconds and then hopefully you will hear your music played from your remote speakers. I hope pulling this information together helps someone a little. Let me know if I missed something and I will update asap. Good Luck!
  
  
  

• Good Product, I'm not 100% satisfied.

  
  By A2WLNSZ9U0T1S3 on 2008-04-04
  I have a decent setup at home with a Apple Base Station (wireless N) and this Express which is used to extend my wireless connection to other areas of my house. Again all is wireless N.
  
  The Express disconnects every so often and computers attached to it are unable to get any network access. It has to be unplugged and plugged back in to get the connectivity back.
  
  The streaming of music is ofcourse awesome, however every 2-3 songs you have to remind your computer to use the express....why? Simply because the express loses its connectivity.
  
  I took it to Apple and the Genius told me that its my network connectivity. I said ok..I would make sure I was close to my base station and test again.
  
  I did....I plugged it in 10 feet from my basestation and connected a apple hi-fi for audio. Again...disconnects every few songs and we were back to the same thing again.
  
  I have tried this with 3 different mac book pro's in our home and the results are similar. I am hopeful that the next firmware will fix things up but until then....this product gets 4 stars.
  
  It does what it should...but not at 100% all of the time....just most of the time.
  
  
  
  

• Extremely Difficult To Set Up for Networking with Mac and PC

  
  By A306N7X6NHWM92 on 2008-03-29
  Let me start off by saying, that once we got all the bugs worked out, this is an awesome little piece of technology. But I must also say, that it took an entire week to get all the functions to work correctly between just two computers on our home network (my I-Mac and my wife's Vista based laptop). Apple claims this is a "plug and play" item like everything else they sell. And being a die-hard Mac supporter, I can say up to this point, that has always been true. Yet for those of us out there that are not familiar with setting up a Wi-Fi network, which Apple claims this product is for us, beware, you need to understand and know a lot about Wi-Fi, your cable internet (if that is what you have), and much more before you can get this thing to work. Even though most Mac's have the correct drivers (Airport Utility, etc.) already installed. Don't bother with them, install what comes on the disc supplied with your AE, this will save you about an hour of headaches. And for Vista users, don't bother with what is pre-installed or what is on the disc, download the latest version of Bonjour from the Apple website, this will save you days worth of troubleshooting on how to get the printer recognized by your PC. But, like I said, now that everything is running (haven't tried the Air Tunes because I don't care about that feature), it is like all Apple products, very, very, nice, compact, and smooth running. Apple needs to send out more detailed instructions with this product and provide better support, after all, we expect that type of service from them, not the "it doesn't work and takes forever to fix" type of service most of us have come to know and love from Microsoft.
  
  

• Excellence, yet again, from Apple

  
  By A3SWVIM7A8UE7D on 2008-05-04
  I'm a road warrior that uses this Airport Express to create a small wireless network, protected of course, within my hotel room. I just plug the AE into the 110v desk plug and then plug the hotel's internet cable into it. Instantly lets me un-tether from the desk to the couch, the other room, the bed, you name it. I was waiting for the "n" speed and am quite happy with this device. It never leaves my computer bag except at the hotels.
  
  

• Great for extending your network

  
  By A1GELX18MANVNE on 2008-03-24
  I originally bought the G model and returned it because I had trouble getting it to connect to my old Linksys WRT54G model running WEP. I have since upgraded to the Airport Extreme for my main router and the compatibility is flawless. So I cannot speak to how it works with other G/N routers but if they support WPA, it should be fine.
  
  Let me back up and tell you why I needed this product. I recently installed a wired media player and Tivo HD in my bedroom and needed a way to get them on the network. I looked at wireless bridges but the one's that supported wireless N were well over $100. Then I looked at the power ethernet adapters and those usually run about $150 for a pair. I was disregarding this product because I didn't think you would use it as a wireless bridge, but I found in a MacAddict forum that it is an undocumented feature. So I bought it.
  
  Setup was pretty simple using the Airport Config tool that comes with it. I configured it wirelessly and the config tool recognized it was on the network. Simply tell it to join a wireless network, and select the network from the list. Put in your WPA password and boom, it is online. Then I connected a 4 port switch to it, plugged in my other devices in the bedroom, and they were on the network with pretty good performance. I hooked up some speakers to test the iTunes streaming and it works just fine.
  
  I haven't tested it using it as a standalone AP, but I imagine it is pretty much the same story.
  
  Pros:
  - Small and portable, can be taken to a hotel or on the road
  - Share printers in any part of the house
  - Windows and Mac compatible
  
  Cons:
  - May not work with existing WEP networks
  - Can only share connectivity with up to 10 machines
  
  I gave it four stars because I couldn't get it to work with WEP.
  
  
• When is USB not USB? No sound in Front Row nor iTunes video.
  By AJV9S3W8DG5RI on 2008-04-04
  First up, I purchased the Airport Express primarily to share a printer, and I'm happy with that. It works well.
  
  I was however disappointed to learn that the USB port on the Airport Express won't allow other USB devices to be connected to it. It's only a Printer USB port!
  
  Secondly, while using iTunes, the Airport Express picks up songs and audio podcasts and plays them through my stereo very well, it's almost magic, however when it comes to watching and listening to a Video Podcast (also in iTunes) the sound can only be head with though my MacBook Pro speakers. I'm very disappointed.
  
  I also would have thought that Front Row would have had supported the Airport Express sound, so not only does it not pick up the sound from the Video Podcasts, audio from Front Row is not recognised.
  
  Apple has sold itself short with this new version of the Airport Express, a product that on the fact of it promised a lot but only partially delivers.
  
  As a reasonably recent convert to Mac, I continue to admire Apple's design and comparatively exceptional interface. Setting up the Airport Express was a breeze.
  
  
  
  
• Bought this instead of another Linksys and Netgear for PC. and Mac
  By A3AEUU9FIGRGAR on 2008-04-23
  This is the 4th router that I've bought (Compag, Linksys & Netgear) and got it for its size and portability. Didn't take very long to get it running (probably less than 5 minutes): took it right out of the box (without reading instructions), plugged in the DSL cable, and plugged into wall receptacle. The computer found the router, clicked, and got connected to the internet real fast. Can't wait to use it in hotels and motels when traveling - now the whole family can use their computers together in the same room and not have to separate and wander down to the lobby for wifi connection.
  
  
• I expected better
  By A1FJP4ZH1NWBPY on 2008-04-28
  I received my airport express about 30 days ago. It was an almost automatic set up and worked for the first 3 weeks. The communication with the printer was always extremely slow from the get-go. Recently, the device just quit communicating with the internet. In order to re-establish internet contact, I had to unplug the device and then run the diagnostic process. It always recovered (for a while) then lost internet after some period of time. I contacted Apple support who was unaware (claimed) of the problem. After 30+ minutes on hold, my connection was terminated. I'm back to my Linksys and, (if afforded the opportunity), will get my money back from Apple and stay with Linksys.
  The best I can say about this product is that it is "compact" and Apple tech support folks do speak english.
  
  
• Easy to get help from Apple
  By A1DB3HS3737OO4 on 2008-06-02
  Bought this to add to existing Apple Airport Extreme to extend range and play iTunes upstairs. Had a problem with setup, called Apple and a very helpful and knowledgable (US based I believe) person, walk me though the steps (I had missed one) and even waited while I did a couple of reboots of the device. The best support anywhere and the device worked as advertised extending my .n network and playing music easily.
  
  
• Works fine after a painfully difficult set up.
  By A2JJ7OG62X6TUF on 2008-07-07
  It took me a full day to work out the bugs in setting my Express up to work with my Mac Mini and my wife's Mac Powerbook. First it worked on one, but the other could not find it. Then it didn't work at all. There is a lot more involved in setting up your own wireless network and making decisions as to what level of security you want (with no ready explanation of what the pros and cons of the different levels are). Eventually, I had it all set up and would be very happy with the product, in spite of it being a difficult "plug and play," but I discovered it's not fully compatible with any multi-function printers. Might be nice if they let you know up front that ONLY the most basic printing function will work. You will not be able to scan or fax or even get your ink levels. Even some of your printing set-up options will be lost. I spent hours trying to find out why those things weren't working only to find by googling the problem that there is no way to make the many reasons you buy a multi-function printer work. It should say right on the box "DOES NOT SUPPORT MULTI-FUNCTION PRINTING." We kept it to use it for a cable router, but disconnected the printer from it and went to sharing a wire.
  
  
• Works reasonably well but will only last a year or two
  By A2CSLGIEXSU4FY on 2008-07-13
  I've been mostly satisfied with the Airport - it gets good reception, it looks nice, it was reasonably easy to set up, and running music through itunes to my stereo is nice (although sometimes it seems to struggle, only playing a second or two, pausing, repeat). The biggest problem is that they break down quickly. I have two set up in my home and in the last 3 years, 3 have died. Almost all of my friends have had the same experience. So be prepared to buy a new one after a year or two.
  
  
• Great for Airtunes, even better as a wireless-N access point!
  By A10FF6B29PSB28 on 2008-09-20
  Most of us have a number of different AV components in their entertainment center, and getting content from the computer to their AV receiver is a challenge. This little device turned out to be the missing link for me.
  
  Just a little background--I use iTunes for almost all of my audio and video content. Between my TiVo HD and Xbox 360, I can easily stream video to my TV, but music content has been a hassle. First, neither work with iTunes. Second, neither can play protected AAC content. Third, you have to have your TV on to pick your music or select a playlist. Its a big hassle.
  
  I remember reading about this device back in 2004, when it was just wireless-G, and considered buying it back then but held off because I would still need to be at my computer to select music/playlists, and there was no (at that time) remote control for the Airport Express. But now with the advant of iPhone/iPod touch (and the Apple app "Remote" which allows you to use your device to select and play music off iTunes on any computer in your house), I finally saw a solution to my troubles.
  
  UNBOXING:
  The Airport Express (AE) came neatly packaged in a very small box that's typical for Apple. As expected, it did not have any cables. I fortunately bought a 3.5mm-RCA cable and had a spare ethernet cable lying around.
  
  SETUP:
  I decided from the start that I would use the AE with combination with my existing wireless network, but not as an extender, but as a separate wireless-N based access point that could eventually be used a dedicated access point for future N-based devices. I was planning to convert my existing PCs to wireless-N which would connect to this AP with the highest throughput. Since I have existing G-based devices (two TiVos and an Xbox 360), they could continue to use my old G-based wireless AP without interfering with the N.
  
  It appears the AE is quite versatile, although I haven't tried the other possible configurations. It can act as an access point, it can extend an existing wireless network, or it can connect to your wireless network and just act as a node for a print server/Airtunes.
  
  After sticking the installation CD in my computer, the Airport Utility stepped me through the setup. It was able to see my AE without any problem. The wording of some of the options and questions were a bit confusing, but in less than 5 minutes, I had the AE setup as an N-based access point in "bridge mode" so any N-based devices could still use my existing Netgear router for DHCP. After completing the setup, I was easily able to go back and modify some of the settings manually to fit my needs.
  
  AIRTUNES:
  This is the sweetest part of the deal, and the whole reason I dropped $100 on this little device. I opened iTunes and it immediately recognized that there was an Airtunes device on the network and allowed me to select it as my preferred speaker (a drop down menu appeared in the lower-left hand corner of iTunes). I picked up my iPod touch, tapped on "Remote", and was picking songs from all over my house. It worked exactly as I expected.
  
  CONCLUSION:
  A bit pricey solution for getting music on your AV system without wires or need for an "iPod dock" (or a complete upgrade of your receiver). Hidden gift was the fact that it also acts as a wireless-N access point for future wireless expansion at much higher throughputs (without having to buy a new router).
  
  
• Apple Just nailed it.
  By A3LVP5CXCMIGVD on 2008-03-27
  Fantastic product. Just rocks with my existing Airport Extreme. Best part is that the Ethernet in the Airport express is two ways. Either connect a computer to it or connect DSL.
  
  
  
  
• Perfect for most home systems
  By AQXG9IKVR35WO on 2008-06-09
  This little device sure has made my families computing more enjoyable. No more dragging the laptop to the printer. We are using it for two computers and one printer. It allows both machines to be on the web and share the printer. Signal is great throughout my home, one story 1500 square feet. And the best part is it requires no desk top space and costs less than the Airport Extreme. I highly recommend it.
  
  
• Does as advertised, love it!
  By A1CJA4LKLCLQS9 on 2008-06-12
  Instead of writing a review, I would rather just clear up what has not already been said:
  
  #1 The people who complain about connectivity probably haven't reset their modem. I had the same connectivity issue after the Airport was all set up, so I unplugged the modem for 60 seconds, plugged it back in, waited and it works.
  
  #2 I am using the Airport with the Griffin stand made for it, and even though it gets good circulation, the unit is burning hot all the time. Problems for the future? We'll see.
  
  #3 Airtunes is spectacular. No setup required - itunes already knows it is there. Also, there is no need to be plugged into the network for it to work.
  
  #4 I am running OSX 10.4.11 and when I go into the Airport Admin Utility and click Configure on the Airport, I get an error saying that "this version of Airport Admin Utility is not compatible with this base station and you cannot update this software." Are you kidding me Apple? And then the program locks up and requires a force quit. Luckily the Airport Utility will configure everything, but what's the deal??
  
  Otherwise works great. Easiest wireless network I have ever set up, small footprint, usb printer and airtunes are a breeze to set up.
  
  
• Easy to set up and great performance
  By AXFWBS68PPPDH on 2008-06-21
  I purchased the Apple Airport Express to add on to an existing wireless network I had set up in my house. The main reason was to play music through the airtunes to my stereo and to print wireless. The set up was quick and the software is easy to install. I installed the software on my MacBook Pro notebook and connected my Canon printer through the Airport. ITunes immediately recognized the Airport and enabled an option to play music through my main stereo and speakers. The sound is excellent ( I have a very high end receiver and large floor speakers) and I look forward to moving my cds to ITunes and only using my laptop and external drive for playing music. It's great to build a playlist and then set it and go. I've had many guests ask how I was able to play such a large amount of music and never change the cd.
  If you want to extend your network or start a new one, the Apple Airport Express is a great tool. Utilizing the latest 80211n technology, the Airport is compact, portable and very fast. Great addition to your Apple computer.
  
  
• Just what I needed, times 3
  By A3NDGSQERZZKIQ on 2008-08-25
  I use three of these boxes. I turned off the wifi on my ISP-provided router. I wired one of these boxes to the router and created a wireless-N network. Plug in a set of good computer speakers and suddenly I have a great wifi signal and iTunes music in the bedroom. The second box extends the wifi signal in the living room and is hooked to the stereo. Presto, iTunes in there, too. The last box provides the same benefits in the kitchen. Toss in Apple Remote on my iPhone and you have much of the functionality of a Sonos whole-house audio system at a fraction of the cost.
  
  
• Wow! I had no idea it could do this!
  By A1F1A0QQP2XVH5 on 2008-08-20
  I was looking to extend our wireless network (w/Time Machine as the base). As part of doing that, I discovered that this little unit can actually stream music to my nearby stereo, using my iPhone (or Macbook Pro) as the remote control! It took less than 10 minutes to extend my network AND get music (and Podcats) playing perfectly on our Onkyo receiver. The Airport Express shows up on my iPhone (using the free Remote application from Apple), and as a destination option from iTunes itself. I can even control the volume from the iPhone or iTunes. If I add another one of these puppies, I can have music in multiple rooms. Good to see that Apple really does put thought into their products. Good luck to Dell in theirs to play catch-up...
  
  
• Not like I had a choice...
  By A1EZF4BDCUX8YE on 2008-09-05
  I bought this product because I needed to get a wireless connection to my G5 Tower (across the house) that did not come with an airport extreme card (isn't compatible with the standard Extreme card). I would need to buy the Airport Extreme/ Bluetooth card for $140 and the "run away (runway?)" card for $40. Not going to happen.
  
  I was sold on the Airport Express because it had an ethernet port, so I figured it would pick up the wireless signal from my Linksys WRT56G router and wire the Express to the G5. Also, the fact that I could print from it was cool because I have a Powerbook as well, being able to print from the laptop was a nice bonus. I also have a PC that was getting a weak signal from the Linksys router, so I figured this might help as it works as a repeater as well. All this for $100? not bad...
  
  Here is where I ran into problems. I had a REALLY hard time getting the Express to work via ethernet with the G5. The guy at the Apple store said this would work. After a LOT of configuring, doing a lot of research, I was able to get it to work. Later on I was on the phone with Apple Care and I asked them if it should have been this hard to get working. They said that it should not work as the ethernet port is ONLY to connect to the Cable Modem, it is only supposed to receive the signal, not output it.
  
  Somehow I was able to get it to do that. No problems since.
  
  Then, for some reason I figured it would be a good idea to upgrade the firmware. BAD IDEA. It would connect to the internet for about 20 minutes, maybe less. Then it would lose connection to all the computers. I couldn't even change the settings with my powerbook, it would NOT recognize anything. I did the factory reset by pressing that small button with a pin. I would go through the whole set up again, and the cycle would continue. I had to go back to the first version of the firmware to get it working again.
  
  Since I was using the Express with a Linksys router, the Apple Care people said they really couldn't help me trouble shoot because I wasn't using an Apple Base Station (I would if they were reasonably priced).
  
  The documentation and instructions are very incomplete. There is nothing to help you trouble shoot the Express, and there is nothing to explain the different Wireless options available.. I could go on and on.. Since Linksys doesn't make OSX friendly drivers, and because I don't want to spend almost $200 on a wireless card for my G5, I'm stuck with the Express.
  
  The Express would NOT work when I set it to act as a repeater using WDS, again, no info on how to configure. I set it to "Join an existing Network"
  and with addition tweaking, it is sending the signal to my G5 via the ethernet port. But is it also sending the signal wirelessly as well? Why isn't my PC picking up its signal? (network security isnt the prob, that is fine).
  
  I would say I am a "techie" person, I am always able to get computer related things set up and working, I built my own PC, so I should be able to trouble shoot this thing with little effort.
  
  I'm a big fan of Apple, but the fact they make expensive networking products that only work if you use them only with other Apple products is a joke.
  
  Final word is: This is ONLY a good product if you are using it as a portable router or have an Airport Base Station and your computers already have everything they need to receive a wireless signal.
  
  
  
  
• Airport Express + iPod/iPhone = Rival to $999 Sonos System!
  By AX7317G153T8W on 2008-10-28
  With the Airport Express, I have a music server experience to die for!
  
  I have an iPhone 3G and my wife owns an iPod Touch. After downloading Apple's free "Remote" application for both i-devices and setting up the Airport Express, we can now use the Airport Express to wirelessly access our computer's music library from the comfort of our living room!
  
  With the "Remote" application, the cover art of the currently playing song shows up on our i-devices, we can choose any of our playlists or search for artists or songs with their virtual keyboard and, naturally, any music we download or rip is instantly available for us to listen to!
  
  What impressed me beyond the smooth, easy, attractive implementation of the Apple system is the price; It's similar to competing Sonos BU150 Multiroom Music System wireless digital music systems which costs up to $999!
  
  Unlike the Sonos system, however, the Apple setup also lets you take your music WITH YOU in your pocket via your iPhone/iPod and use the PDA/phone/game & other application features of the i-devices!
  
  If you already have an iPhone or iPod Touch, or even if you don't and are looking for a way to stream your iTunes music to a room in your house, the i-device/Airport Express combination make an impressive duo to accomplish the task!
  
  
• Aiport Cannot Make Connection
  By A100VLQFXZKLI7 on 2008-06-06
  I was so excited about receiving my Apple Airport Express. I opened it immediately and tried to make it work. After several attempts, the Airport Express will only shine intermittent amber lights and it has never once made a connection to my broadband connection even though, I have a very strong internet connection at home.
  
  I went to the Apple store to utilize the 90 day warranty. The expert without even looking at my device, told me to send it back to Amazon, and never once bothered to see what the problem is. It seems as if these experts already know that there are many problems with Airport Express and that it's more of a hassle to work the warranty, than to simply return the device and try my luck again.
  
  I'm returning this item at once and will go back to Linksys! This is a very disappointing Apple experience!
  
  
• Set up instructions could use some work
  By A2Q0KZXQP32V0S on 2008-07-28
  Don't let the title fool you. This product was the simplest to install, I just had to figure it out on my own. Sounds a bit contradictory, I know. But all I had to do was install the software, plug in an ethernet cable from my router to the airport express and the software took it from there.
  
  I purchased this as a recommendation from a friend at work. I was looking for a product that would mimic the functionality of SONOS, but without the price. The Airport Express and AirTunes has worked perfectly. I can use my iPhone to send music to the AirPort Express. From there I can select playlists, genre's and even search for that perfect song; all from the comfort of my couch.
  
  Little by little, I may be becoming a Mac convert. Only time will tell, I guess.
  
  
• With PC, fails the ease of setup standard
  By A2F4HP0J5VNOYR on 2008-08-27
  I am here at 11 pm looking for validation and possible insight into why the Airport Express doesn't want to set up. I am using a Dell laptop with Windows XP SP2 and a built in 802.11b card. Apple is starting to look more and more like Microsoft in the 90's - pushy updaters,endless product tie ins and now flaky installations. As others have noted, the manual is nearly worthless. Disappointed in DC.
  UPDATE - 3 days later - I have succeeded in connecting this twice and it works quite well then but both times the speaker connection failed overnight. Apple must know about this because the Google search results on failures and issues are numerous. PC users should stay from this half baked product if the primary interest is the AirTunes feature. Shame on you, Apple.
  
  
• Horrible product, decent support. Get the Xmod
  By A2WG1GQWC4P9KD on 2008-09-07
  For $99 this seems like a great deal. It is if you can get it to work. I spent 2 days trying to connect this to my Windows network and failed miserably.
  
  I broke down and called support. It didn't take long to get through which was very nice. I spent about 20 minutes with a rep saying, "I already tried that" over and over. Then they sent me to 2nd tier support. We spent about 2 hours fiddling with it. I was happy once it was working. However, the next day it wasn't working any more! I was too frustrated to call support again and sent the unit back. I did some research and found that a lot of people have issues setting it up. Take a look at some of the Apple forums.
  
  I picked up the Creative Xmod for the same price. Setup was about 5 minutes (no need to connect to a network) and the sound is even better than the AE. Happy now!
  
  
  
• Did what I wanted it to do
  By A19ABCJPSQWMDW on 2008-09-25
  I needed to extend my WIRED network via a wireless method. Basically, I extended an XBOX 360 onto my network with only this device. I have Mac and pc's and the 360. All work smoothly and flawlessly, an added benefit is the extension of my I tunes into the room, this too was very easy and works flawlessly. I could not get a clear answer if the 360 would work this way, but using the set-up software and plugging the 360 directly into the device works and it is as fast and clean as when it was plugged into the router directly. I got mine for $59 on macmall so it was cheaper than the wireless adapter for the 360.
  
  
• May Be Great?
  By A26H1CIUJ545ES on 2008-11-12
  I could probably go on for a long time about the Airport Express. As I've been going on with Apple Support. I use the AX to stream iTunes wirelessly to powered speakers. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. Originally I thought it was either signal strength or interference causing the problem. But it's not necessarily so. One day perhaps with updates everything will be as it should, as it is with the wireless connection for my laptop, which works first time every time, never intermittent.
  
  
• Amazing!
  By A1TXBE3RHN12DD on 2008-11-21
  Music used to be a huge part of my life; I almost always had something playing on the stereo. Then we moved to a larger house, and it seemed like the music stopped. Our nicest stereo was in the living room. Our CD collection was upstairs, though some of it was on the computer in the office. And we spent most of our time in other parts of the house. It's long been a dream of mine to play the same music throughout the house; with the Airport Express, this dream became a reality, and I'm listening to music all of the time again.
  
  I bought one to give it a try; this let me stream music from my Vista PC to the living room stereo on the same floor (while still playing via the PC speakers). I was hooked, and immediately copied the rest of our CDs to the computer.
  
  After a few weeks, I bought another AirPort Express to stream the music to a pair of powered speakers upstairs (Creative Labs GigaWorks T40 Premium 2.0 Multimedia Speaker System with BasXPort Technology). All three music sources (the computer and the two Airport Express-connected speaker systems) are always in sync and drop outs have been very rare. It's really quite amazing; you can walk throughout the house and hear the same music everywhere. Of course you want to be able to control the music from where you are in the house, so I bought an Apple iPod touch 8 GB (2nd Generation) to use as a remote (the iPhone works as well). The whole setup is just so cool!
  
  I recently bought a third Airport Express. I don't stream music through this one; I use it as a wireless bridge to allow an old iMac without a wireless card to access my network. This one performs flawlessly; you set it up and forget it. I could also stream music through this one if I had another pair of speakers to connect to it.
  
  Although I think this is an amazing product, I almost docked it one star because the setup and interoperability with non-Apple hardware isn't as seamless as it should be.
  
  I connected my first two Airport Expresses to a non-Apple Wireless G access point (a 2WIRE DSL router). For security reasons, I do not broadcast the SSID on my wireless network. I could not get the AirPort Expresses to join my network with the SSID broadcast off (even though I typed in the network name); I had to broadcast the SSID, join them to the network, then stop broadcasting the SSID. That wasn't that big of deal, but it took me at least 30 minutes to figure it out and it's not how it should work. These units also had a tendency to drop out of the AirPort utility software when they connected via this access point.
  
  When I got the third one, I bought an Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station (Gigabit) MB053LL/A to use as my main access point (these can't act as a bridge on a non-Apple wireless network). I set this up as Wireless-N only, I still use the old access point for B/G.
  
  The third AirPort Express also had setup problems- the AirPort Utility software couldn't communicate with it until I did a factory reset. After the factory reset, it was easy as pie, though. I had no problems joining the AirPort Expresses to the Apple base station, even with the SSID broadcast turned off. So, in my experience, these do work with non-Apple access points, but they work much better with an Apple base station. On the plus side, the AirPort Utility works well under Windows; I don't think you need a Mac to get the most out of this.
  
  Those minor hassles aside, this is the most impressive computing/home entertainment product that I've seen in a long time- it's somewhat expensive, but you get a lot of features for your money. Highly Recommended!
  
  
• Inexpensive Network Expansion
  By AZWP97BZPJI1D on 2008-05-20
  Bought this to extend the reach of an existing Airport Express network. Was able to add it in with very little fuss, and it worked on the very first connection attempt. The second unit does limit the networking options (not a problem for me, but some might find that irksome), but basic security (recommended!) was a snap to set up.
  
  
• Connect and go
  By A3RF642S8MAEWA on 2008-05-31
  There's nothing to it. Even if u don't know how it works, all u need to is
  connect to outlet and let the computer do the rest. Faster than the on I received from my ISP. Highly recommended.
  
  
• Does what I expected it to do.
  By A1HLHKFOWH5T1L on 2008-06-03
  Easy to set up and use. I have had no problems thus far with dropped connections. Excellent as range extender with AEBS n gigabit.
  
  

• Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station (Gigabit) MB053LL/A
• Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Home & Student Edition
• Apple MacBook MB403LL/A 13.3-inch Laptop (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive) White
• Apple Time Capsule MB276LL/A (Airport Extreme Plus 500 GB Storage)
• Apple Mighty Mouse Wireless Kit