Airport Express

The Airport Express is a $99 device from Apple that has become an indispensable tool when I’m at home or on the road.

When I’m at home, I plug it in to the wall and insert an audio cable leading to my home theater.  This allows me to stream iTunes music (from ANY computer in the house running iTunes on the wireless network) to my main stereo system.  Now that I have an iPod Touch I can even control the music remotely with a free application from Apple.  If you have multiple Airport Express units you can even stream to multiple locations (or Zones) in your house.

The Airport Express is more than just a music toy.  It can be used as a Wi-Fi access point as well.  The latest version even supports 802.11n!  You can even use the airport express to extend a current network!

Lastly, the Airport Express can be used as a wireless print server for any printer with a USB connection.  All of these features are setup with the included software.

This is my second Airport Express.  My first one stopped working after about 3 years.  The old version allowed you to create profiles for the device.  I had a “Home” profile for streaming music & a “Travel” profile that allowed me to create a secure (WPA) Wi-Fi access point from any Ethernet connection.  The new software seems to have removed the profile option in favor of steering you towards the use of multiple units…

All in all, I find the airport Express to be another well thought out product from Apple.  It’s well built, well priced and works as advertised.

2 thoughts on “Airport Express”

  1. do you know if the old version express (A1084) g-router can be used with the newer version of express? n-router

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