Apple also still hasn't opened up iTunes' DRM to other audio-streaming hardware vendors, which means the AirPort Express and the Apple TV are still the only networking devices that can stream music from iTunes.īecause audio streaming is generally not that demanding on your networking bandwidth, the benefit of the AirPort Express's move to 802.11n feels like more of a "keeping up with the Joneses" kind of upgrade, although its wider bandwidth opens up the possibility for streaming high definition video smoothly across your network. It's no replacement for a dedicated music-streaming device such as Logitech's Squeezebox Duet, but if you're okay with playing DJ through the iTunes interface on your computer, the AirPort Express can provide a straightforward way to pipe music throughout your house. If you plug a set of speakers (or any audio output device) into the AirPort Express, you can then use any iTunes-equipped computer on the AirPort's network to stream music to that device. That audio out is one of the main features that the AirPort Express can hold over Apple's Time Capsule, the pricier AirPort Extreme Base Station, and indeed most other wireless routers. That's fine, since the AirPort Express isn't intended to accept any client systems wired directly to it. The AirPort Express was the first AirPlay device to receive streamed audio. While more compact and in some ways simpler than another Apple Wi-Fi base station, the AirPort Extreme, the Express offers audio output capability the Extreme lacks.
And where the others offer Gigabit Ethernet jacks, the AirPort Express also has only a single 10/100 Ethernet jack. The AirPort Express is a Wi-Fi base station product from Apple Inc., part of the AirPort product line. The AirPort Express can support 10 simultaneous users, while the AirPort Extreme and the Time Capsule can both support up to 50. The AirPort Express is also the only one that won't support an external hard drive over the USB port, although like the others, it does support a USB printer over the network. All three are 802.11n capable, but the AirPort Express is the only one that offers built-in iTunes audio streaming over a direct connection. And to keep everything tidy, even the power supply is built in.
#AIRPORT EXTREME SPECS MAC OS X#
At less than 4 inches square, the footprint of AirPort Extreme is 64 percent smaller than its predecessor. AirPort Extreme ready (based on 802.11g specification IEEE 802.11b Wi-Fi certified)(6) Bluetooth option: Audio: Optical digital audio in, optical digital audio out, analog audio in, analog audio out, front headphone minijack and speaker: System software: Mac OS X v10. The new vertical design not only improves WiFi performance, it also saves you valuable desk space. Apple has scoffed at this and the new AirPort Extreme is solid, weighing in at a hefty 945g, and the casing is clearly cut in a single piece with beautifully drilled port and power slots. Although nothing aside from the networking standard has changed in the AirPort Express, with Apple's new Time Capsule and the older AirPort Extreme Base Station out there as well, it can't hurt to clarify the characteristics of Apple's family of networking products. The bar for WiFi base stations has been raised.
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